Fit, Healthy, Happy

Sleep Through The Night and Wake Up Pain Free

March 28, 2024 Dave and Peggy Stevens, Kim Gibbs Season 2022 Episode 571
Fit, Healthy, Happy
Sleep Through The Night and Wake Up Pain Free
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Show Notes Transcript

I recently did a podcast on ways to sleep, to get less pain and to wake up feeling better, putting pillows in certain locations depending on how you slept.  Here are a couple more tips that might be the key to a long satisfying pain free night's sleep!

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I recently did a podcast on ways to sleep, to get less pain and to wake up feeling better, putting pillows in certain locations depending on how you slept. 

One of our members sent us this amazing email with additional tips. Now, I've not been able to connect with her to record a podcast, but I don't want you to miss out on this. So I'm going to read her email to you and it will cover the tips she talked about and also give her qualifications for giving these tips. 

So here we go. Lemme get my reading glasses on and we will go after this. 

Good afternoon, those are some great tips in the podcast today. And if I may add to your info, I have additionally have two tips for side sleeping so as not to wake up with back pain. These positions are from teaching nursing and CNA.

For decades now, I sleep like this myself every single night, and I never wake up with back pain or back stiffness. This position keeps the spine straighter, more in proper alignment, and reduces or prevents strain on muscles, tendons, and ligaments during all the long hours of sleep, which is the key to preventing a lot of back pain.

The more we curve our backs, lying in the side position, towards fetal position, pillow or no pillow between legs, the more strain on the back muscles, which hurt in the morning as we try to straighten up as we get out of bed and have to walk it out. 

A pillow between the knees helps to keep the hips aligned, but it's often not enough alignment as we get older and stiffer.

Older and stiffer... us? 

Okay, anyways, here's her suggestions. 

Here's how I sleep. I lie on my side. The key now is to stretch the bottom leg out as straight down as possible like you were standing up. Keep the top leg bent at the knee. Your choice of how much bend in the knee for you on comfort level, but no more than a 45 degree angle, usually less is more comfortable.

Next, put the pillow under the bent knee lengthwise to keep the top leg fairly even with its hip width level. 

That's the key. The lengthwise pillow also supports the thigh, knee and upper shin that keeps the back, spinal, vertebrae, hips, and leg muscles aligned throughout the hours of sleep. 

Then using a second pillow, a thicker fluffier one, because our shoulders and upper body are wider than our hip width.

Put this pillow under your top arm, which has bent comfortably at the elbow. Put it lengthwise against your chest. This keeps the whole arm, the upper body, vertebra and spinal column and upper back muscles aligned properly so the arm doesn't hang down to the mattress and strain the muscles, joints, and ligaments across your back and shorten your chest muscles in the process.

Now take slow, deep breaths, follow your breath, relax everything, clear your mind, and sleep comfortably all night long. 

When you roll over to the opposite side, just realign your position in the same way. 

Bottom leg, straight down,

top leg bent with lengthwise pillow under it, 

upper arm bent with lengthwise, 

fluffy pillow under it for total support.

And again, sleep comfortably and wake up feeling good, and usually without pain. 

It works. I always wake up feeling good in the morning. My body thanks me over and over all day as I move more easily throughout the day from being aligned all night. 

This is how I taught over 1000 plus CNAs to position nursing home patients who can't move their bodies by themselves, to avoid strain on any body part and to keep proper body alignment and prevent pain.

Just sharing an idea that is proven and hopefully might help someone to sleep better and feel better. 

Well, thank you Kathy, so much. Definitely, definitely appreciate your suggestions and I've been trying myself for about 10 days now with good results. So an additional... not only when you're on your side, a pillow between your knees, but also that one to hug up and having that bottom leg straight.

Give it a try and see if this helps you sleep better. 

So until tomorrow, may you move well, stay healthy, be happy, and live a life filled with purpose and passion.