What kind of sleeping position is good for the cervical spine

The cervical spine, to be more precise, is called the cervical vertebrae, which is the part below the head and above the thoracic vertebrae. It bears the entire weight of the head, and its range of motion is quite large, so it is easy for problems of one kind or another to arise. Cervical problems are not only related to improper sitting posture, but also to sleeping posture. A good sleeping posture helps maintain a healthy cervical spine, while a bad sleeping posture can induce or aggravate cervical problems. So, the question is, what kind of sleeping posture is good for the cervical spine?

1. Prone position

Because the body is lying prone, the head tilts to one side, which is obviously extremely unfavorable to the balance and physiological curvature of the neck, and also affects breathing. Therefore, sleeping on your stomach is an unhealthy and unscientific sleeping position and must be corrected.

2. Side-lying position

1. Sleeping on the right side

The heart is located on the left side, which does put less pressure on the heart, which is beneficial to blood circulation and digestion of food in the stomach, but it is also said to be prone to causing acid reflux and sagging skin.

2. Sleeping on the left side

Although it helps the stomach contents to be discharged into the lower digestive tract and aids digestion, lying on the left side compresses the heart and stomach, which can easily lead to unstable sleep.

When choosing the side-lying position, you should change the left and right direction frequently. Lying on one side for a long time will cause an imbalance in the force on the spine, which is not conducive to the treatment and rehabilitation of cervical spondylosis.

Therefore, for patients with cervical spondylosis, sleeping on the side is not the best sleeping position. So what kind of sleeping position is more conducive to the health of the cervical spine? Let’s take a look at the supine position.

3. Supine position

Sleeping on your back is a sleeping position recommended by many doctors because it can better maintain the natural curvature of the spine and is suitable for people with cervical or spinal pain. Supine position - generally place the head and neck in the middle depression of the pillow, so that the fulcrum of the pillow is located in the middle of the back of the neck, and adapts to the curvature of the neck and back to maintain the normal physiological curvature of the cervical spine.

So how do patients with cervical spondylosis choose a pillow that suits them?

An ideal pillow should be in line with the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, have a soft texture, good breathability, and should be in the shape of a gold ingot with a low middle and high ends. The pillow should not be too high or too low, and it is best to avoid "sleeping soundly" and stick to the physiological position. From a medical point of view, the best pillow height is 8-10 cm, and the maximum should not exceed 15 cm. It should be the same width as the shoulders and not sloped. The head should not bend laterally when lying on the side. A rough standard is that the pillow should be about one fist high when lying on your back, and one fist plus two fingers high when lying on your side.

In daily life, I believe that few patients with cervical spondylosis pay attention to their sleeping posture. In fact, a correct sleeping posture is crucial for patients with cervical spondylosis. If patients with cervical spondylosis want to recover better and faster, pick up your phone and add WeChat: 2558390306 to ask the editor!