Sleeping on your side is a lot of people’s favourite position to sleep in. However, although it may
seem relatively straightforward, you can do it incorrectly. Making sure that you have the correct
posture and mattress for a side sleeper is important, as is having the best pillow for a side sleeper
too. So, if you want to know how to properly sleep on your side, keep reading and find out!
Sleep On Your Left
You might not think that the side you sleep on matters, but it can have a big impact. When you sleep
on your right side, you allow your stomach acid to travel back up into your throat causing things like
acid reflux. This can disrupt your sleep to no end and be pretty uncomfortable to try and deal with.
But if you simply roll onto your left side, you immediately allow gravity to take affect and keep the
stomach acid where it needs to be. So, if you experience acid reflux at night, try checking which side
you’re sleeping on. You’ll be surprised at how much laying on your left side can make!
Keep Parallel
When you do lay on your side, you need to be conscious of the position of your body. It’s important
that you keep your ears inline with your shoulders and your chin in a neutral position. You want to
try and avoid tilting your chin upwards or towards your chest, no matter how comfy it may be. You
also need to ensure that you keep your arms and hands lower than your neck, as this will ensure that
they’re in the safest position possible. Ideally, you’d keep them parallel by your sides so that there’s
no unwanted pressure being put on them. Scrunching up your arms can cause them to go dead
during the night and it also makes your shoulders sore. So, try your best to keep your arms parallel
to your body, and you’ll find side sleeping much more comfortable.
Use Pillows
Our final tip is to use pillows when you sleep. Try popping a pillow between your knees so that your
hips are kept in line with the rest of your body. You may find that when you sleep on your side, you
wake up with lower back or pelvic area pain. If this is the case, then you definitely need a pillow to
give you a bit more of extra support. You’ll find that when you have that added bit of support at
night, side sleeping becomes even comfier, which is something that’s hard to do when you’re
already in one of the comfiest positions. You also need to make sure that you have a good pillow to
ensure that your neck is kept in a safe position while you sleep. The ideal pillow will be supportive,
but not too thick as this can cause it to tilt upwards. Your pillow needs to keep your neck and
shoulders in line with each other so that your body is kept neutral during the night. So, if you haven’t
already, upgrade your pillow to enhance your side sleeping experience.
When you sleep on your side, there are things to think about. But these are easy to implement and
actually make you feel comfier, rather than uncomfortable. Try adding pillows to your position, keep
your body aligned, and try sleeping on your left, and you’ll soon feel the benefits that side sleeping
can bring. Before you know it, you’ll be dropping off to sleep instantly each night once you get into
that perfect side sleeping position.
