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Winter Tip from your Favorite Massage Therapist-
Your posture while you sleep is important!
Chilly winter nights make us want to curl up in a ball and get all cozy under the covers. But the position you sleep in is so important to how your body will feel the next day. We sleep 7-8 hours a night (hopefully) which is longer than we do any other single activity in a 24-hour period. When it's time to hit the sack, set yourself up for morning success by taking what I think of as posture inventory, from head to toe.
Back sleepers- your pillow should be supportive under the curve of your neck but not lifting your head too far above or below the rest of your body. Also, using a pillow under your knees can help relieve lower back pain. Attempting to keep your arms at your sides with your palms facing up will help blood flow all the way to your hands.
Side sleepers- a body pillow is a MUST. Also, a pillow for your head that supports the neck but keeps your head in alignment with your neck. Your head, shoulders and hips should make a relatively straight line, not a C curve, and your hips and shoulders should be stacked on top of each other. This is where the body pillow really helps to keep you from rolling forward and caving in your shoulders. Also, by having the top knee on the body pillow, your hips will be aligned and not torquing and twisting the low back.
The other thing I see a lot of is clients will curl or flex their wrists causing or aggravating arm/wrist pain, such as tennis elbow or carpal tunnel. Also they will point their toes which can cause or aggravate problems like plantar fasciitis. Try to keep the wrists neutral with the forearms and your feet in a semi-flexed position (toes to nose.)
I'm the first to tell you that changing poor posture habits can be hard and doesn't happen overnight. Like changing any habit, it takes consistency and patience. Nighttime can be especially hard as we move in our sleep without knowing. I just encourage you to try to fall asleep in the good posture and if you wake up moved, set yourself back up again. Over time it will become second nature. And of course, if you have any questions about sleep alignment/posture, please ask me during your next appointment and I'd be happy to show in you person.
Sweet Dreams!
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