Transcription
Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Michael Bruce, the sleep doctor. In this video, I'm going to talk about some of the best sleeping positions for seniors to improve both sleep quality and prevent some of those aches and pains that we all seem to get during the night. We're also going to cover how to properly align your neck and spine in each position to maximize their effectiveness.
Now, something I want to mention right off the bat is that you could literally get better sleep starting tonight because there's just so much potential to unlock with a simple adjust or tweak to your sleep position. You're going to want to stick around to the end because I will also be covering a few things you need to avoid with your posture as we age.
Now, in order to find the best position for you, we need to figure out what's going to be the most comfortable. This is going to be based on four different things: your own personal preference, how well you breathe at night, current aches and pains, and then maybe other health issues or sleep issues like sleep apnea, all while maintaining proper spinal alignment in that position, which, remember, is critical.
So, let's start off by talking about the most popular position to sleep in: the side sleeper. Sleeping on your left side takes pressure off the vena cava. This is the body's largest vein and is essential to carrying oxygen-poor blood from the lower body back to the heart. This helps the heart pump blood more efficiently while also preventing blood pooling, which is what causes those varicose vein symptoms. This position can also help keep your airways open and unobstructed, which can reduce snoring and even mild sleep apnea. It can also help with heartburn and people with acid reflux by keeping your stomach and gastric juices a little bit lower than your esophagus. And for people over the age of 50, that's me, side sleeping has been shown to reduce detrimental proteins in the brain linked to a higher risk of cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's.
Now, the biggest downfall to this position is that if not done properly, you can actually see a worsening of pain points around your neck, shoulders, hips, and lower back. Why? It's because that's where your body is taking all of your weight and typically where I see people not in proper alignment. So, the first thing that you should do to achieve proper alignment is by making sure that you're not using a pillow that's too high or too low. An incorrect pillow height is going to put a cramp in your neck, causing pain, which is obviously going to disrupt your sleep. You want to find a pillow that will keep your neck and spine on a perfect plane together.
The second thing to address is your knees. If your knees touch while you're in the side sleep position, it can put a lot of pressure on your hip joint, which can cause tension around your lower back and increase back pain. So, what you can do here is place another pillow between your knees. Now, they actually make pillows specifically designed to fit between your legs, and they're great because they're super compact, they're really easy to lock between your legs, so if you switch positions during the night. And now, with these two things, you have proper support and alignment all the way down your spine.
Before I talk about the next position, do me a favor. If you like this kind of sleep content, please give the video a like and then subscribe to the channel below. It really means a lot to us here at Sleep Doctor, and your support allows me to keep making this kind of sleep content for you in the future. Also, if you're consistently waking up tired as you get older or just feeling groggy during the day, it might be worth getting screened for sleep apnea, especially if you snore. It's actually way more common than you think, and the majority of people out there don't even know they have it. The good news is there's a ton of treatment options that can make a dramatic improvement on not just your sleep but your overall health as well. The best part is you don't even need to go to a sleep lab or see a sleep specialist to get screened for it. There are now these high-quality home sleep tests that you can actually take from the comfort of your own bed, and you can get your results back within a couple of days. If you've consistently struggled with your sleep and can't seem to do anything about it, click the link down in the description and order a home sleep test. I highly recommend getting tested, even if just to rule out sleep apnea.
The next position I want to talk about is the one I recommend the most: it is the back sleeper position. One of the great things about this position is that this alignment gives your muscles more natural support, and you're less likely to strain your neck while you sleep. Back sleeping also distributes your weight much more evenly across your skeletal frame than side sleeping, which is going to help reduce those excessive pressure points. The cons of back sleeping, however, are an increased risk of snoring and sleep apnea. There's also data to suggest that you increase the chance of gastroesophageal reflux disorder or GERD, and if you're suffering from back pain as it is, sleeping on your back is probably uncomfortable.
All right, so getting proper alignment in the back sleeper position is relatively similar to what we learned for the side sleeper. You're going to want to make sure that your neck is on an even plane with your spine, so avoid those pillows again that are too high or too low. But generally speaking, you probably won't need as high of a pillow as you would as a side sleeper.
The next thing you want to look at is the lower back. Sleeping in this position puts your hips in what's called an anterior pelvic tilt posture. This is going to put a small space between your lower back and your mattress. Proper alignment is actually making sure you're supporting your back and filling in this space. So, what you want to do is unlock those hip flexors and bring up your knees, which will allow your back to enter a bit more of a neutral position. We don't want to eliminate the arch in the back, but we do want to minimize it while sleeping. Simply put a pillow or two underneath your knees, which is actually pretty easy to achieve. And now, with these two adjustments, you have proper support and alignment.
Another thing I want to mention here that is really great for seniors who are back sleepers is actually getting an adjustable base bed frame. I like it when seniors can raise their back up when they are sleeping because it pulls gravity out of the equation, and that can often times lower snoring, but it also makes it easier for people to get in and out of bed. What you end up doing is when you have a flat surface like this and you're older, if you can just raise the head of the bed, then all you have to do is swing your legs out, and it's much easier to get up and out of bed. If you can't afford an adjustable base bed frame, you could easily just purchase what's called a wedge pillow, which is a triangle-shaped foam pillow to use instead, and it pretty much acts in the same manner.
So, what should you be avoiding when it comes to your posture in sleep? All too often, I see seniors falling asleep in their Lazy Boy chairs or on the couch, and here's what happens: they either fall asleep with their head down like this or back like this, and it's really not what the body was designed to do. This causes tremendous strain on your neck as well as the muscles that lead to it, and I think a lot of people have just gotten used to this position because it's easier for them to breathe like that. They're basically modifying their posture to lessen the effects of sleep apnea.
All right, everyone, I know that was a lot of info, but I hope you were able to take something positive away from it. And hey, I want to hear from you too. Tell me what positions you sleep or if you have any unique tips to alleviate aches and pains, like what do you do with all your pillows? I want to know. Please share them down in the comments below. If you're interested in learning more about some of my favorite sleep tips for seniors, go check out my video titled "Eight Ways for Seniors to Sleep Better Tonight." I promise you're going to find something in it that will change your sleep.
All right, everyone, this is Dr. Michael Bruce, the sleep doctor, wishing you sweet dreams.