What is it about?
Some people go to bed without spinal pain, only to wake with pain, while others wake with an aggregation of their spinal symptoms. Our research aims to identify relationships between sleep posture, spinal symptoms and sleep quality.
Featured Image
Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Little evidence examines the relationship between sleep posture and waking spinal symptoms, yet it is a common clinical presentation. Further, poor sleep quality is known to influence all human systems negatively. Improving sleep posture through education may improve waking spinal symptoms and also the quality of sleep.
Perspectives
As a clinician, there is only anecdotal information about how sleep posture affects spinal pain and stiffness. I needed researched outcomes to guide my clinical discussion and decisions. This research gives me the confidence to identify provocative sleep postures and guide conversations with my clients about ways to improve their sleep posture routine. Further research indicates that changing sleep posture improves not only waking spinal symptoms but indicates in certain individuals it may also improve sleep quality, which has broader health importance.
Dr Doug Cary
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Examining relationships between sleep posture, waking spinal symptoms and quality of sleep: A cross sectional study, PLoS ONE, November 2021, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260582.
You can read the full text:
Resources
14 Night Sleep Posture Challenge
Opportunity for practitioners or the public to have fun learning about the importance of sleep posture but actually changing their sleep posture for the better. Includes 8 night and 8 day tips to improve sleep hygiene and recommendations on the selection of pillows and mattresses to optimise their sleep.
Background Information and Research Articles
Central page provides background information and access to all the related articles.
Sleep Mastery Course
The Sleep Mastey Course is a combination of current evidence-based research and clinical practice for practitioners looking to understand and include sleep education into their clinical practice. The course covers; - sleep cycle & education - sleep hygiene - sleep posture - CBT for insomnia + other current treatment techniques
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
