Are you a stomach sleeper? Find out the effects of stomach sleeping and how you can avoid its risks.

Every person has a preferred sleeping position. Some love to lay on their sides, whereas others like to sleep flat on their back. However, some sleepers enjoy sleeping the most on their stomach. For them, it feels cozy and they can sleep better in such a position. But is it healthy?
Although sleeping on your stomach somehow reduces sleep apnea or snoring, it is not healthy. Any medical professional would say the same. Sleeping on your stomach is not the best position. It strains the back and neck areas, creating more pressure which later may result in pain. Hence, it does more bad than good.

How Sleeping on Stomach Affects the Body
Whether you admit it or not, as a stomach sleeper, you probably woke up on several occasions with pain in certain parts of your body and feeling miserable. The discomfort and pain you felt are effects of stomach sleeping.

All stomach sleepers experience pain either on the neck, back, or joints. Sleeping on your stomach creates pressure on the back and spine. Your weight is focused on the middle part of the body instead of being distributed equally.

Likewise, this position disrupts the natural curve of the spine, which results in poor posture. And since the spinal alignment is awkward, it increases pressure on the vertebrae and muscle groups. Take note that the spine is a nerve channel. Thus, adding pressure on the spine immediately sends pain signals to the brain.

Sleeping on the stomach also stresses the neck and shoulders. Neck problems can develop if you continue sleeping in such a position. Remember that you need to turn your head on the side when sleeping on your stomach. This kind of position may twist your neck, causing you to misalign the head and spine.

The damage does not appear in a flick of a finger; instead, it is a slow development. You feel the soreness and pain, which could turn chronic. The last thing you would want is to develop a herniated disk. It is a rupture of the gelatinous disc between the vertebrae. When the gelatinous disc bulges, it irritates the nerves causing so much pain.

How to Stop the Effects of Stomach Sleeping
If you can’t sleep in other positions, the best thing you can do is reduce the risks of sleeping on your stomach. Below are some tips you can use to avoid the potential complications of this sleeping condition.

#1 Find the Right Mattress
Choosing the correct mattress is the simplest and best solution to prevent the effects of sleeping on your stomach. If you look for the best online mattress for stomach sleepers, you will notice that all share the same qualities.

Mattresses for stomach sleepers provide stable support to stop the spine from getting pulled in awkward alignment. The bed must have the ability to keep the spinal column correctly aligned. Thus, the mattress must not be too hard and too soft. It should have enough cushion to provide comfort and contour to the body as well as, firmness for stability.

There are a wide variety of mattresses for stomach sleepers. You can check this source for more details about the latest mattresses this year.

#2 Use a Thin Pillow
Avoid putting too much distance from the bed to your neck. Using a lot of pillows will while sleeping on your stomach only adds more pressure to your neck and shoulders.

The best option is to use a thin pillow or no pillow at all. The less distance prevents your neck from angling to one side. Likewise, consider mattresses with a plusher surface. You can check this source as an example.