Need A Good Night's Sleep?

Patients often ask what position is best for sleeping. There are several general recommendations for a healthful night's sleep.

The most important rule is to never sleep on your stomach. Stomach sleeping is a major cause of acute torticollis (stiff neck), headaches and dizziness. When a person lies on his stomach with his head turned sharply to the side to breathe, a vertebra will often become subluxated in that rotated position. Upon awakening, a stiff neck, dizziness or a headache may be present.

Often, the case of a patient awakening with a painful, stiff neck has been traced back to stomach sleeping. The stiff neck was there when he awakened. He didn't go to bed with it and it didn't just develop later in the day.

It is also important to sleep with the right kind of pillow. A pillow that is too thick or too thin will also cause neck problems or headaches. Many times, this is evidenced when people sleep on a thick pillow in a motel while on vacation. They will often arrive home with a stiff neck and seek out their chiropractors for a spinal adjustment before returning to work the next day. The person with a sway back or too much arch in his lower back, will tend to awaken with a low backache if he sleeps lying on his back or on his stomach. If you have a sway back, you'll find it more comfortable to lie on your side while sleeping with your knees bent slightly.

If you choose to use the traditional two-piece innerspring mattress, it is important that you have a good quality, reasonably firm mattress so your back can have some good support. Just because a mattress carries a guarantee of fifteen or twenty years, don't expect it to give you good support for that amount of time. Even a good quality mattress will not render good support for the average sized person for more than ten years. If your mattress is older than that, and you're waking up with the "morning backache", it would be wise to purchase a new mattress and see us about the backache that the old, worn out mattress has caused.

People commonly ask me if I would advise them to sleep on an innerspring mattress or if a waterbed is better for them. This generally is a matter of personal preference. Health professionals agree that some people's backs respond best on the traditional mattress while others do better on the type of support offered them by a waterbed.

In conclusion, a spinal adjustment will offer relaxation to the body and greatly enhance your ability to get a good night's sleep. In addition to this, the proper sleeping posture, the right kind of pillow and a good mattress support will better assure a restful night's sleep and the best possible chance to awaken prepared for the next day's work.