Some sleep position questions

[tappinworks]

I read through some posts last night about sleep positions. I have two questions:

1) Why is it bad to sleep on the stomach? I used to feel good when I did this, because I thought I was squishing my tummy flat. But, now that I know about OIP, I lift and tuck my organs, THEN lay on my tummy. It feels like it keeps them tucked under the ribs while I sleep. Is that a dangerous thing to do when sleeping? Is sleeping on the tummy even with the organs tucked under the ribs still helping gravity keep them drooping?

2) Is there a way to keep organs in place while being asleep on my back or with my head propped up on a pillow? When my GERD bothers me at night, the doctor said to keep my head propped so the acid doesn't make its way up. Hopefully, as I lose fat, the acid will go down (I notice it's not as bad since doing T-Tapp). I don't want to ruin my new, better posture during my sleep.

I wish I could sleep on my back with my shoulders back, legs straight and with little or no pillow under my head. I tried to do it, but as I fell asleep, my body curled into its comfortable fetal position. I have even tucked the side organs in place on the side I am sleeping on, and my body weight there keeps them tucked.

Can anyone please shed some light on this? I don't want to think I am doing something right only to find out I am making my organs droop more from doing this. Thanks!

[BlessedMama]

I'm a side sleeper, and my chiro has told me tummy position is bad for the neck. You are having to turn your neck 90 degrees one way to breathe and that is stress on the cervical vertabrae, as well as hard to keep the rest of the back in alignment.

I sleep with a pillow between my knees to keep my hips in better alignment, and use a fairly firm pillow to support my neck and head.

I'm not a trainer, but my thoughts on the organs is that in lying down you are giving your body a break from gravity. Not sure the actual sleeping position would matter, but again, I'm not a trainer!

HTH in some way!

[Lori French]

Tummy sleeping is extremely bad for the mid back. You can not even think about

belly in or butt tucked, LOL! I suspect, no matter how hard you try,

gravity will pull organs organs down and away from spine. With back sleeping,

even with head slightly propped, at least gravity pulls them toward the spine,

not allowing them to pooch.

[SeanyseanUK]

Some people say that you can train yourself to sleep on your back, by doing things like putting pillows under your knees and doing some relaxation exercises before sleep. I've never been committed enough to do the relaxation exercises, but find with the pillows under my knees, its much more difficult for me to turn on my side. Plus I've found that it is better for my neck/head too (without pillows).

Ive also heard some people say that if you sleep in fetal position, the best way of training yourself to sleep on your back is by hugging a pillow. Apparently it taps into feelings of security, safeness etc. Never wanted to try it but figure its worth mentioning.

Sleeping on your side or front though can of course have an effect of wrinkles on the face - so that alone was motivation enough for me to get determined to sleep on my back.

[tappinworks]

I'm going to try the pillows under the knee trick tonight. I just want to put those organs in place so badly, lol.

[nanburr]

Okay, we have "sleeping on your stomach is bad for your neck", "sleeping on your stomach is bad for your middle back", and now I will add that sleeping on your stomach is bad for your lower back as well, because it shortens the muscles that we work so hard to stretch out when we tuck.

I love the feel of lying on my stomach, and I think I now know why. My torso is short. Being on my tummy, especially if my arms are up, sort of gives all those organs a little more room and it is more comfortable. I decided this after all I have been learning from T-Tapp. Anyway, I know it's bad for me, especially if I fall asleep that way. Lying on my back isn't great, either, and the pillow-under-the-knees works for about 10 minutes, when I want to change positions and it's in the way.

I have been unhappy with just about every pillow I have tried, but I got one of those Japanese buckwheat hull pillows on line (recommended by my chiro.) It is hard, some people think it is noisy, but it is great for my neck (with the fracture) and I stay asleep longer and wake up more refreshed. You can adjust the thickness of the pillow by removing some of the hulls. I've had the pillow a little over a week, and I can't tell you how much easier it is for me to find a comfortable position on either side, or even on my back. Some might not care for this pillow, but for me it is working like a charm. It seems to help my entire back.

There are different companies of varying quality. The one I used is Original Buckwheat Pillows. I just googled it to find it, and got plenty of info to read.

Nancy

[nitarose104]

Years and years ago I was watching a late night show and Lola Falana (she was good back then) was talking about sleeping on her back to help gravity keep her face smooth. I mean, why sleep on her tummy when her face was all puffy in the morning. She also said it took her over two weeks to get used to it.

I tried it way back then and it took me 14 days, but it has been well worth it. For a while, especially when I was heavier, I snored in that position. But I started using nose strips and as I've lost weight and inches, it is no longer an issue.

Just give yourself time to learn a new sleeping position. You have to really WANT to make this change. I think it was well worth it.