Please DON’T Sleep in This Position

When it comes to how you sleep, the position you find yourself in through the night is more important than you might think. You might be thinking that the best sleep position is the one that makes sure you get a full, restful night of sleep. You’re not wrong in this sense, but there is one position that you should avoid if you can help it.

Belly sleeping is the least ideal sleep position because, orthopedically, it has some ramifications. Sleeping on your stomach has the ability to put your spine into lumbar extension, which can cause discomfort and stiffness when waking up in the morning because the spine is not in its natural, neutral position. Waking up with soreness or stiffness is not the best way to start your day and can cause issues throughout the day and can impact your training, especially in the morning.

Belly sleeping can also cause issues with your shoulders, simply based on the way it is most comfortable to sleep in this position. Typically, you are not sleeping with your hands by your sides, but instead with your hands under your head. This puts your shoulders into internal rotation with elevation and hanging out in this position for hours on end can lead to stiff, achey shoulders which can impact you not just the next day, but for days after, especially if that is the position you continue to sleep in.

Add in the fact that you can induce neck strain simply because you have to turn your head to the side in order to breathe properly while laying down on your stomach. If you’ve had a stiff neck before, you know exactly how uncomfortable this can be and how you are likely to do anything to get rid of it.

The position you sleep in at night is important to take note of and you would be best to condition yourself to sleep in a position that doesn’t incur any pain or discomforts like belly sleeping can cause.

For more fitness tips and education, be sure to stay tuned to this channel and remember to subscribe so you never miss another video from a physical therapist with a pro sports background as a PT and strength coach.

You can subscribe to this channel here – http://bit.ly/2b0coMW

Get Your Workout & Meal Plan:
📝 https://www.athleanx.com

Connect With Me:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/athleanx

For complete step-by-step workout programs, head on over to athleanx.com and make sure to use the program selector to find the training plan that is best suited to your personal goals.

Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).