We’ve all experienced what a great night sleep feels like (I hope!). So it’s quite obvious when we don’t have one. Be that from a reduced sleep quality or quantity. Aches and pains shouldn’t get in the way of how we sleep.

The most important thing, is you find a position that you sleep comfortably in. If after reading this blog, you try the suggestions and they reduce your sleep quality… you can comfortably go back to how you were sleeping before, knowing you gave it a go! Nothing is more important than getting quality sleep.

With all this being said, let’s have a look at what you should consider with sleeping position.

The first thing to consider is a neutral spine. This is possible on your side or your back. It is NOT POSSIBLE on your front. So from an optimisation standpoint, this is out of the cards already. Although as we’ve said –> if this is the only position you can sleep in… it’s better than not sleeping. Reduce the torque through your body as best you can/

When laying on our backs, to keep the neck in a neutral position, there should be a minimal lift of the head. You want the back of the skull and top of the back to be level. A support for your cervical (neck) curve is important. This could be a small pillow or simply a rolled-up towel.

When laying on our sides, to keep our neck in a neutral position, we want our pillow to fill the gap between our ear and shoulder when compressed (not before). This means that when the head is fully relaxed on the pillow, you will be in good alignment.

The second thing to consider is if you can raise the foot end of the bed relative to the head end by 3-5 degrees. This can assist glymphatic wash out, the process by which our body removes the waste products from our brain after a day’s work. This can help our sense of wakefulness / alertness throughout the day.

** if you suffer from acid reflux, you want to do the opposite, the head end should be raised 3-5 degrees).

Thirdly, think about the tension of the mattress / pillows. Some people require more support through a firmer mattress and pillow. Whilst others find they sense too much within their bodies through firmer material, they prefer softer ones! A good trick for those who sleep with a partner is to each have their own single mattress side by side. This allows each person to optimise the tensional state of their sleep environment.

Lastly, consider the environment. We want our bedrooms to be like a bat cave. Pitch black (consider blackout curtains or blinds), cold and quiet.

Heal > Adapt > Evolve