Growing up our parents always told us “sit up straight, stand up straight” but did you know this advice should also be applied while we’re sleeping. When we curl up into bed each night the last thing on our minds is our sleep posture, but this could be critical to our health. A poor sleeping posture could result in putting unnecessary pressure on your neck, hips and back, possibly resulting in injury. This is why good sleep support is so important.
The nervous system is an important part of our bodies. Every cell in our bodies is controlled through spinal nerves. Nerves exit the spinal column in pairs and branch out like a delicate web throughout the rest of the body. Each area of the body is controlled by specific spinal nerves. For example, nerves in the cervical spine (neck area) branch out into your arms, which is why sometimes a neck issue can lead to pain radiating down your arms. Nerves in the thoracic region govern the middle of the body, those in the lumbar spine extend into the outer legs, and the sacral nerves control the organ functions of the pelvis. This is why it’s vital that we keep our good posture during sleep to possibly reduce the risk of damaging vital nerve function throughout the entire body.
This diagram shows the possible symptoms caused by poor sleep posture in various parts of the spine when it’s not supported correctly.
Here are the three things that you should take into consideration when making sure you are sleeping in an orthopaedically correct position.
Bed base
A base with the wrong type of support can lead to tense and poor quality sleep. The WenaFlex® base, is made up of 240 support points by using 60 three-dimensional, flexible contact pads. These contact pads are designed to three degrees of hardness to give appropriate support across the five comfort zones, providing the perfect suspension and sleep support for each zone.
The WenaFlex® base can be adjusted according to individual requirements and preferences across the five comfort zones, ensuring optimum support.
Mattress
A firm mattress will typically push your shoulders and hips out of alignment with your spine. It can also interrupt good blood circulation through your arms and legs. This results in poor sleep posture, tossing and turning and partner disturbance throughout the night.
A soft mattress allows the heaviest part of your anatomy (around the lower abdomen, hips and buttocks) to sink deep into the mattress. Your spine is bent like a banana and distorts ideal hip alignment. It shares a similar poor sleep result with the firm mattress and can also result in aches and pains the next morning.
Ideally you would choose a mattress that is anatomically correct. This mattress will bend in kind with your specific body shape, size and weight. It allows your shoulder to sink into the mattress core while pushing up just enough at the lower back and hips to keep your spine in a perfectly straight line and at 90 degrees to your hips. It also allows good blood flow throughout the body resulting in a relaxing, undisturbed, healthy sleep where you wake up feeling refreshed.
Pillow
Research shows that more than half reported neck problems are created by, or are worse during or after, being in bed. This is why it is imperative that your base, mattress and pillow are properly supporting your neck. To prevent neck problems from developing or reoccurring. It is important that your pillow maintains a natural posture of the neck as it needs to support the spine.
The Wenatex SilverMed® Plus Pillow provides the correct orthopaedic support for the head and neck area and is designed so that it can be adjusted to individual needs and preferences. You have control over the height and firmness of your pillow as you can remove filling and shape your pillow to suit your personal preference and ensure an orthopaedically correct sleeping position.
Being more self-aware about how you sleep and what you sleep on could directly result in improved sleep quality and quantity, which will help you feel refreshed when you wake up each morning. Remember, you can prevent possible injuries and sleeping problems by choosing the correct sleep posture and having good sleep support, and a high quality ergonomic bed can help with this. To learn more, contact Wenatex today by calling 1300 858 139 or emailing enquiries@wenatex.com.au.
Updated: 15/03/2023
