This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/Qd6q5M0VkF0
Mike: Are you struggling with neck pain? Does it feel like getting a good night's sleep is an impossible task?
Brad: Well, you're in luck because we're going to explore practical tips on how to correct it so you can sleep all night long, pain-free.
Mike: So we're going to go over all three sleeping positions and show you how to optimize each to reduce your neck pain.
Brad: That's right. We're going to cover back sleepers, and side sleepers, and even discuss stomach sleepers.
Mike: So let's get to it.
Brad: There you go. Let's start sleeping. One of the first common mistakes that people who sleep on their back have is too much neck flexion. In other words, too many pillows. You can see the way Mike is here with two pillows. His neck is actually pushed forward.
Brad: Mike, can you tell me how you feel right now?
Mike: This is pretty uncomfortable. I mean, I could lay here for probably 20 minutes, but as soon as I get up my neck is going to start feeling really stiff.
Brad: Right. So this neck flexion actually stresses the vertebra in the back. It actually allows you not to breathe efficiently. It causes problems in more than one way. So you simply take out a pillow and don't let one fall off. And there you go. Try to keep that spine in line. And this is one of those things where a really thin pillow is good and sometimes a thinner one than you think. So pay attention to it and see how it goes. Mike, anything?
Mike: The pillow thickness will differ depending on your body size. Obviously, if you're a larger person further away from the mat, you may need more pillows or thicker ones, but you want to have a nice leveled neck like I have, not be flexed over like this.
Brad: There you go. Let's go to number two. Alright, now we're going to address two common problems with side sleeping. Number one in contrast to sleeping on your back is typically a thin pillow or one pillow is often not enough because it takes the neck out of neutral position and actually puts it downward, which puts stress on the neck. And the next one is this shoulder. Sleeping on that shoulder joint can cause pain and really irritate things over time.
Brad: So, Mike, do you want to go through how to correct these?
Mike: Yes. So for the first one, if your neck is curved down, your spine is down in lateral reflection we call this, we want to probably add another pillow in. The thickness will dictate depending upon your shoulder size and anatomy. If you're a bigger person with broader shoulders, you may need two thicker pillows. Some people use a normal pillow, throw pillow, or whatever works for them. But oftentimes, for instance, I sleep on my side a lot, I use two pillows. If I happen to be on my back, I normally just throw one up on my headboard, and then when I go to my side, I'll bring it down. This eases any pressure that you're having on your neck keeping in a nice straight line.
Brad: Wait, I want to tell them what I do.
Mike: What do you do?
Brad: Okay, when I turn to my side, I simply fold my pillow in half. And then when I go to my back, I fold it flat. That way, you only need one pillow. Save some money.
Mike: We got some pillow stories here. Anyway, now if you want to create a canal, you will probably need a third pillow.
Brad: What's a canal?
Mike: This is a canal right here.
Mike: It's an opening. Typically, they're waterways, but here, they're not. So what we're going to do is lay down here. This is roughly around my rib cage just below my shoulder joint. This will take some pressure off of my shoulder as well as the two pillows here. So this can ease neck pain you're having or shoulder pain.
Brad: That's right. Now, there's another option for reducing shoulder pain if you do not want to try the canal theory. And that is simply to let the shoulder rotate. And it does change your body position a little bit.
Brad: Some people are comfortable with this. It eliminates shoulder pain. Others will want to try using the pillows and get that canal gap in there for relief. Alright. Now, stomach sleepers or sleeping prone on your stomach like Mike is demonstrating right now. In general, we like to encourage people not to sleep on their stomachs. The reason why is it puts your head at a 90-degree turn rotation, which puts it at end-range, and staying there for a period of time can cause problems, pain, headaches, et cetera.
Brad: But if you're one of those people that really like to sleep on your stomach, the one thing you'll want to not do is we're looking at here two pillows. That's definitely a no-no, it puts your head not only rotated but extended all at the same time. Putting your arms above your head like this. Another no-no because that actually can impede or cause problems with circulation. When I sleep like that, my arms literally go numb because it hits my brachial plexus on both sides. And then I have, I literally can't even move my hands. It's rather interesting. Mike, you want to talk a little more about it because you're feeling it right now.
Mike: So if you are a stomach sleeper, which sometimes I end up in this position, a good trick to do is take more pillows. So you're going to take a pillow or two pillows, depending upon your body size and you're actually going to lay on them on your pelvis. So typically, your belt line region will cover it. That way, when I'm down, I might even need another pillow for my head. But now, even though my arms are above my head, I'm not really at end-range extended flex like this. I'm much more comfortable this way.
Brad: And I did forget to mention the low-back strain when you're without the pillows, particularly if you have some stenosis, like most people do as you get older, that can cause low back pain after lying there for a period of time. Pillows under there really quickly eliminate that stress there. Mike, don't you have a trick? Because you say you do sleep on your stomach, but what do you do to help? There you go.
Mike: Sometimes, I lift one of my legs up depending upon, typically my face and my leg on the same side are going in the same direction.
Brad: And with the pillows under your stomach?
Mike: Usually, I just have one if I need it. Oftentimes, I end up on my stomach subconsciously. So I wake up and my back is stiff.
Brad: So you're feeling it and your body's telling you, stop this.
Mike: Yeah. So it's not an optimal position. However, some people end up this way. Like me.
Brad: Wonderful. Alright. The nice thing about all these solutions is they're easy and all you need is a few more pillows. If you're short, you know, go to the kids or the the neighbor's house, get a few pillows and your problem is solved. Or just change position. Mike, we have more information.
Mike: Yes. If you want to check out more videos on neck pain, try "Most Important Exercises to Help Pinched Nerve & Neck Pain! FAST-RELIEF. (Updated)." This one talks more about a pinched nerve and gives you actual exercises and stretches. You can try if you're still having some issues.
Brad: Right? That pinched nerve, if you're having symptoms oftentimes it goes into the shoulder and down the arm to the hand. It's a great video for those symptoms.
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