Back pain can disrupt a good night sleep. Conversely, how you sleep may worsen or improve your condition.

Poor posture or posture that deviates from neutral spinal curvature is a known contributing factor of back pain.

Certain sleep positions can put added pressure on your neck, shoulders, hips, lower back, knees, and even heels, causing musculoskeletal pain.

While certain sleep positions can worsen an already aching back, others may help you find relief.

Given that humans spend one-third of their lives lying down, either resting or sleeping, proper posture helps the musculoskeletal system and the central nervous system recover.

This subsequently reduces stress, relaxes muscles and promotes better body balance.

There’s no strict guideline on sleep position to prevent back pain, but adjusting your preferred sleep position can help minimise pain and provide much-needed rest.

The supine position

Usually considered to be the best sleeping position for a healthy back, lying on your back distributes body weight over a large surface area, resulting in better stability.

Besides minimising pressure points, it ensures good alignment of the head, neck, and spine. To further improve the supine sleep position, put a small pillow under your knees to allow your spine to maintain its natural curve.

In the supine position, various postures can be adopted with your hand placement.

A study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science compared three postures adopted in the supine position: hands positioned at the side, on the chest and the dominant hand on the forehead.

Of the three supine positions, placing your dominant hand on the forehead can actually increase neck muscle activity, causing unbalanced alignment of the cervical spine and consequently increase neck and shoulder pain.

Therefore, avoid making it a habit to raise your hand on or above your head while sleeping in a supine position to prevent musculoskeletal pain of the neck and shoulders.

The lateral position

The lateral position or side position is the most adopted sleeping posture. With a well-conceived sleeping surface and pillow, it is able to support the human spine correctly.

In the lateral position, the spinal column is in a straight line while the body’s natural curves are maintained.

There are no differences between sleeping on the left or on the right side, except that the weight of the liver pushes on the stomach and the lungs when sleeping on the left side.

However, due to the decreased contact surface and the centre of gravity being more elevated, a lateral position can be unstable.

It may even contribute to shoulder pain as the smaller area of contact between the body and the bed implies a greater per unit of area pressure on the shoulder.

If you are a side sleeper, draw your legs up slightly toward your chest and place a pillow between the knees to raise the upper leg. This helps restore the natural alignment of the hips, pelvis, and spine.

In a study involving ageing women who suffered from back or neck pain, those who complained of lower back pain were recommended to sleep in the lateral position while those with neck pain were oriented to the supine sleep position.

Both were also supplemented with an additional pillow to the knees/between the legs. The results showed that 90% reported a decrease in pain after complying to the given instructions.

The prone position

The prone sleep position involves lying face down. It is also known as the stomach sleep position and is the most unfavourable posture in relation to back support. It should be avoided.

The prone position can flatten the natural curve of your spine, putting additional strain on back muscles. Sleeping on your stomach can also cause your neck to be rotated, which can result in neck pain or back pain between your shoulders.

Even so, sleeping on your stomach can be beneficial for those with a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease.

If you’re a stomach sleeper, put a slim pillow under your lower abdomen and hips to improve spinal alignment and ease back strain. Use a flat pillow for the head or consider sleeping without one to avoid neck rotation.

The bottom line

Although you may prefer one sleep position over the other, no one actually maintains the same sleep position throughout the night. It’s normal to change positions while sleeping, which actually helps ease pressure on our back.

In fact, sleeping in the same position for too long has the potential to amplify back pain.

Bear in mind that besides your sleep position, your daily activities or lack of it may be the actual culprit of back pain.

People spend a great portion of their day sitting, sometimes (or perhaps most of the time) in a slouched position with their backs rounded.

Hence, during the day, try to vary your posture as much as possible, and practise good posture when standing and sitting to help ease back pain at night.

The firmness of your mattress and the type of pillow you use can also affect your level of comfort.

Whether you prefer a hard mattress or a soft mattress, personal preference and comfort should be your guide in choosing the right sleeping surface. There’s a wide range of pillows that address back and joint pain issues as well.

If you sleep on your back, wedge pillows (bed wedges) have been known to provide back pain relief. They also fit comfortably between your knees.

If you suffer from neck strain, using a contoured pillow may help alleviate it.

If a few changes to your sleep position doesn’t help your back pain or sleep troubles, it may be time to see your doctor to check for any potentially serious problems.

This article first appeared on Hello Doktor. The Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

This article first appeared on Hello Doktor. The Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.