If there was one thing I told my patients, don’t sleep on your stomach. It was interesting to see how many patients actually did sleep on their stomachs and proclaimed that they could not fall asleep in any other way.
Stomach Sleeping Puts Pressure on your Neck, Back and Other Organs
Why is sleeping on your stomach a no- no? I shall list the reasons:
Stomach sleeping :
- puts pressure on the back and the neck
- can cause you to wake up with neck stiffness, and soreness, because you have to turn your head to breathe
- can cause shoulder pain
- can cause you to awake with numbness and tingling in your arms
- can cause lower back pain because it puts pressure on the lumbar spine
- puts pressure on your digestive system, heart and your lungs
- can cause your snoring (if you snore to begin with) to worsen
- can cause your sleep apnea ( if you have sleep apnea to begin with) to worsen
If your are a stomach sleeper and WANT to change, try sleeping with pillow on your side. Or try a body pillow.
Additional Reading:
- Why side sleeping is a great position for sleep
- One method of sleeping on your back that works
- Why its important to use a neck pillow for sleep – its better for your neck
- Getting used to a new pillow
- The breathing technique that helps with sleep
