- [Instructor] Could switching your sleep position
be the secret to better sleep?
(bright upbeat music)
You already know that getting quality sleep is important.
While you sleep, your body works hard to mend itself.
This helps you stay healthy
and perform your best each and every day.
Your sleep position can actually help or hurt this process.
What's the best sleep position for you?
Well, it depends.
Overall, your sleep pose should support
the natural curvature of your spine,
assist your body with its nightly recovery.
and of course be comfortable.
Here's how certain sleep positions affect
your body and health.
Side sleeping is the most popular sleeping position.
It not only fosters healthy spinal alignment,
but it's also the position with the lowest chance
of incurring back pain.
Sleeping on your side helps the airways stay open,
which may reduce snoring and alleviate mild sleep apnea.
Side sleeping may also be beneficial for
pregnant and older people, and people with digestive issues,
such as acid reflux.
Side sleeping may not be good for,
people worried about sleep wrinkles,
since sleeping on your side
presses your face against the pillow,
and people with shoulder pain, since lying down on one side
may increase pressure on your shoulder.
The fetal position is a side sleeping position,
but with bent legs curled in toward the body.
It shares many of the same pros and cons of side sleeping.
If you prefer the fetal position,
make sure your posture is loose and relaxed
when you curl up.
Sleeping on your back is the second most popular
sleeping position.
It can help with neck pain as long as your head and neck
are in line with your body.
Putting a small pillow at the nap of your neck
can help with this.
With no mattress or pillow against your face,
the back sleeping position
may also help prevent sleep wrinkles.
The back sleeping position may not be ideal for,
pregnant people,
especially in the second or third trimesters,
people who snore or have sleep apnea,
since sleeping on your side can make the airway more narrow,
and people with some types of back pain.
Try this for some extra support,
put a thin pillow under your lower back or under your knees.
Stomach sleeping is the least popular position,
but may have some benefits.
Sleeping on your stomach can help relieve snoring
and sleep apnea by opening up your airway.
It may also, however, put strain on your back and neck.
Lying on your stomach causes you to sleep
with your head to the side, twisting your neck.
Over time, this asymmetry
can negatively impact your sleep posture.
Try sleeping with a very thin pillow beneath your head.
or no pillow at all to help keep your head aligned
with your spine.
The stomach sleeping position is not ideal
for pregnant people, or people worried about sleep wrinkles.
If these health concerns don't apply to you,
just sleep in the pose that feels most comfortable.
And remember if you're having trouble sleeping,
or your sleep position is causing you pain,
don't hesitate to talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist.
They can help you get your body
and your sleep back into alignment.