I’m getting wrinkles because I sleep on my side. :eek: This morning I noticed a wrinkle right through my eyebrow. ARGH. Plus, my physical therapist has pointed out that my shoulders curl, aggravated by side sleeping. So I need to teach myself how to sleep on my back.
So, how do y’all do it? Pillow or not? What kind of pillow? Do you sleep with your nose pointing towards the ceiling or does your face kinda flop over to a side? Do you put a pillow under your knees? Do you ever have problems with leg cramps? When I wind up on my back, I always wake up with stiff shoulders because I’ve thrown my arms up over my head and calf cramps because the blankets have pulled my toes down.
If I can help…
I had to start sleeping on my back in high school because of a back injury - I used to sleep on my side, kind of sprawled. Anyway, I went from basically sleep-in-any-position to sleep-like-dead-person.
Give yourself some time - I tossed and turned a lot more until I got used to it. (And if you have an SO, apologize profusely ) I had to start out with a pillow under my knees and a somewhat-firm pillow that cradled my head, so I could lean it slightly to one side. It was frustrating, to say the least. Having to be conscious of my position, while I was trying to get to sleep was really difficult (I was also trying to learn not to clench my fists or put any pressure on my hands - according to my old chiropractor, doing it repeatedly can contribute to arthritis - IANAD, though)
Thanks to exercise and massage, my back has improved and I can sleep on my side again (though without so much sprawl).
I started sleeping on my back when I was pregnant and couldn’t sleep on my stomach any more. Never had a leg cramp, not even then.
I lie on my back with a pillow under my head and, to some extent, my neck. My head is turned to the right side. Often I will bring one arm up, lay it on the mattress, and tuck my hand under the pillow, palm-side-up, so it can’t turn into a fist. Usually the left. My right hand is beside me or across my stomach.
My left leg is straight out, my right is bent as if doing a jig.
That’s it. Weird, but it works for me.
And just for the record, it took me a few months to get used to sleeping on my back. Now I can’t even sleep on my stomach at all, even though it’s been a long time since my original excuse for doing so.
I used to sleep on my side, but blundered into sleeping on my back because of sleep habits that just sort of evolved. First, I use two pillows under my head (so that my sinuses aren’t so apt to get stuffed). I think that tends to make me stay on my back because it’s hard to stay comfortable on my side with two pillows, what with beng the neck and all.
Second, I developed the habit of holding on to a pillow on my chest. That makes rolling over on my side somewhat more of a challenge.
I actually used to sleep on my stomach with my head to the side with one leg up and clutching the pillow. I started sleeping on my back after I got really, really sick with some sort of respiratory infection when I was 19 and sleeping on my back felt better than on my stomach.
Now I just go to sleep on my back. Oh and I’m a human mummy-I wrap myself firmly in my blankets just like a mummy and sleep with three pillows under my head. I also like a fan on blowing into my face but that’s another issue altogether.
Umm, I just sort of lie there and fall asleep. I don’t know how to try falling asleep. Maybe you could lie on your side until you are almost asleep, and then roll over?
Heh. I wake up with a wrinkle by my nose when I sleep on my side and my cheek gets smushed toward my nose.
On my back: two relatively flat pillows, hands under my body to keep them warm. This is how I fall asleep when I get groggy while reading and don’t have the energy to turn over.
Two pillows. One fairly firm one, on top of that a very compliable feather pillow that can be shaped exactly how I like it to feel comfortable.
As for this: “I always wake up with…calf cramps because the blankets have pulled my toes down.”
Before getting into bed, pull the sheet and blanket(s) down about 12-15 inches toward the foot of the bed (or up from where they’re tucked in, if that’s where the extra length is), leaving the excess folded over itself right at the foot end. This makes a roomy, non-constricting pocket for your toes to go up into.
Kind of interesting that people tend to favor one particular position when falling asleep. I normally sleep on my left side, with the alarm clock on the nightstand directly in front of me. The only time I can sleep on my back is when I’m so exhausted that I plop into bed and fall asleep before I could roll over on my left side! Even then, I would face left, arms wherever comfortable. I’ve tried training myself to fall asleep on my right side, but just can’t do it.
Ever see a body in a casket? With the head slightly elevated, pointed straight ahead, hands clasped across the chest? That’s how I sleep. How I wake up is anyone’s guess. I really can’t fall asleep any other way.
I can’t imagine changing your sleeping habits is an easy thing to do. I’m sure it’ll take awhile to get adjusted to it.
I used to sleep flat on my stomach with my head to the left on a pillow. But then many years ago I got boobs (no I didn’t buy them at the store - it was puberty) - pretty large ones at that, so now I sleep on my back and occasionally on my side, though I fall asleep best on my back. I use one pillow under my head. It’s a pretty squishy one, and I go to sleep with my nose pointing toward the ceiling, arms straight at my sides, palms down. I take deep belly breaths and count them until I either reach 50 (I have no idea why I chose 50 - it’s pretty arbitrary, and I rarely reach that number) or I feel myself starting to drift off. I usually sleep in the same position most of the night and flip over onto my side toward morning.
I’ve always slept on my back. Or more correctly, I’ve always fallen asleep on my back, thrash around all night (while asleep and with no memory of it), and wake up in goodness knows what position.
As for falling asleep, I use one thin but firm pillow under my head, both arms above my head, with my head resting against one of my arms and my legs either sticking out the end of the covers or with my right ankle tucked up behind my left knee. If I have a cold or something, I put another pillow diagonally across my normal pillow, which allows me to be a little more upright and helps me breathe.
Argh, I tried sleeping on my back last night using a very thin pillow. MY back hurts if I lie completely flat (really tight hip flexors) so I tried the pillow under the knees thing. I am sooooooo tired. I don’t think I slept at all (but on the positive side, my eyebrow wrinkle didn’t look as bad). This is obviousy gonna take some time…
Anyway, thanks bunches for the responses. I’m gonna try a bunch o’different pillows and see what works best.
I got my pillow from my chiropractor but I imagine they can be bought retail. The middle of the pillow is thinner? than the edges. It offers great support for the neck.
Well I always fall asleep on my right side and face my room. I can’t face the wall because I get paranoid that Jason is standing over my bed, ready to murder me as I sleep. Anyway, I fall asleep on my side, then drift to my back sometime during the night. Normaly I don’t move at all after that unless I wake up from a nightmare during the night or something. Then I start my process over again.
[hijack] Doesn’t sleeping on your stomach hurt anyone? I can’t breathe properly when I’m on my stomach.[/hijack]
It’s weird, when I was a kid I never felt like I could really breathe if I slept on my back, but now I prefer it because when I sleep on my side I get congested. When I sleep on my left side, my left nostril gets congested, so I have to flip over and then my right nostril gets congetsted and it makes me really angry. Which is not peaceful.
I lie on my back and I shove my hands under my bum so they don’t get cold. I also use extra pillows. Then I flex my legs rhythmically because it makes me feel so very sleepy and it feels nice.
) I had to start out with a pillow under my knees and a somewhat-firm pillow that cradled my head, so I could lean it slightly to one side. It was frustrating, to say the least. Having to be conscious of my position, while I was trying to get to sleep was really difficult (I was also trying to learn not to clench my fists or put any pressure on my hands - according to my old chiropractor, doing it repeatedly can contribute to arthritis - IANAD, though)