{"id":2881,"date":"2018-05-22T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T11:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=2881"},"modified":"2018-05-21T16:59:28","modified_gmt":"2018-05-21T20:59:28","slug":"sleeping-on-your-stomach-pain-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/sleeping-on-your-stomach-pain-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleeping On Your Stomach – Pain Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Right Pillow Can Make All The Difference<\/p>\n

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT \u2013 The Pain Relief Expert<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney<\/p>\n

\"sleeping<\/a>Sleeping on your stomach has several negative outcomes, which fortunately can be overcome. As your spine is twisting to enable you to turn your head,\u00a0you are impinging on nerves, disks, and veins.<\/p>\n

The pressure causes a long list of aches and pains, often far from the source of the problem.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Why Sleeping on Your Stomach is Bad for Your Neck<\/h2>\n

As you look at the healthy spine graphic, consider what happens to the neck bones when the head is turned. The cervical vertebrae are twisted, which puts a strain on your spinal cord, at the base of your brain.\u00a0 Plus, your carotid artery is potentially being squeezed, and your nerves are being pressed on by the bones.<\/p>\n

If your head is turned to the left, your neck and shoulder muscles on the left are being held tight. Meanwhile, the muscles on your right are being overstretched, and then held that way for hours.\u00a0 This puts great pressure on all the structures of your neck.<\/p>\n

While prevention is optimal, you can learn how to treat each of the muscles that are being strained as you sleep on your stomach<\/a>. Releasing tight muscles every day will help avoid some of the damage that is done by having your head twisted.<\/p>\n

Why Sleeping on Your Stomach is Bad for Your Lower Back<\/h2>\n

\"back<\/a>Your spinal cord runs from your brain all the way to your feet.\u00a0 As your nerves break off to every area of your body, an impingement causes pain, numbness and tingling<\/p>\n

When you are sleeping on your stomach, your lower back (lumbar) vertebrae will drop forward.\u00a0 This causes your lumbar vertebrae to press into your spinal cord.<\/p>\n

The muscles of your lower back; psoas, quadratus lumborum and erector spinae, are affected while sleeping on your stomach.<\/p>\n

You can learn how to do simple self-treatments to eliminate lower back pain in my book \u201cThe 15 Minute Back Pain Solution<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 This is a step-by-step program that treats each muscle involved in lower back pain, sciatica, and more.<\/p>\n

How to Reduce Pain From Sleeping on Your Stomach<\/h2>\n

\"sleeping<\/a>It\u2019s best to stop sleeping on your stomach, but habits are a challenge to break. While you\u2019re working to change this habit, here are a few tips to help relieve muscle tension and pain now.<\/p>\n

In my therapy practice I have used a cushion<\/a> that holds the body in a perfect face down position. A cushion holds the clients head, which is face down, and their abdomen is supported to prevent the lumbar curve.\u00a0 Some of my clients who sleep on their stomach feel it\u2019s so comfortable they have bought it for their home.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how you can create the same effect without the expense of buying the cushions.<\/p>\n

Click on the link above to see how the Body Support cushion works, and then follow along with me.\"sleeping<\/a><\/p>\n

Begin to change the way you sleep by buying a very dense king-size pillow. Lie on top of the pillow with your trunk and have your knees on the bed. Put pillows under your ankles, which will help support the curve of your lower back.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s challenging to re-create the face cradle, and the odds of sleeping with your face down are slim.\u00a0 However, if the pillow under your trunk comes all the way up to your chin, you can have your head bent forward and only slightly turned. The idea is to have as little of a twist as possible in your neck.<\/p>\n

You also want to avoid having your lower back collapse into the mattress. The dense pillow under your trunk will support your lumbar vertebrae and prevent low back pain.<\/p>\n

Whenever possible, try to start to sleep on your side, supporting your head to keep your spine straight. It\u2019s a challenge, but it\u2019s worth the effort.<\/p>\n

Wishing you well,<\/p>\n

Julie Donnelly<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

About The Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"julie<\/a>Julie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.<\/p>\n

She has been widely published, both on \u2013 and off \u2013 line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.<\/p>\n

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Right Pillow Can Make All The Difference Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT \u2013 The Pain Relief Expert Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney Sleeping on your stomach has several negative outcomes, which fortunately can be overcome. As your spine is twisting to enable you to turn your head,\u00a0you are impinging on nerves, disks, and veins. The pressure … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[477],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sleeping-on-your-stomach"],"yoast_head":"\nSleeping On Your Stomach - Pain Reduction - Health Tips From The Professor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sleeping on your stomach can cause back and neck pain. Read this article now to see how to relieve back and neck pain now. 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