Why and how to stop sleeping on your stomach
While lying on your stomach may feel great, like getting a full body hug for as long as you want, it’s not good for your neck and can contribute to more than a poor night’s sleep. If you wake up irritable with neck pain, headaches or tingling in your fingers, keep reading.
In the early 80’s parents were advised to put their babies to sleep on their tummies to reduce their chance of choking on their vomit and dying in their sleep. While there is some truth to this wives’ tale, by the late 80’s researchers started flagging stomach sleeping as a risk factor in SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In 2022 stomach sleeping is definitely considered as a risk factor for SIDS, especially in the 1st 1000 days of their lives. It is theorized that sleeping with your head and neck cranked to one side causes stress on the upper part of the neck and brain stem, reducing respiratory rate and causing death in some babies. While some can get away with sleeping on their stomach into their 20’s or even 60’s, it eventually causes recurring neck pain, headaches, tingling in the fingers and a poor night’s sleep.
Notice, in the photo above, sleeping on the stomach involves rotating the neck to one side as far as it can go, and keeping it there for hours. The facet joints on the downside are stretched open and the facet joints on the upside are compressed together. The constant compression of the neck joints while sleeping is similar to the effect of taping a finger into full flexion while you sleep, night after night.
When to take the tape off in the morning you have a stiff and sore finger. You would not do that to a normal healthy finger so why would you do that to your neck?
I stopped sleeping on my stomach in my mid 20’s, which instantly and dramatically reduced the recurrence of my neck pain, the tingling in my fingers while sleeping and my need for chiropractic care. My dad, however, suffered more than he needed to and refused to stop sleeping on his stomach until he was 65. By then, unfortunately, he had developed arthritis in his neck.
Here are my top 3 tips to help stop stomach sleeping:
- Buy a pillow that supports your neck properly while you sleep on your side or back. Have your chiropractor evaluate whether or not your pillow is right for you or prescribe you a better one.
- Take your old pillow and hold it up against your chest while sleeping. It will give you the same full body hug feeling without straining your neck.
- Have a chat with your subconscious mind while in the hypnotic trance state, when your body is asleep but your mind is awake, and ask it roll you on to your side or back if you happen to roll onto your stomach in your sleep. If you have this chat with your subconscious mind, you will notice yourself spontaneously rolling from your stomach to your side or back while you sleep.
Improving your sleep posture will not only give you a better night’s sleep. It will reduce the recurrence of neck pain, headaches and tingling in your fingers, and reduce your health care cost.
I fell on my buttocks. What happens and what do I do about it?
May 10, 2022 by manager • News Blog
A fall on the buttocks can injure many different tissues. An injury to the superficial fascia and muscles can make small blood vessels bleed. If the skin isn’t broken the blood doesn’t have anywhere to go so it pools, forms clots, and changes the colour of the skin above the injury, like in the above photo. Harder blows tend to cause bigger red bruises which may be tender to touch and throb severely. As the bruise heals, the iron-rich substance in the blood, called haemoglobin, breaks down into other compounds, the bruise changes colour and the pain generally diminishes. Within a day or two, it turns purplish or black and blue. In 5 to 10 days, it may be green or yellow. In 10 to 14 days, it’s yellowy-brown or light brown. It should totally fade away and be pain-free in about 2 weeks. If you are lucky no treatment will be required.
If the pain persists for more than 2 weeks some residual soft tissue damage, like densification of the superficial fascia and/or trigger points in the muscles most likely exists. Both types of tissue damage may require professional therapeutic attention. The treatments of choice including: massage, instrument assisted soft tissue scraping and/or dry needling can be initiated once most of the bruising has subsided, 2 weeks after the injury. Our chiropractors and massage therapist, Jo Badenhorst, are skilled in identifying and treating soft tissue injuries of the spine and buttocks.
Beneath the superficial fascia and muscle are the bones, ligaments and joints of the hips, lumbar spine and pelvis. Any of the ligaments, joints or bones in the diagrams below can be sprained or bruised when someone falls on their buttocks causing significant persistent pain and disability.
If the fall causes a joint to lock or get stuck in a twisted position it will need to be unlocked and eased back into motion. Chiropractic manipulations and/or mobilizations are the most efficient way to restore joint mobility. They relieve the pain by taking the strain off the overstretched ligaments and joint capsules, which also relieves the reflex tension and tenderness in the superficial muscles. Depending on the severity of the injury, manipulations can be applied to the joints minutes to hours after the injury, even if there is superficial bruising. With the average case, 4-6 treatments, targeted to the tissues that have been injured, over a 3-4 week period will provide significant benefit.
If a fracture is suspected, however, an x-ray, CT scan or MRI should be obtained prior to initiating any treatment. Our Doctors of Chiropractic are highly skilled in the diagnosis and management of joint, bone and soft tissue injuries of the lumbar spine, hips and pelvis. We are ideally placed to be the first port of call for someone who has fallen onto their buttocks. For appointments, please call 07 3823 2282