How to sleep on your stomach without hurting your back

Q: Why does sleeping on my stomach hurt my back?

The worst sleep position: On your stomach This position puts the most pressure on your spines muscles and joints because it flattens the natural curve of your spine,” he says. Sleeping on your stomach also forces you to turn your neck, which can cause neck and upper back pain.”

Do You Have Back Pain From Sleeping

Low back pain while sleeping can make it tough to get a good night’s sleep. At the same time, how you sleep could make things worse — while certain sleep positions put strain on an already aching back, others may help you find relief.

Table of Contents Show

Do You Have Back Pain From Sleeping
Why does sleeping on my stomach hurt my back?
How do you align your spine when sleeping on your stomach?
What are healthy sleeping positions?
How should belly sleepers sleep?

Experts believe that people with sleep problems experience more problems with back pain. Sleep deprivation is known to affect mood and functional ability and can negatively impact your perception of pain. Pain in turn can affect the quality of your sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation, leading to a lighter sleep state and more frequent waking throughout the night.

What’s more, there’s a relationship between the severity of pain, overall mood, and the ability to function —According to a study published in the November 2016 issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A good night of sleep can improve all these symptoms.

Worst Positions that Cause Back Pain From Sleeping

Some sleep positions can put added pressure on your neck, shoulders, hips, lower back, knees, and even your heels, all of which can lead to pain. There’s no one-size-fits-all sleep position to kick back pain, but you can try a few tricks to get it under control so that you can sleep more soundly.

The most common offender? Sleeping on your stomach. Typically, sleeping on your stomach can flatten the natural curve of your spine, putting some additional strain on your back muscles.

Plus, stomach sleeping means that your neck is rotated, which can actually result in neck pain or back pain between your shoulders, says Paul Grous, a physical therapist and spine specialist with Penn Therapy & Fitness in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey.

Don’t worry about keeping your body in the same position all night. It’s normal for you to move around a bit while you sleep, and that’s a good thing because a little movement can help ease pressure on your back. “Any sleeping position has the potential to amplify back pain if you maintain it for too long,” Thomas says.

Sleep Positions That Help Relieve Back Pain

First, you’ve got to be comfortable to get a good night’s sleep. We suggest making a few simple modifications to your regular sleep position to help take a load off your back:

If you’re a back sleeper: Put a pillow under your knees to allow your spine to maintain its natural curve.

If you’re a stomach sleeper: Put a pillow under your lower abdomen and pelvis to ease back strain.

If you’re a side sleeper: Draw your legs up slightly toward your chest and sleep with a pillow (a full body pillow can be comfortable) between your knees.

You don’t have to have back pain from sleeping. Visit us as Crist Chiropractic in Cool Springs, and we’ll help you find immediate relief from your back pain with chiropractic adjustments, stretching and spinal decompression. We’ll also sit down with you to show you the best things you can do to have a pain free night.

Many individuals wake up with low back pain. Sometimes this pain can be prevented. When individuals sleep on their stomach, the lumbar spine can go into excessive hyperextension. This jams the posterior elements of the spine together which can lead to pain.

In order to prevent this from happening, perform a posterior pelvic tilting action prior to lying down. Simply lift the body upward and squeeze the glutes as hard as possible, then lay back down. This new position will “grip” and the spine will be in a more neutral position, which will prevent the posterior elements from jamming together.

I’ve had a few clients over the years inform me that this simple tip was a life-changer for them, so I figured it was worth posting as a blog in case others out there could benefit from it. Here’s a 20-second video showing how it’s done:

There are plenty of other beneficial strategies for alleviating low back pain when sleeping. Placing pillows underneath the abdominals when sleeping on one’s stomach, in between the knees when sleeping on one’s side, and/or underneath the legs when sleeping on one’s back can work miracles too, as can avoiding problematic positions altogether. Finding optimal mattresses and pillows can be life-savers as well.

Don’t just accept low back pain as part of life – be proactive about it and figure out solutions. Sleep should go hand in hand with your strength training endeavors, not work against them!

Why does sleeping on my stomach hurt my back?

The worst sleep position: On your stomach “This position puts the most pressure on your spine's muscles and joints because it flattens the natural curve of your spine,” he says. “Sleeping on your stomach also forces you to turn your neck, which can cause neck and upper back pain.”

How do you align your spine when sleeping on your stomach?

Sleeping on your stomach can create stress on the back because the spine can be put out of position. Placing a flat pillow under the stomach and pelvis area can help to keep the spine in better alignment. If you sleep on your stomach, a pillow for your head should be flat, or sleep without a pillow.

What are healthy sleeping positions?

Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.

How should belly sleepers sleep?

The Mayo Clinic recommends sleeping with a pillow beneath your pelvis while you sleep on your stomach. This supports your hips and keeps your spine better aligned. Place the top of the pillow on your lower abdomen; the bottom of the pillow will hit about mid-thigh.