Sometimes, you think that you may have all the necessary in place to get a good night sleep. You could have a cool and quiet room, soft music, dim lights and a cozy bed to tuck into. But somehow, when you wake up in the morning, you still feel not having rested well enough. In fact, sometimes you feel a tenderness in your muscles, perhaps a muscle that was strained during the night. You find this strained muscle nagging at you throughout the following day. What when wrong during the night?



Our spine has a natural curve. When we sleep, we must maintain this curve. This is because the spine is the central supporting frame which all our muscles attached themselves to. If we do not adopt proper posture, our spine could potentially be moulded to form an irregular curve. This causes all sorts of issues including problems with your spinal muscles.

In order to take good care of your spinal curve, there are several points you need to be aware of. First of all, it helps to have a firm mattress. A firm mattress will give overall support to your spine. That way, you avoid most of the spinal problems that usually arise from sleeping on a saggy mattress. If you are unable to obtain a firm mattress, place a hard board beneath your current mattress. Alternatively, sleep with the mattress placed on a flat floor surface. That way, your back will still be able to receive the required general postural support.

Secondly, it is better to sleep with your limbs slightly stretched out. Avoid sleeping in a tightly-knit position throughout the night. Keeping to a tightly-knit posture means certain muscles are kept stretched for long hours. This could result in painful muscle cramps in the middle of the night.

Now, when we sleep, there are several ways which we can help to maintain the spinal curve. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow under your head and another pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your lower back. This will give support and help maintain the curve of your spine. It is not advisable to sleep on your stomach, as this position can cause you to wake up with back and neck strain the following morning.

Just as much, how well your head is supported during sleep also determines how well you sleep. There are specially-designed pillows made for this, such as the tempurpedic pillow. If your head is well-supported, this means your neck will be aligned properly with your spine during sleep. Accordingly, the muscles in the neck and shoulder area will not be strained. You would be able to wake up feeling fully refreshed.