Sleep like a Baby!

They say sleep like a baby!!

There are so many permutations and combinations involved which when in right proportion allow you to do exactly that- Sleep like a Baby.

Lets talk about a few and the scientific researches associated to re-enforce most of the things we already know that ensure us a good nights sleep.

The first one: Mattresses

Our beds play a very important role in getting the right proportion.. Remember how most of us have stiff backs when we sleep at different hotels while travelling or during our sleep hours in flight? We establish an untold comradie between our beds at home. Some get it right while others suffer sleepless nights.

How to choose the right one for you?

For the purpose of simplicity lets divide it into 3 general types of beds – Soft, Firm and Hard. Soft ones are where you literally sink into it.. No support what so ever to your body. Firm ones have a mild to moderate give and have Moderate amount of support. The hard ones would probably be sleeping on the floor with no padding..This is where your pressure points tend to hurt.

Research suggests that hard beds with 720 coils should remain the first choice of patients with chronic low back pain. You might think why is that? FYI the hard bed mentioned here would probably be categorized as firm according to this post. Firm beds have a structure to them that provide enough support to our bodies and have mild to moderate give to allow our spines to align straight as opposed to softer beds which cause our bodies to slouch placing inadequate and imbalanced stretch forces across the joints resulting in spasms, stiffness and catches. While the hard ones cause our pressures points at the shoulder and pelvis to hurt forcing us to change positions multiple times and disturb our sleep.

Interesting Fact: Foam Mattress Back Syndrome A study conducted on Medical Residents proved that sleeping on foam mattresses increased back pain which got relieved by sleeping on cotton mattresses.

The Second One and the Most important one for those with Neck pain and stiffness.. Your Cuddly pillow…

How many use 2 pillows at night or the memory foam ones or have your shoulders also supported by the pillow meant only for your neck.. Quite a few in my experience..

Placement: Pillows are meant to support only the neck. While lying flat on your back and on your sides your pillow should always be placed such that its starts right above your shoulder and not underneath it.. The one thing that reinforces a wrong posture carried throughout the day..
The size of the pillow: Mainly the width.. the pillow has to be thin enough to just support your neck and head and keep it aligned with your body when lying. A thin pillow of about a couple of inches should be fine for an average sized male/female while lying on your back.. For those with neck Issues. It’s best to use a towel roll to just support the arch of your neck. While lying on your side given below is how to measure the right size for you..

And the Last one my folks is the Sleeping Position..

When I sleep, I am all over the place. Well I am guilty. Just like many others. We many a times sleep in various positions that we don’t know about. Eventually we sprain our muscles particularly in the neck and the back.

For others it might not cause a lot of problems but for those who already have neck and back issues it might increase your pain or stiffness.

Below are few of the positions that help those with neck pain and also prevent the occurrence of neck injuries.

• As already mentioned above using a towel roll when lying on the back and adequate pillow support when lying on your side.
• Try to avoid sleeping on your stomach. It increases the pressure on the back of your neck and forces your head to be turned to one side creating imbalance. This causes one side to be stretched and overtime causes the other to get shortened. One major cause for Neck sprains and spasms.

Positions for Low Back ache

• Lying on your back with a pillow underneath the knees and a towel roll in the small of your back works wonders. This arrangement support the back and allows it to relax.
• Lying on your side is a particularly bad position for anybody with Back pain. This leaves your spine unsupported and thus might increase your pain and muscle spasm. Same is the case with lying on your stomach.
• Lying on your stomach with 2-3 pillows tucked away at your waist might work well for someone with acute spasm
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Keeping these instructions handy is going to ensure you a good night’s sleep for those in pain. And for others it would work well as a preventive measure. Like its said ” Prevention is Better than Cure”

Stay Updated, When you know better, Do better! and most of it..

Sleep like a baby!!!