Posture plays a critical role in your overall health. Too often many of us think practicing good posture stops at how we stand or even how we sit, but the fact is you should also learn how to improve your sleeping posture, as well.
Studies have shown too many of us practice inadequate posture when it comes to sitting and sleeping. So how should you sleep to improve your posture? We’ve got you covered! Keep reading our guide to how you should sleep to improve your posture and start experiencing the difference it can make in your everyday life.
So How Should You Sleep to Improve Your Posture?
There are a variety of simple ways to improve posture while sleeping! Slight adjustments to your sleeping routine can make all the difference. So how should you sleep to improve your posture? Check out these suggestions:
- Make sure you have proper back support
- Using the right head pillow
- Loosen your muscles before going to bed
- Consider sleeping upright with good posture support
Having Proper Support to Improve Posture While Sleeping
While there may not be steadfast rules about how you should sleep to improve your posture, the most important aspect is to have body alignment and proper support in bed. This may also help keep you from twisting while asleep, which can cause back pain and muscle tension. Let’s take a look at support suggestions for how you should sleep to improve your posture based on:
- Back sleepers
- Side sleepers
- Stomach sleepers
How to Fix Posture While Sleeping on Your Back
If you sleep on your back, adding a small pillow under your knees may help reduce pressure on your spine and maintain its natural curvature. This can keep you from experiencing lower back pain from sleeping with bad posture. Sleeping on your back may contribute to sleep apnea symptoms, however, as gravity puts more pressure on your windpipe and chest this way.
If you’re a back sleeper with sleep apnea asking how should you sleep to improve your posture, you may also consider sleeping upright in a luxury massage chair for additional support.
How to Correct Posture While Sleeping on Your Side
If you’re a side sleeper, experts recommend sleeping on your left side to help prevent heartburn (also known as GERD), promote better brain activity, reduce sleep apnea symptoms, and even aid digestion.
Adding a firm pillow between your knees and thigh gap while sleeping on your side can counteract your leg dragging your spine out of alignment. It also helps reduce excess pressure on your hips and pelvic area that can result in lower back pain.
How to Straighten Posture While Sleeping on Your Stomach
Lastly, while sleeping on your stomach is the least advised position when asking “how should you sleep to improve your posture?” there are ways to make it better if it’s your position of choice. A small, flat pillow placed under your midsection can help elevate your body just enough to keep your spine in alignment, a simple solution for how to improve posture while sleeping on your stomach.
Using the Right Head Pillow for How to Improve Sleeping Posture
It may seem like the smallest and most inconsequential thing to answer “how should you sleep to improve your posture” but your pillow can have a major impact on your body! It’s important to choose a pillow that is neither too thick nor too thin. Instead, choose a pillow that offers the right amount of firmness and support to keep your neck in a neutral position while you sleep.
It’s also important where you place your pillow. When you’re learning how to improve posture while sleeping, start taking care that your pillow is under your head and neck only. If you have it under your shoulders, as well, it won’t be keeping your body aligned and may result in sore neck muscles when you awaken.
Furthermore, try to keep from turning your head while lying on your pillow. If you want to change positions of your head, adjust your entire body to a back, side, or face down position (though most experts recommend against sleeping on the stomach as much as possible). This is how to improve posture while sleeping and keep yourself from feeling sore and stiff each morning!
Loosen Muscles That Maintain Posture
After a long day of sitting at the office or even through normal wear and tear, your body is likely out of alignment and your muscles tight. This misalignment can make it difficult to achieve how you should sleep to improve your posture. Loosening muscles that maintain posture before bed may noticeably improve your sleeping posture.
Why is this exactly? If you’ve been sitting for prolonged periods of time, whether it’s for work or just relaxing, your pelvis is likely pressed forward and out of alignment with your spine. This misalignment can make it difficult to maintain good posture while sleeping, causing you to wake up feeling even more stiff and sore.
If you’re considering how you should sleep to improve your posture, it starts before you even hit the bed! For optimal muscle relaxation, having a luxury massage chair at home will keep you loose and provide the support you need for good posture. Not only do full body massages reduce stress that can cause your muscles to tense up further, the evolution of massage chairs with body scanning technology, and especially massage chairs with custom massage programming, allows them to focus on the areas of your body that need the most attention.
If you want to experience some of the luxury massage chair benefits with your existing chairs, there are also foot and calf massagers that will help you relax before bed for how to improve posture while sleeping. Luxury electric foot massagers are good for you as they may offer additional features such as the benefits of heat therapy to relax muscles before bed. Knee and calf massages also help treat muscle strain, which can contribute to tension preventing good posture while sleeping, as well!
As you can plainly see, loosening up your muscles before bed can go a long way for how to improve posture while sleeping. For even more positive benefits, do some light stretches when you wake up, as well, to help maintain good posture throughout your entire day!
Sleeping Upright for How to Improve Your Sleeping Posture
Sometimes lying flat in a bed just isn’t the best option for sleeping. Then how should you sleep to improve your posture if you can’t lie down in bed? Don’t worry! Sleeping upright is a perfectly viable alternative for how to improve your sleeping posture if a traditional bed isn’t working out.
Whether it’s because of chronic back pain, sleep apnea, or any other complication, sometimes sleeping upright is the best choice. In these cases, you want to choose a chair with adequate support for how to improve posture while sleeping otherwise you may find you’re worse off having twisted into problematic positions while you were asleep. You’ll also want to make sure you have proper lumbar support to maintain the natural curvature of the spine while you sleep.
Having a luxury massage chair at home is a great option for those wondering “how should you sleep to improve your posture?” if you’re sleeping upright! A massage chair benefits health and sleeping positions in a plethora of ways from ample body support to relaxing before bed with various massage techniques like shiatsu massage and Swedish massage. You’ll discover that 3D and 4D massage chairs have completely bridged any gap between using a massage chair vs human massage and make the perfect tool for how to improve posture while sleeping!
Other bonus features of luxury massage chairs that may help you improve your sleep quality (while you improve posture!) include light therapy treatment features, heat therapy functions, and zero gravity massage chair capabilities.
When it comes to answering “how should you sleep to improve your posture?” it’s important to take note of your current sleep habits. With simple adjustments to your sleeping habits you’ll find learning how to improve sleeping posture is easy and becomes second nature very quickly. For example, choose a massage chair for your home to get your muscles loose and ready for bed or for improving sleep posture while sleeping upright! These small changes could make a world of difference. Give it a shot and see for yourself!
Unsure which luxury massage chair is right for you? Learn more about them with these resources:
