It is fair to say that the average person spends one-thirds of their day sleeping, that is to be exact 8 hours. Wouldn't you like to know how to make good use of that 8 hours? And start off the next day feeling great. Everybody has experienced the back pain that you get when you sleep incorrectly, at least once. It is very unpleasant and there is an instigator behind it caused by ill-positioning of your back or the way you sleep on your pillow.

I am by no means an expert in Physical Therapy or on back pain, but I do care a lot about maintaining good posture. In this article, I'm not going to instruct you on: how to sit, how tall your shoulders should be, the angle of your legs, or how to gauge of your back strength. I'm just pointing out a few habit changing tips that have to do with things you do over long periods of time, such as sleeping, and perhaps some useful information pertaining to the posterity of posture.

How To Sleep the Right Way

Generally, hard mattresses are preferable over tempurpedic/soft beds because harder mattresses support 180 degree positioning. Think about it, tempurpedic was invented for space where the law of gravity is nearly inert. If you're really serious about good posture try sleeping on mats e.g.- bamboo mats, wooden beds, custom marble beds

1. Ideally, it is best to sleep Without a Pillow and to lay on your back to put your spine in balance and horizontal parallel to your neck and shoulders. I have personally found that sleeping without a pillow has forgone me of the nasty upper spine/neck aches I used to feel in the morning. At first the change felt weird, but after a month I felt a drastic change posture. I felt taller than before, straighter spine, and best of all my shoulders weren't drooping down anymore like they used to, making me look like a dork.

Bad For: Snoring. Because you sleep face-up when you are on your back, the tongue falls back and makes it a little harder to breathe causing snoring.

2. Sleep on your Side with a pillow, but try not to sleep on your stomach because that can cause some detrimental back and neck pain in the future and can potentially lead to surgery if left too long. This position is also known as the Sleeping Beauty, and it gives your spine a natural curve as well as a healthy breathing rate. When sleeping on the Side, it is recommended to put a pillow between you legs in order to emulate a straight standing posture.

Bad For: Skin . Because sleeping on the side stops the blood circulation in cheeks, shoulder, or breasts. Mainly where there a lot of the arteries are on the side.

Maintain Good Posture when Lifting

Every day chores have to be done: Washing Dishes, Drying, laundry, etc.. Here's a quick tip, when you bend down to pick up those forks and spoons from the dish washer,

Go into a Squat Position, also known as the Horse Stance with your legs spread apart like a Sumo Wrestler. While in that position grab the utensils, slowly come up using your leg muscles and transport them to the utensil drawer. This may seem awkward, but try doing it when no one is around or with people you are comfortable with. Hey, I do this outside and at work. I'd say it looks professional! haha. Anyways, bend down with your knees and don't bend down at your waist to avoid harming the spine.

Thanks for reading and spread the word!