We all know that sleep is imperative, when we cannot get enough sleep the tiredness takes over us, we get more irritated and the deficit of attention and forgetfulness arise.

When we have a really good night sleep it can be healing, because it normalize our energy index, low heart rate, skeletal muscles relax and growth hormone is secreted in order to repair and regenerate the cells of the body.

But how to get a restful sleep when the pain in the spine does not let You? It is at this point that we question the quality of our mattress and pillow.

At present we are bombarded with all kinds of products, from spring mattresses, memory foam, latex, water, orthopedic, among many others. As for the best option only you to know, we all are different, we all have different criteria when it comes to comfort, we have different postures to sleep, completely different health problems and all this conditions the choice of mattress. The only thing I can say about this topic is that it should be taken into account the comfort it provides, the support it gives the spine in order to maintain a correct posture and the hygiene of it, bet on a hypoallergenic.

As for the cushion this should have a height that allows to have the straight column without being too high or too low, ie the nape of the neck should be aligned with the middle of the back (area between the shoulder blades) and with the sacrum. The composition of the cushion once again left to the discretion of each one.

In terms of sleeping positions we can be quite creative but our spine will suffer the consequences of all this creativity. I know that there are habits that are already too ingrained to be dropped.

The best posture we can get to sleep is the lateral position (fetal position), since this allows us to maintain the back straight and preserve the physiological curvatures. In this pose you should use a narrow cushion on the head, the knees should be slightly bent and raised so that they are practically aligned with the hips. If you suffer from hip pain or sciatica pain you should put a cushion between your legs.

If you can only sleep with your belly up use a low cushion under your head to preserve the alignment that I mentioned earlier. Use two large pillows underneath the knees to make them bend, these pillows will allow your spine to be more supportive against the mattress, which helps with the decompression of the disc in the lower back.

If you fall asleep belly down, which is not good for the cervical and lumbar, there are some adaptations that you can do. Put a cushion under your ankles and if you still feel low back pain put a narrow cushion under the belly. In this position do not use a cushion in the head or if so a very low one not to uneven the cervical balance.

Contact us if you would like more specific advice.

Lígia Santos Pht. text