How do you sleep ??

How long do we sleep for . . 7-8 hours a night ???

Well we HOPE for that number . . but we take what we can get right.

So it’s safe to say how we sleep is going to effect our posture in a BIG way . .

How do you sleep ??

 

Sleeping on your stomach .  .

1. BACK: You’re taking your body out of its natural positioning . . you’re exaggerating that arch in your lower back . . causing a LOT of strain . .

2. NECK: Turn your head to the side . . stay there for 15 seconds . . uncomfortable ? well imagine having your neck in that position for about 8 hours !! because that’s what you’re doing . .

3. SHOULDERS: Put your shoulders overhead and hold them there for 8 hours . . enough said ?? It might be comfy as hell but those babies are in extension for a looooooooooooong time . .  don’t be that guy.

RESULT IN: Waking up with a stiff neck . . shortened front muscles . . (hips . . quads) . . tight lower back.

HOW TO FIX: DON’T SLEEP ON YOUR STOMACH . . EVER.

This used to be my position . . on the side . . (it might be bad but fuck it’s comfy)

See in this position you’re adopting that internally rotated position with the right leg . .  bringing that leg up to 90 degrees and bringing that other thigh down to the ground . . putting a HUGE stressor on that back . .

RESULT IN: Waking up with sore lower back (back ends up rounded for the whole night), shortened hip flexors.

HOW TO FIX: Grab a pillow and shove it between your legs as you’re lying on the side . . it will block that knee and prevent that leg from coming up into a funny rotated position . . keeping those hips in neutral.

Now if you’ve got big quads you’re going to have the tendency to internally rotate . . so make sure you put that pillow between your legs.

 On your back . .

Even when you’re on your back . . the head drops back too much . . too much extension of that back, and as a result those shoulders will come forward . . just like a broken head position when you overhead squat.

RESULT IN: tight back (hyperextension all night), tight hip, rounded shoulders

HOW TO FIX: Make sure your pillow is nice and tall . .  allowing you to hold that natural curve from neck to lower back . . if it’s not tall enough grab a towel, roll it up, stick it inside your pillow case . . WHALLAH . . instant orthopaedic pillow . .

And make sure you put a pillow underneath those knees . . that’ll do a LOT for your lower back . . and will stop you from adopting that externally rotated position of that left leg in the picture.

If you’ve got sore and firing shoulders . . take a pillow and pop it under your arm . . letting that shoulder drop back into the socket.

Sleep is IMPORTANT. You need to be able to relax those joints . . Sleep is when you’re picking out all that testosterone . . If you screw up that cycle because your neck is out of wack . . that is going to be a problem.

You’re not going to change your sleeping patterns overnight . . but the fact that you’re AWARE . . will make you cautious.

 

Cheer up . . at least we don’t sleep like this right ???