Do you wake up with pain from sleeping wrong?  One of the most frequent complaints we hear is, “I think I slept wrong and now my back or neck hurts.”

There are certain sleep positions that are better for your back and the overall alignment of your spine than others. To keep your spine in perfect alignment, you should sleep flat on your back, but few of us do that.

If you sleep on your side, always place a pillow between your knees, to prevent your hips from leaning forward and twisting your spine while you sleep. You shouldn’t sleep on your stomach due to the increased amount of stress it puts on your spine, but if you do, you should raise one leg up slightly and prop a pillow under that knee.

You should also have a mattress that doesn’t sag. A bed that’s too soft gives no support and sags, places continual stress on the joints and ligaments of the spine. Firmness of the bed depends on body weight; the heavier the person, the firmer the bed should be.