What happens to your body if you sleep with a pillow?
You should align your spine while sleeping to prevent aches and pains in your body and improve your sleep quality. For optimal comfort and support, you need to choose the best sleeping position. A good mattress can be a good start, but putting a pillow between your knees while you sleep will help you a lot.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SLEEPING WITH A PILLOW BETWEEN YOUR KNEES?
Many people instinctively find an extra pillow necessary for sleeping. If you are one of those people, you may have asked yourself, why do I sleep with a pillow between my knees?
While you may know that this position helps you sleep more comfortably, you may not fully understand why it feels good to sleep this way. If you don't sleep with a knee pillow yet, you may want to start after learning about the many benefits of this simple habit.
1. PROTECTS SPINE LEVEL FOR SIDE SLEEPERS
If you're a side sleeper, you probably know what it's like to bang your knees together all night. While generally comfortable, this sleeping position can put pressure on sensitive pressure points in your hips and shoulders. For this reason, many side sleepers need the extra comfort and support of a knee pillow between their legs.
As people age, disc degeneration and herniated discs often become a greater risk. If you develop both, a knee pillow can offer better spinal alignment and pain relief while you sleep and recover.
2. RELIEVES MUSCLE CRAMPS OR MUSCLE TENSION
Strange sleeping positions can strain the muscles or worsen existing cramps. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs keeps your knees aligned and supported for a more comfortable sleep.
Why is spine alignment important? Keeping your body properly aligned while you sleep can relieve pressure and prevent injury.
3. REDUCES KNEE AND LOWER PAIN
If you sleep on your back, sleeping with a pillow under your knees or lower back will limit the strain on your spine. This spinal alignment is crucial for quality sleep and can prevent you from waking up with aches and pains.
Knee pain or lower back pain can also be a symptom of sciatica, which is pain that radiates down your lower back and leg along the path of the sciatic nerve. If you suspect you may have sciatica, using a knee pillow for back pain may help you sleep more comfortably. (Still, be sure to talk to your doctor to identify and treat the root cause.)
4. PREVENTS YOUR HIPS FROM ROTATING
Without a knee pad, the side-lying position can put your hips out of alignment and cause lower back and hip pain. Aligning your knees with a pillow between them maintains the natural alignment of your hips. This holds them in place and reduces pressure for the side sleepers.
5. HELPS YOU BREATHE EASIER
If you have a respiratory condition such as sleep apnea, sleeping with a pillow between your legs can help. The knee pillow helps align the spine, which helps open up your airways.
If you sleep on your back, try placing the pillow under your knees rather than between them. For optimum comfort, make sure you sleep with the right pillow under your head as well.
6. REGULATES THE BLOOD CIRCULATION
Have you ever woken up with a numb or tingling sensation with your arm lying under your pillow? It can be scary to feel like your arm is no longer attached to your body, but it's just a sign of poor circulation.
Adding a pillow under your knees or between your legs can solve this problem. The pillow helps blood flow properly through your lower body by raising and separating your knees.
Back sleepers can also add a pillow under their feet to lift their legs. Elevation naturally aids circulation, as gravity pulls blood back toward your heart.
7. PREVENTS THE Occurrence of Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are swollen or twisted veins that usually form in the legs. Putting a pillow under your knees can help your blood circulate better and prevent visible varicose veins.
8. PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO PREGNANT WOMEN
Getting quality sleep throughout pregnancy is very important for both mother and baby. However, it can be difficult to get comfortable, in part because the additional weight that comes with pregnancy puts more stress on your knee joints.
Especially in the later months of pregnancy, this joint pain can be overwhelmingly irritating. Sleeping with a pillow between your knees provides extra cushioning and support for joints under increased pressure.
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