I attended a recent posture webinar with physiotherapist, Louise Rogerson.
As a very committed side sleeper – with the bend in the back and arm under my pillow – I couldn’t imagine how I could get any more comfortable in my bed at night. I truly love my bed and the snuggly pillows I have piled up, to bury my head in come bedtime.
But we had booked Louise for our carer’s series of Sleep Webinars so I wanted to check out the information we would be providing.
I love to sleep, working for The Sleep Charity is probably my dream job! I like to get myself into bed at night and hunker down ready for the rest that will follow. Having upped my sleep education, I am now aware of the importance of good restorative sleep for optimal health, mental wellbeing and for my future self.
Obviously, like most people, I go through phases where I don’t sleep – stress, caring responsibilities and the aches and pains that come with being a menopausal woman. The hips and lower back make getting comfortable in bed an issue and I have cried from the pain in my hips once I get into bed. On waking I can resemble Basil Fawlty as I try to align my body, stretch and find a position that isn’t going to cause too much stress on my back and hip joints. It can take me a while to wake up my aching body.
This is an issue when you are caring for someone or have a job to do, a house to run, maybe all the above and more! It is inconvenient waiting for your body to catch up with your intentions for the day. But on listening to Louise and her highly informative presentation, with common sense and a dash of humour thrown in, I decided to make some changes.
As a “Heavy Lifter” Louise challenged me to make the first change that night – strike while the iron was hot. If I didn’t do it that night, I probably wouldn’t do it the following night or any subsequent ones after that.
I would have effectively wasted an hour of my time on the webinar.
As Louise suggested I used an old pillow and placed it between my legs. This naturally forced my spine into alignment, and I was no longer rolling over into what I thought was my forever sleep position.
I must admit I woke up with my pillow not where it started. However, I noticed the ache that I thought was just part of who I was, no longer there. The next night I followed the same pattern and got myself into a “good” sleep posture before telling myself this was now my new normal. Getting myself into that nomnom state as Louise calls it. Again, I woke feeling well rested and feeling much straighter and taller (what?).
This followed suit for a few more nights and again each morning noticing the ease I felt on waking and the aches diminishing. The pillow was also staying in its place for longer periods of time too. Then I did it, I fell off the posture wagon and into that place of relapse.
I went to bed feeling a bit of a rebel. I didn’t get into my new “good” sleep posture, I ignored the pillow at the bottom of my bed and slumped into that old familiar pose of arm under pillow half side half front sleep and back twisted. Didn’t I know it the next morning? My back took some stretching and felt misaligned. The ache in the base of my back was there for the rest of the day and I didn’t feel as “tall”. I was groggy and in a bad mood, and my hips felt like they were back to square one.
That night I returned to my new sleep posture and the new normal morning was resumed no pain and feeling taller.
What else could I do to gain a better night’s sleep? I took the second step and began to use a new posture pillow from Levitex. On opening the box, I’ll admit I couldn’t see how that would help me sleep and I genuinely believed I would be sending it back. I am two pillows a night kinda girl. But it was like a modern-day miracle. Even though the pillow is nothing like anything I have used before, I “settled down” straight away no bashing my head against my two pillows (that I loved) to get that comfortable just right head position. There was no fidgeting and wondering what to do with my arm as I just found a sleep position straight away. I was amazed at how comfortable it was and how my neck and shoulder just went into position naturally.
Safe to say I am now a convert. I pay attention to my sleep posture; I position myself in my bed then tell myself it is time to sleep. I drift off and am comfortable.
Yes, I still wake up and my supporting pillow may have been kicked out of touch, but I also wake up and it is still there. My back ache has subsided considerably, and most mornings is not there at all. I am comfortable and I am sleeping very well.
Another thing to note is I am only waking now for my caring responsibilities not because I am uncomfortable or in pain. I am getting back to sleep quicker once woken as I settle much easier into my correct nomnom sleep posture.
Was the webinar worth an hour of my time, in the comfort of my own home?
You bet it was.
You can join the online webinar with Louise on Thursday 18th of July at 7.00pm