Comfort isn’t everything: what else do you need to sleep?

Are you someone who finds that they go to sleep in a comfortable position only to wake up struggling with aches and pains? It’s unfortunately a common story and a real pain—literally. Despite the endless ads promising you the perfect night's sleep with the latest mattress technology, the hard truth is that comfort doesn't always equal restorative sleep.

When comfort isn't helpful

Think about how you lounge around at home or hunch over your desk. It might feel good in the moment, but we all know these aren’t the postures we should be maintaining long-term. Offices invest a lot of effort into creating ergonomic workspaces - choosing the right chairs, desks and even getting posture training to avoid long-term health issues.

It’s odd, then, that we don’t think the same way about where we spend about one-third of our lives: our beds.

“Comfortable” sleeping positions

Just as the right posture is crucial at our desks, it’s equally important when we go to bed — and if you're someone who wakes up with lower back pain, neck pain, or hip pain, it's very likely your sleeping position is to blame. These are some of the common, so-called, comfortable sleeping positions that are definitely no-good for you.

The starfish

Research has found that sleeping on your front is not good for your back or posture at all. If you're someone who sleeps like the starfish, be aware of the potential issues it could cause, including shoulder pain and instability, as well as lower back pain.

The heavy lifter

Around 20% of Brits sleep comfortably as the heavy lifter. Despite its popularity, this way of sleeping can bring on problems like sacroiliac joint pain, knee complications, and shoulder instability.

What do to instead

There’s a good reason why we often find ourselves in comfortable positions that, paradoxically, are not so good for us. It boils down to developing an association with them. We’ve become so used to these positions that they've become second nature to us - meaning that what we think of as 'comfort' is really just what we're used to.

So it’s important to now create a new association with a position that won’t lead to you waking up with a bad back or neck pain. Remember this is going to take some practice, as you’re so in tune with your old position. Instead, see this as a life’s work – it’s going to take some time to develop a new association.

Don’t feel guilty, either – it’s likely that no one has ever told you that your sleeping position could be connected to the pain or issues you’re experiencing!

So try;

• Going to sleep in the new position
• Try it out for 30 mins at first
• If you can’t sleep go back to your old ways – at least you had 30 minutes more of optimised sleep than the previous night
• Repeat every night – you can change the bad habits of a lifetime!

Develop a new sleep association with The Dreamer

We recommend transitioning from your current sleeping position to The Dreamer.

This position optimises your sleeping posture by permitting the body to rest in neutral alignment with no twists or bends throughout the night - meaning that the muscles around it don’t have to work, and get a chance to recover and rest.

So if you can accommodate side lying – lie on your side in a semi-foetal position and do these two things.

1. Choose a pillow that fills earlobe to scapula. It should lift your head of the bed keeping your cervical spine and neck nice and neutral
2. Put a pillow between your knees and ankles. This allows your legs to be nicely positioned so that you’re not bringing your knee over causing rotation and potentially twisting your spine

If you can’t lie on your side then lying on your back is ok too. Just make sure to take a pillow and tuck it underneath your knees. Eventually, after persisting with your new position, it will become the thing you associate with sleep and this will feel comfortable.

Your mattress matters too

Now that you’ve got to grips with your new sleep association it’s important to also highlight how your mattress could be contributing to poor sleep posture. Sure, many mattresses feel comfortable, but how many truly support your body and relieve pressure?

Think about it: you spend all day stuck in less-than-ideal positions, hunched over a desk or crammed in a car. Those 6-8 hours of sleep are your chance to hit the reset button on your bad posture and actually fight against it.

It’s for this reason that we developed a foam that doesn’t soften and mould to the shape of your body (like memory foam), whilst still maintaining the pressure relieving qualities.

This means with sufficient pressure relief you get all the benefits of being comfortable in bed without sacrificing body shape. This will allow you to enjoy a better nights sleep and reap additional benefits such as;

• Reducing your lower back pain
• Improving your digestion and circulation
• Boosting your energy levels
• Lessening the tension in your neck and shoulders
• Increasing your lung capacity
• Improving your core strength
• Improved postural management
• Feeling more stable in your environment (proprioception)

What about your pillow?

We all have our favourite pillows allowing us to drift off to sleep, but are they also contributing to a non optimal sleep posture? There are certainly a plethora of type of pillows on offer from;

• Feather
• Fibre
• Memory foam
• Ergonomic

Choosing the correct pillow for you is vital to help with your sleep posture, pressure and proprioception. If your comfy pillow is too soft it can lack the necessary resistance properties that help maintain a neutral neck and spine. Over time this can lead to neck and back ache.

A pillow that’s too small or too high can also lead to neck ache through the overextension of the neck muscles. So, finding the correct pillow size for you, one that provides pressure relief for comfort and resistance for support, is key to a comfortable and optimised sleep.

Some of these steps mentioned may feel uncomfortable at first, but persist with it and we’re sure you’ll start to reap the rewards of a comfortable and posture optimised sleep.