Q: What is he best position for sleeping to keep your back healthy?

A: This is a common question I get in my office on a weekly basis. My patented answer is, any sleep that is deep and uninterrupted that leaves you feeling rested and rejuvenated is a great sleep session, regardless of the position you fell asleep or wake up in.

Hypothetically the best position to sleep is flat on your back with your hands at your side similar to a corpse. The neck should be supported either by a very thin pillow, no pillow or one that induces the cervical (neck) curve gently. This corpse position is considered the most favorable due to the natural anatomically posture of the entire body. Weight bearing for gravity is equally distributed from the head to the feet and the organs are at rest in their natural positions.

The second best position for sleeping would be the fetal position. This position as the name describes is lying on either side with both knees bent up towards the chest. The arms should once again be comfortable in front of the body. Placing a hand, arm or elbow under your head could potentially irritate neck, jaw or shoulder muscles.

Utilization of large fluffy or over stuffed pillows is definitely a poor posture to place your head, neck and shoulders. Also, using two or three pillows in these same areas will aggravate the spine and neck region.

The worse position is lying on your stomach with you hands over you head, ironically the most common position my patients relate to me that the sleep in. The reasoning behind this position being so unhealthy is that while on your stomach, your ribcage and torso are compressing your vital internal organs such as your heart, liver, lungs, spleen, etc. While compression is occurring to these organs they have less ability to contract and expand through normal phases of respiration. Blood supply and therefore oxygen supply may be inhibited or minimized not allowing normal daily detoxification and healing to occur fully.

Once again, despite any of the positions, it is most important to get a complete comfortable amount of sleep for normal healing and repair throughout the entire body.

If you suffer with insomnia and you sense it is not from emotional distress but from a physical ailment, then you should consult your chiropractor regarding the nature or cause to your symptoms.

Quote of the week: " Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and repeat to yourself the most comforting words of all: " This, too, shall pass". Ann Landers