As if office life wasn’t bad enough for our backs…
Sleeping on your front could have dire consequences for your body, according to experts.
Levitex, a pillow and mattress company made up of “sleep posture experts”, shared a video on its TikTok in which one staff member showed exactly how sleeping on your stomach can mess your back up.
According to their video, when a person lies on their front their upper leg muscles have to extend for prolonged periods of time.
“Muscles don’t like to be tense for long periods of time,” the expert explained.
“None of you have ever watched TV like this,” he added, “So why would you spend hours upon hours twisting your neck?”
@levitex@ stomach sleepers♬ original sound – levitex
The expert noted how, hundreds of years ago, this may not have been a problem for people but now, given a lot of us are more “sedentary” – aka spending most of our day sat down – it really is an issue.
Sitting at a desk all day is bad enough for your body, so sleeping in a position that is also awful for your spine is not a good idea.
“If by law you’re required an ergonomic seat in the day, then why would you not consider an ergonomic sleeping position at night?” he questioned.
“It’s the exact same,” he added.
@levitex@ you♬ original sound – levitex
According to the expert, even sleeping on your side can be an issue if you do it the wrong way.
He said: “This may be comfy, this may be the only way you can go to sleep. But what I’m telling you is, at some point in your life, when you hit 60, 70, you are going to start getting some arthritis.”
The expert warned that sleeping in the position will result in pain all over the body – including in the neck, hips, shoulder and side joints.
“It’s coming, please believe me,” he added, “I’m trying to avoid it for you.”
@levitexIs this your favourite sleeping position? ?♬ original sound – levitex
So, what’s the solution here? Well, if you can stop sleeping in these positions, experts suggest doing so.
If you feel like you’re set to be a front sleeper for life, experts suggest at least trying to sleep without a pillow to take some of the pressure off your neck.
The page is full of loads more tips on how to make these changes and make sure you’re taking care of your body while catching those Zzz’s.
Related links:
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- Dad dies after brain tumour misdiagnosed as sleep apnoea
