The sleeping posture that you should avoid if you have back and neck pain
Back and neck pains are a common occurrence in today’s world and most of us live with these pains every single day. But have you ever wondered where is this spinal pain coming from? It could be the obvious reason of slouching in your chair during those long work meetings or straining your neck to look the screen (known as forward head posture) at your desk while sending those work related emails or bending over to pick up your kids toys at home. But have you ever considered that your sleeping posture could be the cause of your neck and back pain? In this blog we will look at the one sleeping posture that you should avoid if you suffer from neck and back pain or of you want to prevent it in the future. We will also discuss why you should avoid this posture and two tips to change your sleeping position. 
 
Many people sleep on their sides or on their back or alternate between these two sleeping positions. But there are some people who like to sleep on their tummy or stomach. This is the sleeping posture that needs to be avoided to if you suffer from neck and back pain or want to prevent it. When we sleep all our joints and muscles should be in a neutral position to prevent any stresses from building up on them during the night so we can wake up refreshed and pain free. When you sleep on your stomach the curve in your lower back or your lumbar lordosis is exaggerated to its maximum capacity. So the curve sits at a maximum angle and there are additional stress on the muscles, ligaments and joints in the lumbar spine.  This can  aggravate your existing back pain or could be the cause of your first back pain. Another important point to note is that you need to turn your neck to one side or the other when sleeping on the stomach. This causes a lot of tension on one side of the neck while creating compression on the other side of the neck. This can lead to neck pain in the long run or an increase in your existing neck pain. These are the reasons why you want to avoid speaking on your stomach.
 
Now lets discuss two tips to change your sleeping position. 
Firstly try to sleep in a quarter turned position, between side lying and sleeping on your stomach and gradually when you are ready, transition to sleeping on your side or back. 
 
For the second tip, try this hack to avoid turning on to your stomach in your sleep. Keep a stack of pillows in front of your body so that if you roll over in your sleep you end up next to the stack of pillows and you won't be able to completely turn onto your stomach area. 
 
I do understand that it is a case of ‘easier said than done’ as it is not easy to change your sleeping posture. However any new habit takes at least six weeks to form. If you start off in side lying or on your back but you turn over to your tummy in the night, go easy on yourself and try it again the next night. It might be a good idea to try this change in sleeping posture at nap time and then moving on to night time sleep.
 
If you sleep on your side or back, here is a video with 3 simple tips on how to sleep when you have back and neck pain:



HERE is a free guide on "How can you maintain a Good Posture While Sleeping". It gives you the details of sleeping posture in side lying, back sleeping, 3 postures to avoid when sleeping and how to change to a better sleeping posture and much more. 

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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