Sleep is something that we all need, but it isn't always a simple matter of laying down and closing your eyes. Indeed, sleep can be the cause of domestic drama as well as physical issues with the body.
Opinions might vary on what the optimal sleeping position is. A lot of it comes down to personal taste, but according to one sleep expert, there's one position you should never rely on.
You can find a variety of informative videos made by sleep experts on the Levitex TikTok page (@levitex). In the videos, experts explain how sleeping affects the spine — and how the spine affects, well, pretty much everything else.
Your spine wants to be relatively straight as you sleep. This can be accomplished with a variety of pillows, mattresses and sleeping positions. But according to this expert, sleeping on your stomach is murder on your back.
As he explains it, when you sleep on your stomach, it actually places your body under stress. That's because your legs have to remain fairly taut in order to maintain the position.
Sleeping on your stomach can bend your spine in a way that it doesn't want to be bent, which can lead to back pain as you get older. Several commenters noted that this is exactly the position they find themselves in.
If you absolutely must sleep on your stomach, Levitex recommends using pillows strategically to ease the pressure on different parts of your body. This explains why so many people like to sleep with a pillow between their knees.
They might not be able to eliminate the anxiety that prevents many of us from falling asleep, but they certainly have good advice when it comes to the physical mechanics of getting some shut-eye.
If you travel a lot, you might own one of those little neck pillows they sell at the airport. The advice from Levitex? Throw it out. You'll save money and find better support for your neck by rolling up the hoodie or sweater you probably already have in your carry-on.
Everyone loves big fluffy pillows, but Levitex recommends using something slimmer and firmer in order to properly support the neck. Once again, it's all about making sure that the neck and spine line up without placing too much stress on them.
Sleep is the thing that we all need, and also the thing that can seem to be completely elusive. Let us know what you think of these tips, and share any that you've come up with, in the comments section!
