Best Sleeping Position for Neck and Spine

Are you a side sleeper or back sleeper? What is the best pillow? Do you sometimes wake up with pain in your neck or back? Are you uncomfortable at night? Is poor sleep positioning affecting your ability to hold your alignment?

These are important questions and the 5 tips discussed below should help answer these questions.

1. Side or back?

Some feel that back sleeping is the best position for your spine. If one is able to stay on their back all night without turning their head, then I would agree. However, this is not realistic for most people. I am an advocate for side sleeping because it gives you two options for position. When one side gets sore, just flip over. I’ve also read that side-sleeping is the best position for toxins to drain from the brain.

2. Neck Pillow

Which pillow is best for neck? Here are the ones I usually recommend. Each individual has a unique neck and body type, so the ‘right’ pillow will vary person to person.

Mypillow

Link to website

Tri-core

Link to Website

Tempurpedic (flat)

Link to Website

3. Supportive pillows (when sleeping on side)

One under top forearm (to remove stress from shoulders/neck)
One between knees (to remove stress from low back)

4. Mattress

This is tricky. You generally want your mattress on the firm side but, assuming you are a side sleeper, it cannot be too firm or else you might be awoken with discomfort in your shoulder and hip. Therefore, somewhere on the firmer side of medium is where you want to be. I use a Simmons Beautyrest and I love it, but I imagine there are several other brands that offer the same quality. Whenever considering a mattress purchase, make sure you can try it for at least 30 days risk-free.

5. Sleep hygiene

Make sure the room is as dark as possible. Our brains are designed to wake-up when we sense light, so we must create a dark environment.
Limit screen use right before bed. The sensory light stimulation from screens can prevent us from relaxing into a sleeping state.
Remove electronics near your body, especially your phone.
No caffeine after lunch; No sugar after dinner
Read (something light) for 10 mins before going to sleep

~ Dr. Noah Kaplan, D.C., D.C.C.J.P.