Pillow Talk
We tend to apply ergonomics when it comes to waking activities or sitting at a desk; utilizing the correct sleep posture is just as important as your waking posture as you spend 5-8 hours in that position every night. Our sleep posture often doesn’t get the attention it deserves and it is extremely important to pay more attention to our bodies when they’re not in motion. Whether you have felt every bone complaining or whether you are curious to see if you could be getting better sleep, make sure you know the correct sleeping posture.
The key to understanding sleeping posture is to think about where your body curves are. The two major ones that need to be supported throughout sleep are your neck and lower back.
What is the best position for sleeping?
The best lying or sleeping position may vary, depending on your symptoms or structure of your spine. No matter what position you lie in, the pillow should be under your head, but not your shoulders, and should be a thickness that allows your head to be in a normal position.
1. Try to sleep in a position which helps you maintain the curves in your neck and back. Sleeping on your back is the most ergonomically correct sleeping position, as long as you are using the right type of pillow. If you sleep on your back, you’ve won half the battle. Make sure to use a thinner but supportive pillow. If you use a think pillow or multiple pillows, they can stretch and strain your neck muscles. Your head needs to be in a neutral position for the 8 hours that you sleep, and multiple pillows under your head only bring your head forward and can cause a variety of problems.
2. If you are a side sleeper having a hard time switching to sleep on your back, all you have to do is use a few pillows to modify your sleeping posture for better and restful sleep, less aches, and more energy during the day. Use a thinker pillow for your head; since you sleep on your side, you want to create the most neutral position for your head with a thicker pillow to support your neck and head. Also add another pillow in between your knees to create symmetry and a better posture. This will help take any pressure off your lower back and hip
3. If you sleep on your stomach, do everything in your power not to. This is the worse sleeping posture and there’s not much to modify here. Keep in mind, it may take months to train your body to change and or modify your sleeping posture, but it is doable.
4. Finally, when standing up from the lying position, turn on your side, draw up both knees and swing your legs on the side of the bed. Sit up by pushing yourself up with your hands. Avoid bending forward at your waist.
Overcome your sinusitis today!
Forty million Americans suffer from sinusitis. You may have experienced acute sinusitis in which the nasal cavities of the nasal passages become inflamed, mucus is built up and it blocks drainage. This maybe following a cold, and you have symptoms such as painful pressure behind cheekbones, headaches, nasal congestion etc… For some people this is not a temporary problem. If you have chronic sinusitis, you spend majority of each year experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, facial pain, headaches, mucus secretion, bad breath, post nasal drip, and etc.
1. Get steamy
Take a hot shower or better yet try steam treatment to help rid you of the inflamed mucus. The steam you breathe can be enhanced with sinus-clearing essential oils. Try adding Eucalyptus, lavender, oregano or peppermint to a large bowl of steaming-hot water. Drape a towel over your head and the bowl, and breathe deeply for 10 minutes. You’ll feel relief within that time.
If you are short on time, apply a warm wash cloth over your eyes and cheekbones for relief.
1. Get fit
Aerobic exercises at least three times a week can help drain sinuses naturally, which then reduces inflammation and risk of an infection. Physical activity helps cleansing you of toxins and relieve accumulated stress. Dawn’s info or link?
1. Flush the sinuses
Make sure you use a saline solution that does not contain preservatives; they can impair your nasal function. To make your own preservative-free saline solution, add one table spoon of non-iodized salt to one pint of distilled water and rinse your sinuses, and nasal passages with it daily.
1. What to eat
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and staying away from sugar, dairy products, wheat, alcohol, and foods that can increase mucus inflammation is key in staying healthy, and avoiding those sinusitis episodes all together. Take your natural anti-inflammatory (e.g. fish oil). Try adding garlic, onions, horseradish, hot pepper and ginger added to any soup broth to open up the sinuses. Drink lots of hot herbal tea.
1. Killer immune system
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you exercise, eat right and your nervous system is functioning properly, you shouldn’t be suffering from any aches, pains, tiredness etc…
Your brain controls everything and it communicates with all of your organs through the nervous system/spine. If you have an abnormal neck curve, you have a low resistance immune system which in majority of cases does not cause any symptoms. So get your immune system checked before it’s too late. Also check out this post about Immune System!
Is your sinusitis life-threatening?
In addition to being painful, a chronic sinusitis can be dangerous and in rare cases causes blindness or even death. You may have tried anti-biotics for your sinus infection; unfortunately antibiotics kill the helpful bacteria in your gastro-intestinal system and can cause a variety of other problems if taken frequently. Before your sinusitis becomes more than just a head and face pain, prevent it.
Call 949.387.1333 in order to avoid sinusitis being a detrement to your health! We serve Orange County, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, or Irvine.
