How to sleep: Five positions to prevent neck and back pain when you wake up

Sleep is important when it comes to our physical health – not having enough can put you in a bad mood and result in lack of focus.

If poor sleep becomes a recurring thing, you can be at risk of serious medical conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

The hot weather can be one cause of a restless night’s sleep, but another is back and neck pain.

Popular positions to sleep in include sleeping on your back, front and side. But which is the best one when you want to reduce painful symptoms?

Author of Reboot Your Heath: Simple DIY Tests and Solutions to Assess and Improve Your Health, Sara Davenport suggests five positions which can help, and which ones to avoid.

The foetus

A popular positions and the way 51 per cent of all women sleep.

Sara said: “Sleeping on your side keeps your spine elongated, and reduces neck and back pain; it also reduces snoring and acid reflux.”

The starfish

The starfish is likely to make you snore but is good for minimising back and neck pain, advised Sara.

She added: “The starfish reduces acid reflux and is one of the few positions that leaves you less wrinkled from not squishing your face into the pillow. It doesn’t squash your breasts either.”

The log

Only 15 per cent of us sleep in the log position, but it keeps your spine straight and unstressed.

Sara added: “It’s bad for wrinkles but good for snoring less.”

The soldier

Sara said: “The soldier position is preferred by 8 per cent of us, but it is the most likely to make you snore and comes with a high risk of sleep apnoea. Again, this position is good for acid reflux, as well as back and neck pain.”

The freefall

Chosen by only 7 per cent of us, sleeping on your stomach puts pressure on the neck and joints, said Sara.

She added: “The freefall position is also hard on the back, as you don’t receive any support under the curve of your spine. Freefall is however good for digestion and not snoring, but keeping your neck twisted at 90 degrees can cause pain and numbness in the morning.”

The yearner

Sara said: “The yearner is a good position for your back muscles and ligaments. Less stress for the discs in the spine, but hard on the neck – 13 per cent of us sleep like this.”

How much sleep should you get a night? A young adult aged between 18 and 25 should get seven to nine hours sleep.