Correct sleeping posture to protect the cervical spine

The incidence of cervical spondylosis is getting higher and higher. The most common causes are, first, looking down at the phone for a long time, and second, incorrect sleeping posture: many people have experienced "stiff neck" after sleeping.

The correct sleeping posture is closely related to the health of the cervical spine. If the posture is not correct during the day, you will feel soreness after a long time, so you can remind yourself to adjust it. However, if the posture is not correct during sleep, it is difficult to detect and it is more likely to cause damage.

Let me share with you “How to protect your cervical spine while sleeping properly” - two key words.

First, “pillow for the neck”. When we sleep, the pillow should be placed under the neck, including the back of the head, and the neck should not be left in the air. Therefore, we can’t call it “pillow” in the future, but should call it “pillow for the neck and head”.

Second, the "neutral position". When sleeping, the neck is best in a "straight neutral position" - the head, neck, and torso are in a straight line. If the pillow is too high, the head will be lowered when sleeping, and the front of the neck will be "compressed" and the back will be "stretched", which means "high pillows are harmful". If the pillow is too low, the front of the neck will be stretched and the back will be compressed, which will also increase the pressure on the neck.

Similarly, your neck should not be shifted left or right when you lie on your side, so the height of the pillow should be consistent with the width of your shoulders.

Obviously, sleeping on your stomach is not good either. The neck muscles and spinal canal will be twisted, which will put more pressure on you.

When you wake up in the morning, if you feel neck pain or even numbness in your hands, you should look back and examine where the problem occurred during your sleep and make targeted improvements.