Dr Oz Sleep Positions

Back pain can affect how soundly you sleep and certain sleep positions can add harm to your back and to your overall health. The Dr Oz sleep positions for better sleep are broken down as side sleepers, back sleepers and stomach sleepers. Which of these sleep positions are the healthiest? What does your sleeping position say about you as a person?

[caption id="attachment_1298" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Dr Oz Sleep Positions - Side Sleeper or Sleeping Beauty"][/caption]

Side sleepers or what Dr Oz refers to as the Sleeping Beauty sleep position is the healthiest position to sleep in. It helps protect the alignment of the back’s three major curves: the lower neck, middle back and the lower back. The sleeping beauty is best for preventing neck and back pain, reduces acid reflux, alleviates snoring, it also improves your ability to fall asleep easy and staying asleep during the night when pregnant.

To make this sleep position even better and prevent over constriction of your shoulder and neck muscle purchase a 2-1 memory foam pillow for better support of your neck. To alleviate pelvic rotation and lower spine contortion put a pillow between your knees as this will reduce stress on your hips. If you have high blood pressure, try sleeping on your left side. Anyone with kidney stones on one side should sleep on the other side.

Downside, due to smashing your face into a pillow seven hours every night this position can cause wrinkles on cheeks and chin. Some synthetic foam pillows like the enVy Pillow - enVy Pillow are also available in shapes designed to fit under your head, support your neck and keep your face and eyes away from the pillow.

If you are a side sleeper what does it say about you? Those who curl up in the sleeping beauty position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in a survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.

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Back sleepers also called The Soldier spend the entire night on their back. This position is good for back and neck pressure, reducing acid reflux, minimizes wrinkles and maintains perky breasts. The problem with sleeping in the supine position it can cause the tongue to fall inwards and blocks the airway passage. Back sleepers are prone to snoring and it is not good for those suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a life threatening sleep disorder that cause a person to stop breathing briefly periodically during the night.

Never use a fluffy pillow as this will push the head forward in an uncomfortable reversal of your neck’s natural curve, resulting in neck pain, headaches and decreased breathing capacity. Some say the best pillow for a snorer is one that is flat, but they also suggest using a pillow under your knees and a lumbar pillow under your back this will make it easy for your head, neck and spine to maintain a neutral position.

If you have the following health conditions; heart failure, respiratory diseases, glaucoma, acid reflux or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) you may benefit from this position if you bring it to a semi-sitting position. GERD or acid reflux can be relieved by making sure your stomach is below your head so the acid or food can’t come back up.

The Soldier helps prevent wrinkles because noting is pushing against the face and gravity helps reduce these lines caused by sleep. Dr. Stegman stated that by merely sleeping on your back the lines would remit...though it would take three months. Dr. Samuel J. Stegman wrote an article in The Journal of Cosmetic Surgery on “sleep creases” in 1987. Personally I saw this happen first hand when my late husband was in the hospital for six months. He was at the time a 49 year old with heavy nasal-labial fold wrinkles, which are the lines that run from the nose to the mouth. Due to surgery complications he was confined to bed 24/7 and after three months I noticed a definite difference in these lines. By the time he left the hospital his face looked at least 5-8 years younger. So if you are a side sleeper and worry about facial lines…sleep on your back.

What does The Soldier position say about you? Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.

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Stomach sleepers or what Dr Oz refers to as the Dead Man’s Float is when the sleeper spends most of the night on their stomach, head turned to the side and arms under a pillow. This is possibly the worst sleep position for your back. Having your head turned to one side distorts alignment of the spine and neck which can lead to chronic lower back pain, neck pain and headaches. Also, your body weight compresses the lungs that can impede your ability to breathe fully and deeply. If you are a stomach sleeper the best pillow is a very thin, flat one or none at all. If I sleep on my stomach I use a body pillow and lay half my body on the pillow and half on the bed. This seems to eliminate some of the pressure on my lungs and breasts due to some of my weight are on the pillow.

This position can cause your neck to hyper-flex and exert pressure on the nerves along the underside of your arms that can cause your arms to “fall asleep” or what is known as Paresthesia which will awaken you from sleep. According to Wikipedia paresthesia is a sensation of tingling, pricking, or numbness of a person's skin with no apparent long-term physical effect. It is more generally known as the feeling of "pins and needles" or of a limb "falling asleep".

What does sleeping in the Dead Man’s Float mean? Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.

We all know as soon as we go to bed which position we prefer to sleep in. The way we sleep can be the very reason why we suffer from our aches and pains. You may think your soreness is due to an old sagging mattress or a pillow that is too flat or thin, but it is possible that your sleeping position is to blame. Misalignment of your spine during sleep can put pressure on your neck, back, hips, shoulder and jaw which in turn affects how well you will sleep during the night and how you feel the next day.

The content provided in Dr Oz Sleep Positions is for information purposes only, intended to raise the awareness of different solutions for you or your families sleep problems and should not be considered medical advice. For medical diagnosis and treatment, please see your qualified health-care professional.