3 Sleep Postures to avoid if you want to prevent Spinal (Back/Neck) Pain
If you wake up with morning stiffness or pain in the neck or back, you may want to examine your sleeping posture. How you sleep will decide the amount of stress that is placed on your spine (back/neck) and joints. A poor sleeping posture can aggravate your existing pain or it can lead to pain and discomfort. When we sleep in a good posture 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. In this blog lets discuss the 3 Sleep Postures to avoid if you want to prevent Spinal (Back/Neck) Pain. 
 
Firstly, avoid sleeping on your stomach. 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 whether it is due to stress on the back, disc bulge, stenosis, arthritis or simply degeneration, etc or it could be the cause of your back pain. Also when you sleep on your stomach you need to turn your neck to one side or the other. This can cause a lot of tension on one side of the neck while creating compression on the other side of the neck, leading to neck pain and headaches in the long Thus it is advisable to avoid sleeping on your stomach.

Secondly, avoid sleeping with your arm under the head or pillow. This tends to put the neck, shoulder, shoulder blade, lower cervical spine and upper thoracic spine and mid back into a stressful position, thereby predisposing these areas to pain or nerve pains. This is not needed when using a pillow that gives adequate support to the neck and shoulder area. HERE are the pillows I use and recommend. You can place your lower hand on top of your pillow in side lying and on your stomach or besides the body when sleeping on your back.

Thirdly, if you are a side sleeper, keep the upper arm on a stack of pillows in front of your body, such that the shoulder is not rounded and neck is also relaxed on the upper side. 

Watch this video to learn more about using a pillow when sleeping and how to customise it to your body type:


 
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 & Certified Posture Expert

I help mums of young kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage back, neck, and nerve pain, even with low energy, brain fog, and little time to spare. My proven system delivers real relief without stealing hours from your already packed day. The result? More productive professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can be fully present with their kids, instead of being sidelined by pain.



My passion comes from personal experience. I’ve been where you are: in pain, overwhelmed, and exhausted. After two pregnancies in three years, juggling my kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was stuck in a constant cycle of back and nerve pain. The physical load of motherhood added strain to my spine and joints. Meanwhile, adrenal fatigue left me drained, even after 10–12 hours of sleep.

Everyday tasks became a struggle. I was forgetful, foggy, and low on energy. Even as a trained physiotherapist and posture expert, I couldn’t escape my own pain. I stood all day at work, spent evenings on the laptop, rocked my kids to sleep, sat through endless meetings, traveled frequently ... I’ve been through it all.

I kept my pain hidden at work, afraid to speak up. I felt like a fraud, someone who coached others on relief strategies but couldn’t find relief herself. I loved my job and my children, but I couldn’t give 100% to either. Pain was holding me back.

One New Year, I made a resolution: to get healthy, not just fix pain, fatigue, or weight. I focused on reducing inflammation, healing my adrenal fatigue, and reclaiming my energy. Slowly but surely, the pain faded. I lost weight, my brain fog cleared, and my energy skyrocketed. Today, my pain is nearly gone. I feel stronger, clearer, and more in control than I have in years.
And now, I want that for you.

I combine professional expertise with lived experience to support other mums like me, those with young kids, high-stress jobs, and no time for complicated health programs. I’ve helped hundreds of women reduce spinal and joint pain, lift their energy, and clear the mental fog that holds them back.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. I got you, mommy!

Let’s get you feeling strong, confident, and fully present at work and at home.
Are you ready to start? Curious about how this works? Just ask.

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

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