According to a 2019 study, sleeping on your stomach will increase the likelihood of back, neck, and shoulder pain. One of the best ways to prevent these problems is to sleep with a pillow between your knees.
This raises the question; what exactly are the benefits of sleeping with a pillow between your knees? Find out here.
Advantages of Sleeping With a Pillow Between Your Knees
Here are 15 benefits that make this small change worth it:
#1: Added Comfort
Gravity pulls your limbs down to earth when you sleep, putting pressure on the shoulder and hip joints. You can use a plush pillow if you usually sleep on your back and want to switch to your side. Use one between your knees to help relieve pressure on your joints and make sleeping on your side more comfortable.
#2: Alleviate Lower Back Pain
An incorrect spinal position can create back pain or worsen it. If you feel pain when sleeping on your back or your stomach, switch to your side to help protect against the stiffness in the morning. Use a pillow to help reduce the pressure off your lower back and relieve aches.
#3: Improve Sleep Posture
You’re kinder to your spine, teaching your body to be naturally aligned when you use a knee or leg pillow. If you don’t, the incorrect posture can be detrimental to the structure of your spine over time.
#4: Better Spinal Alignment
Sandwich a pillow between your knees to keep your spine aligned throughout the night. You might experience pressure on your hips or shoulders when sleeping on your side. A pillow between the knees will make you comfortable and even help you fall asleep faster.
#5: Boost Blood Circulation
If you wake up with numbness, pins and needles, or swollen legs, you may have poor circulation. Placing a pillow between your legs will slightly elevate that portion of your body and help facilitate blood flow through the vena cava, a primary vein carrying blood to your heart and back.
#6: Relieve Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps at night are nocturnal cramps. These are more common in older people; about four in 10 people experience them thrice weekly. If you are sleeping with your legs and hips twisted, put a pillow between your legs to help reduce those cramps.
#7: Reduce Hip Pressure
A pillow between your knees or thighs helps in maintaining hip alignment. To ensure you’re doing it right, think of your hip bones as headlights that you should point forward. They should be stacked directly on top of each other so that your spine stays in a neutral position.
#8: Soothe Herniated Disc Pain
A herniated disc will be more painful if there’s an excessive rotation of your spine, putting pressure on your spinal nerves. Sleeping with a knee pillow may help alleviate that pressure. Please consult your GP for the best sleeping position considering this health concern.
#9: Help With Sleep Apnea
Sleeping on your back can worsen sleep apnea, so using a knee pillow between your knees will align your body posture and help open your airways. Keeping your spine aligned reduces neck and back pain and helps in lowering the chance of sleep apnea.
#10: Give Support to Pregnant Women
Doctors agree that pregnant women should sleep on their sides instead of their backs to avoid potentially blocking the blood flow in the vena cava. This blockage can increase the chances that the baby will be stillborn. Using a pillow will help them sleep on their side.
#11: Keeps You From Rolling Over
A knee or leg pillow is useful if you’re not a natural side sleeper but would like to train yourself to sleep in that position. It will keep your body in place while asleep, preventing you from moving too much.
#12: Prevents Numbness in Limbs
Numb limbs are a common concern for side-sleepers. It can rob you of sleep, but sandwiching a pillow between the legs or knees can reduce the pain and tingling. This is because your shoulders and hips are open, allowing your major nerves to breathe.
#13: Deeper Sleep
Pain relief and increased comfort all lead to deeper sleep. Studies show that using pillows sandwiched between knees and legs led to more time spent in the deeper stages of sleep. In short, more comfort means sleep.
#14: Sciatica Relief
Sciatica is a condition often caused by a slipped disc pressing on the sciatic nerve – the nerve responsible for supplying sensation to the lower back and parts of the leg. The minor changes to your lower back trigger nerve pain, making it harder to sleep. Using a knee or leg pillow can help.
#15: Comfort for Arthritis
Arthritis can lead to hip pain, one of the culprits of disturbed sleep. It would help to have ample space and cushion between your knees, arms, and legs because heavy limbs stress swollen joints. Place a pillow between your limbs to prevent the pain from waking you up at night.
Final Thoughts
Sleeping on your side with a knee pillow cannot be ignored now that you know these many benefits exist. If there is any pain or discomfort when you are sleeping, check your sleep posture. Don’t let it rob you of so many health benefits you get from a good night’s sleep.
