Winding down to go to sleep
is a sacred part of the day, and many people will have their own rituals to help them become tired, including no screens, books, podcasts, and pillow sprays. And another thing that’s personal to everyone is the position that they sleep on. Do you sleep on your left side? Back? Stomach? Well, one sleep expert has shared some bad news if you are a stomach sleeper, as he’s claimed that you shouldn’t do it.
Admitting that people “hate him” for sharing his advice, he explained in one video why stomach sleeping is so bad for you and your spine – but thankfully, he shared some tips about how to make yourself comfortable
without sleeping on your stomach.
Levitex
took to TikTok to say if you have mid-back pain “it’s because you’re lying on your stomach.” He said: “Between you and your mattress it’s just your belly, no matter the size, and internal organs, so there’s no support for the spine and gravity will continue to pull down on these points, fighting the natural curve of your spine. That’s why it hurts you here”, and he pointed at the point of the back where it’ll likely hurt.
But if you lay on your back “your spine is instantly supported”, and you have “the most even distribution of body weight.” He then urged people to switch from laying on their front to their back, provided they cannot lay on their side.
In another video, he said “When you lie on your front like this, these muscles have to extend for prolonged periods of time to maintain this position. Muscles don’t like to be tense for long periods of time.” And he also warned that the extra pressure on the spine will cause back problems ‘very, very soon’.
In a later TikTok
, he then shared that he’d received some backlash because he told people not to sleep on their stomachs, so shared some ways that you can get comfortable in other positions.
He said: “First of all, you want a pillow between the tip of your ear and the tip of your shoulder, one that fills that space. Second thing you’re going to do is put a pillow between your knees and ankles that’s going to support and stabilise your hip and keep you feeling safer, and you’re less likely to bring this leg over. The third thing you’re going to do is hug a pillow, to de-weight that top shoulder.”
He said that all these things will make you more stable, and less likely to roll over in the night. He urged people to try it for 30 minutes tonight, and if you don’t like it, sleep as they usually would, but try again tomorrow. “Please listen to me”, he said. In the comments, someone joked: “Ok tell my partner that because he gets mad that I have 36 pillows surrounding me.” Another said: “I never knew sleeping would be so complicated”, whilst one added: “I sleep like that every night and it’s like so comfy.”