Could sleeping with a pillow between your legs be good for you?
There is no doubt that good posture is necessary for a happy and healthy life. Most of the time we do not recognize that maintaining our body’s ideal posture doesn’t just pertain to sitting, standing, walking or exercising. When you sleep, the muscle mass in your back begin to loosen up over time, so it’s important that we maintain the right posture.
We jump into bed with the expectation that all is taken care of and we are in a safe space without giving much thought to our posture. We are there to relax after all. However, misalignment while dozing on sleep is a big issue, affecting our bodies by placing stress on the spine.
We use pillows each and every day to relax our heads on while sleeping, but we should be using them more – in fact, many specialists accept as true that sleeping with a pillow between the legs and knees can truly help your posture by keeping your pelvis in line as we rest.
There are three more important curves in our spine; lower, middle, and upper. Maintaining these even as asleep is perhaps something most of us don’t think about, however, it’s quintessential to do so. Back pain can make it challenging to get a good night’s sleep, but depending on how you sleep, you could be making things better or worse for yourself.
4 Benefits of Sleeping With a Pillow Between Your Legs
1. It provides comfort and eliminates pressure and muscle tension:
When you lay in the mattress to sleep, your knees commonly gravitate toward each other. However, this can cause a lot of muscle tension in your lower back and your hips as your legs pull from your spine. Placing a pillow between your legs can help to reduce tension and help to recharge with a better night’s sleep. That translates to less pain and undue stress on your back in the morning. The pillow adds alleviation and eliminates pressure by maintaining the knees on top of one another. This also ensures that your hips and pelvic vicinity are aligned. It is also known to reduce muscle cramps, varicose veins, and sciatica pain. Make sure that the pillow extends all the way from your knees to your ankles, so that they are in line with each other.
2. It keeps your spine straight prevents your hips from rotating:
Sleeping when your back hurts can be exceedingly painful, particularly when attempting to keep your spine in a straight position. The key to a good night’s sleep is to maintain it in a neutral position. Your spine is not a straight line; it has a natural S-curve that supports mobility and stability. (More on scoliosis here) When your hips rotate, they make your spine twist into an unaligned position. Placing a pillow between your knees can realign your back into a neutral position where it’s neither flat nor arched and help to keep your top leg from falling over your bottom one. Laying on your side with a pillow between your legs will also ensure your legs and pelvis are leveled together
3. It improves blood circulation:
Poor circulation while sleeping can be caused by several factors, one of which is the pressure placed onto the vena cava, which is the main vein carrying blood to the heart and back. Placing a cushion between your legs and keeping your feet slightly elevated will help facilitate circulation more naturally through your lower extremities. It helps avoid waking up with numb legs and/or tingling between the feet.
4. It’s ideal for pregnant women:
Trying to get comfy when you’re pregnant can be an actual nightmare; most positions are very likely to be uncomfortable. Placing a pillow between your legs or knees promotes better posture and can give you a more restful night’s sleep, helping the muscle groups and alignment in your body.
If you have questions regarding which sleeping position is best for you and your back get in touch with one of our chiropractic doctors for an initial examination of your posture, back treatments and advice on how to improve your sleep.
