Sleeping on your back: Sleep tips series 4/6

Sleeping on your back: The fourth of our sleep tips blog series…

In our previous blog we discussed the general tips to getting the best out of a good night’s sleep and also our advice for those sleeping on their front and those sleeping on their side.

Now, we continue to discuss issues relating to sleep, but this time for those sleeping on their back.

The following video was filmed late in 2018. It’s cheesy, it uses our old branding, but we hope you like it… See you on the other side for more information…

Sleeping on your back: Sleep tips

Most people find it difficult to sleep on their back. This may be due to weight, posture or breathing difficulties, such as snoring. However, sleeping on your back is actually one of the easiest sleep postures to get right.

Focussing on your head and neck whilst side sleeping

The main goal when sleeping on your back, as with all the other postures in bed, is to keep your spine and head level with each other.

The general rule of thumb when sleeping on your back is to keep your spine straight.

To do this, review your pillow height. You do not need a huge amount of pillows under your head. You do however need a small pillow to take some of the tension out of the back of the head and muscles.Ideally, you only want one thin pillow to keep the head supported.

Would you recommend a particular pillow for being on your back?

No. Connective Chiropractic does not recommend any particular pillow type. However, our general advice for back sleepers is to aim for something comfortable that is not too high.

We suggest a sign of a good pillow is not its price or marketing: Find what is right for you. Though some people like pillows that are foamy or fluffy, our preference is for you to focus on the height of pillow when your head is on the pillow. (Of course the pillow will collapse when you are lying on it). Do not be tempted to use a side sleeping pillow unless you need to rake your head up for medical reasons or spend more time on your side.

Focussing on your lower body whilst sleeping on your back

Once you have your head and neck posture sorted, the rest actually is quite easy and will adopt a decent posture on your back.

However, you can improve your posture using additional cushioning should you need it.

Try a pillow behind your knees. This will flatten your back and give you more support, for example if you have back pain.

The Author and Sleep tips vlog speaker

Dr James Harrison (Chiropractor)
LL.B(Hons), MChiro, MMCA, LRCC
Owner and Principal Chiropractor at Connective Chiropractic