Sleeping Postures

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Introduction[edit | edit source]

Sleep is a dynamic and complicated brain process on which several crucial brain activities are dependent. Sleep plays an essential role in helping the brain, heart, and lungs perform at their best. Additionally, sleep decreases the risk of chronic diseases and improves immunity. Sleeping postures have a positive or negative effect on the body.

Classification of Sleeping Posture[edit | edit source]

Common sleeping postures are classified into the following positions:

Supine Position[edit | edit source]

Lying on your back with your face pointing upwards is a common position maintained by Pilates practitioners to help align the body. When the pelvis and spine are aligned in a neutral position, this reduces the pressure on bones and ligaments. According to a 2019 study, supine sleeping posture may be helpful for lower back pain. [1] However, professionals advise against sleeping supine during the final stages of pregnancy due to potential risks. Furthermore, lying on one's back could lead to snoring, sleep apnea, or worsening Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) symptoms. [2] [3]

In a supine position, a person adopts a number of supine sleeping postures. such as:

  • both hands positioned at the side (BHS; arms abducted 0°), or
  • both hands on the chest (BHC; arms abducted 45°), or
  • the dominant hand on the forehead (DHF; dominant arm abducted 90°) [4]

Sleeping on your Side[edit | edit source]

The majority of people sleep on their sides. There are a few advantages to side sleeping. as it helps reduce heartburn and snoring.[5] Furthermore, side sleeping is beneficial for pregnant women, back pain, sleep apnea, and older people as it promotes healthy spinal alignment.

Sleeping on your Back[edit | edit source]

Lying on the back is the second most popular sleep position. Sleeping on the back can relieve allergies or stuffy nasal congestion.[6]

Seeping on your Stomach[edit | edit source]

Of all the sleeping positions, the stomach position provides the least support to the back and puts greater pressure on the spine, which could lead to pain. Wrinkles on the face could arise from stomach sleeping.[6] It delays recovery for patients who have a history of spinal injuries.

It has been reported that for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), the amount of time spent in the right lateral position is significantly more than the amount of time spent in the left lateral position. This strategy might help them to avoid the discomfort caused by the enlarged apical heartbeat or further hemodynamic or autonomic compromise.

Sleep Positions [7]

Effect of various postures on quality of sleep[edit | edit source]

  • It was observed that people with poor sleep quality have more frequent posture changes.
  • A side-lying posture results in sleep-related musculoskeletal problems, such as neck and back pain.
  • Individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, supine, and prone postures may affect their respiration because of tongue and palate prolapse and pressure on the thorax.
  • In the supine positions, normal spinal curvature is to be maintained. In side-lying positions, the cervical and thoracic portions of the spine should align with each other so that there is no muscle stiffness and no excessive load imposed on the cervical facet joint.
  • Effect of body posture on sleep-related breathing abnormalities, we refer mainly to the worsening effect of the supine posture on these abnormalities and how the lateral, prone, or sitting positions produce, in most of the cases, a significant improvement and, in some cases, even a total elimination of these disturbances.

Effect of mattress on quality of sleep[edit | edit source]

  • The European Committee for standardisation (2000) grouped mattresses into four categories:
  1. soft,
  2. medium-firm,
  3. extra-firm, or
  4. mattresses.
  • The firmness of the mattress appears to be important because several studies show that medium-firm surfaces may effectively decrease pain.
  • An intermediate firm mattress may help those with back discomfort.
  • Some studies suggested that mattresses with an air overlay system reduce pai: others suggested that variation in temperature can promote sleep. [8]
  • Mattress firmness plays a leading role, as different studies show that medium-firm surfaces significantly reduce pain in individuals complaining of back pain. [8]
  • Uncomfortable mattresses lack enough support for the body, causing people to have trouble getting to deep sleep and making more body movements. [9]

Best Sleeping Posture for Back and neck pain[edit | edit source]

The best sleeping position is one that is comfortable and holds your spine in the correct posture. In order to achieve a correct, neutral spine posture, you need to have the right support from your mattress and from your pillow.

[10]

Tools to detect Posture[edit | edit source]

  • Sleep assessment technologies like wearables, polysomnography, and unobtrusive intelligent sensors could track physiological indicators and sleep behaviors.
  • Depth-camera-based systems are commonly used for sleep monitoring, since they are noncontact, easier to maintain, allow for privacy, and can work well at night without visible light.[11]
  • A support vector machine (SVM) from images acquired using a Kinect scanner generates high accuracy in classifying seven postures.[12]
  • Sleep Posture Classification using Bed Sensor Data and Neural Networks
  • We use a hydraulic bed sensor designed to capture the ballistocardiogram (BCG) signal. [13]
  • Sleep posture classification with multi-stream CNN using a vertical distance map.[14]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Cary D, Briffa K, McKenna L. Identifying relationships between sleep posture and non-specific spinal symptoms in adults: A scoping review. BMJ Open. 2019 Jun 28;9(6):e027633.
  2. ↑ Warland J. Back to basics: avoiding the supine position in pregnancy. The Journal of Physiology [Internet]. 2017 Feb 15 [cited 2024 Mar 15];595(4):1017–8. Available from: https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1113/JP273705 ‌
  3. ↑ Oksenberg A, Natan Gadoth. Continuous and Loud Snoring Only in the Supine Posture. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine [Internet]. 2015 Dec 15 [cited 2024 Mar 15];11(12):1463–4. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4661340/ ‌
  4. ↑ Lee WH, Ko MS. Effect of sleep posture on neck muscle activity. Journal of Physical Therapy Science [Internet]. 2017 Jun 1 [cited 2020 Sep 5];29(6):1021–4. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5468189/ ‌
  5. ↑ Beattie ZT, Hagen CC, Hayes TL. Classification of lying position using load cells under the bed. Europe PMC (PubMed Central) [Internet]. 2011 Aug 1 [cited 2024 Mar 15]; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366489/ ‌
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 What Are the Best Positions for Sleeping? | Sleep Foundation [Internet]. Sleep Foundation. 2021 [cited 2024 Mar 15]. Available from: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions ‌
  7. ↑ Cary D, Jacques A, Briffa K. Examining relationships between sleep posture, waking spinal symptoms and quality of sleep: A cross sectional study. PLOS ONE [Internet]. 2021 Nov 30 [cited 2024 Mar 17];16(11):e0260582–2. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8631621/ ‌
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gianfilippo Caggiari, Giuseppe Rocco Talesa, Toro G, Jannelli E, Monteleone G, Puddu L. What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology [Internet]. 2021 Dec 1 [cited 2024 Mar 17];22(1). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8655046/ ‌
  9. ↑ Lee H, Park S. Quantitative effects of mattress types (comfortable vs. uncomfortable) on sleep quality through polysomnography and skin temperature. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics [Internet]. 2006 Nov 1 [cited 2024 Mar 17];36(11):943–9. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169814106001508 ‌
  10. ↑ Tone and Tighten. The best sleeping position for back pain, neck pain, and sciatica - Tips from a physical therapist. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qxmc4E7IwA [last accessed 18/3/2024]
  11. ↑ Andy Yiu-Chau Tam, Li-Wen Zha, Bryan Pak-Hei So, Derek Ka-Hei Lai, Mao YJ, Lim HJ, et al. Depth-Camera-Based Under-Blanket Sleep Posture Classification Using Anatomical Landmark-Guided Deep Learning Model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [Internet]. 2022 Oct 18 [cited 2024 Mar 18];19(20):13491–1. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9603239/ ‌
  12. ↑ Büşra Açış, Selda Güney. Classification of human movements by using Kinect sensor [Internet]. ResearchGate. Elsevier BV; 2023 [cited 2024 Mar 18]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365982397_Classification_of_human_movements_by_using_Kinect_sensor ‌
  13. ↑ Enayati M, Skubic M, Keller JM, Popescu M, Nasibeh Zanjirani Farahani. Sleep Posture Classification Using Bed Sensor Data and Neural Networks. PubMed [Internet]. 2018 Jul 1 [cited 2024 Mar 17]; Available from: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8512436?casa_token=hoR3NNwHJ-EAAAAA:X9DWGXC1bR61hcKfe9Sho7lhVMC52xvwS_3_CBlEcupYv3qN6ig34XUkSfEoYWgK9YzPBMibWtc ‌
  14. ↑ Li YY, Lei YJ, Lyn Chao-Ling Chen, Hung YP. Sleep posture classification with multi-stream CNN using vertical distance map [Internet]. ResearchGate. unknown; 2018 [cited 2024 Mar 21]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325495241_Sleep_posture_classification_with_multi-stream_CNN_using_vertical_distance_map ‌
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