Spine in bed

You spend about 8 hours a day in bed. This time affects the health of your spine 

It was only the morning and you are already in pain. You get up stiffly from your bed. And yet night rest is an opportunity to relieve the spine. What should you do to rest and not hurt in the morning?

Perfect mattress

Perhaps the reason for back pain is the hard boards of the bed, on which also lies a hard and not very elastic mattress. This does not help the right position during sleep, because then the muscles - instead of relaxing - tighten. It is best to change the mattress every 7 years. It is an investment for years, so you should think it over and know how to choose a mattress. Spring and pocket mattresses are the most popular. This means that the springs are placed in special pockets so that they can operate independently of each other. So they fit better to the sleeping position.
Mattresses of this type have up to 7 hardness zones, which allows you to adjust the appropriate support for individual body parts.
How to choose the best for yourself? You just have to try it out. It is worth remembering, however, that the sleeping mattress should have a hardness of 4 to 7 (where 10 is the hardest). Versions with different spring diameters are also available (the smaller, the greater comfort), which are covered with additional material from above. It can be latex, polyurethane foam, highly elastic or thermoelastic. If you decide on a mattress filled with foam, choose a slightly more expensive model with highly elastic and thermoelastic foam, because polyurethane quickly deforms and harms the spine.

Perfect pillow

If you decide on a standard pillow, choose a medium size (60x70 cm) so that only your head is lying on it, not your shoulders or back. Orthopedic pillows are ergonomic, their shape and size allow you to adjust to the neck structure, support the spine and prevent tension and pain. The padding can be natural: fluff, feathers and buckwheat, flax, seeds and scales e.g. millet, pumpkin etc. or synthetic - e.g. polyester, acrylic, foam, latex and thermoelastic foam. The type of filling usually does not affect the spine.

Sleep too short

Properly long sleep is important because the atherosclerotic nucleus (located in the intervertebral discs, the so-called disk) in 80 percent is made of water and is dehydrated during the day. The disk dehydrates and contracts. But at night it gathers water and in the morning it is ready for work. Therefore, not enough sleep means poorly regenerated spine, which will hurt more over time.

Back exercises: you can do them in bed

You do all the exercises lying in bed, on your back. Bend your knees and move your feet as close to your buttocks as possible. Feet and knees joined, arms bent at the elbows, slightly moved away from the torso. Exercise to the rhythm of breaths. Breathing in, lift (as high as you can) the sacral spine; exhaling - lower (while raising the tailbone). Repeat 10 times.

Legs bend at the knees. Cross your arms over your chest. Press on the bed with the cross area and heels. At the same time, lift your shoulders and head, try to touch your chest with your chin. Repeat 5-10 times.

Cross your forearms under your head. Straighten your legs. Raise the coccyx and the entire pelvis slightly, and press the lumbar spine to the bed. Tighten your buttocks and lift your shoulder girdle and arms. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

In what position is it best to sleep

The least healthy way of sleeping is sleeping on your stomach, because it loads the spine the most, the cervical segment is unnaturally bent. Sleeping on the right side will allow your spine to relax in its most natural arrangement. It is best to sleep with slightly bent legs, this allows you to preserve lumbar lordosis. Place a small pillow between your legs to reduce pressure on your knees and lock your hips against turning. Sleeping on your back is also good, but then place a pillow under your knees to relieve the lumbar spine.