The Role Of Alignment
The University of Rochester stresses the role of alignment as an essential part of a comfortable sleeping position. They recommend to keep your ears, shoulders and hips aligned when turning as well as when sleeping.
This is probably the most important yet difficult rule to follow. In many cases, people tend to move during the night and break the pattern. Thus, there are a couple of methods to address this problem.
What Is A Zero Gravity Bed
When you hear zero gravity, images of astronauts floating in space are probably the first to come to mind. Well, thats what a zero gravity bed promises: the feeling of floating in space without having to actually be in space.
NASA invented this zero gravity position to ease the stress on astronauts bodies from launching into space. Now, you can experience that pressure-free feeling for yourself with a zero gravity bed.
On an adjustable bed base, the zero gravity feature places your body in a neutral sleeping position. With your legs raised and head tilted up, it supports your heart, spine, and nervous system and makes it easy to fall and stay asleep.
The Price Of A Good Nights Sleep
The cost for a zero gravity bed depends on a variety of factors. Prices can range anywhere from $300 to $10,000 or more.7
Its a pretty wide range, but there are a number of considerations that can influence the price:
- Buying an adjustable bed frame with the zero gravity feature may mean buying a new mattress to go along with it, increasing your total cost.
- The more advanced the features are, the more youll have to pay for the base.
- The bed size can also affect the price.
At the end of the day, its all about finding the best option for you and your budget.
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Using An Adjustable Bed For Back Pain
Getting a good nights sleep can be difficult when an individual is recovering from back surgery or has chronic back pain. For anyone who has difficulty getting or staying comfortable enough to sleep on a flat mattress, it may be worth considering if an adjustable bed is a better alternative.
See Considerations When Buying a New Mattress
Sleeping on an adjustable bed allows the upper body to rest at a slight incline, such as 30 to 45 degrees, with support under the knees so they bend at a slight angle.
An adjustable bed has the potential to help anyone who feels better in an inclined position, such as when sitting in a recliner, rather than when lying on a flat mattress. It is not uncommon for people with back or neck pain, or other joint conditions such as shoulder arthritis or pain, to feel better in this position.
This article provides a few examples of certain back conditions and how an inclined position in an adjustable bed can sometimes help the patient feel more comfortable.
How To Achieve Zero Gravity
To achieve zero gravity, you should angle your hips at approximately 120-128 degrees as well as elevate your legs a bit above your stomach and heart. You can do this by stuffing pillows underneath you to achieve these angles, or by purchasing an adjustable bed. Typically, adjustable beds will have a preset with a zero-g function.
Or, if your bed does not offer that setting, you can alter the bed position yourself. You will know when you have achieved zero gravity once you start seeing the benefits of its work. No more snoring and a flexible spine are some of the telltale signs.
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Avoiding Back Pain Sleeping On Sides Of Your Body
The first method for how to sleep with back pain well look at is avoiding back pain by sleeping on the sides of your body. If youre a side sleeper, make sure your shoulder is making contact with the mattress. Many people have a tendency to adjust their pillow too far under them, which throws off your spinal alignment and may contribute to back pain.
Once youve aligned your body positioned on your side, place a pillow between your knees. If you find youve got a slight gap between your waist and the mattress you should consider a small pillow there, as well. This support helps keep the full length of your spine in alignment from the pelvic area to your neck while you sleep.
Make sure the pillow you use between your knees makes them run parallel along the natural lines of your body. Too thick or thin a pillow and it wont be as effective for how to sleep with back pain when youre a side sleeper! Additionally, resist the urge to sleep on the same side each night. While some studies have shown that sleeping on your left side may contribute to better digestive health, sleeping on the same side every night may lead to muscular imbalance or other spinal conditions like scoliosis.
The Best Position To Sleep In For Zero Gravity Beds
There are a few sleep positions to choose from, but sleeping on your back is best for zero gravity beds. It guarantees spinal alignment and opens nasal passages.
In traditional beds, sleeping on your back may not be comfortable without a few pillows. Since the body is flat, gravity still puts pressure on the lower back or causes your nasal passages to close, leading to back pain and nasal congestion.6
In a zero gravity bed, all of those problems are solved because youre placed in an upright position. You wont need to add a ton of extra pillows or toss and turn all night until you find that sweet spot. With an adjustable zero gravity bed, you can find that sweet spot sooner. And with the Casper Rise Adjustable Base, you can save that sweet spot using a programmable memory button.
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Best Sleeping Positions For Back Pain
Since sleep and back pain have that two-way relationship, learning how to sleep with lower back pain is critical to help stop or prevent back pain both now and long term. The best sleeping position for back pain depends on your typical sleep habits and what physical limitations you may be experiencing.
For instance, side sleepers will benefit from different tips for how to sleep with back pain than those who tend to sleep on their stomachs. If youre having trouble getting into bed at all, then you may even find an alternative such as sleeping in a reclined position in a zero gravity chair helps relieve back pain and gives you the good nights sleep you need.
Some tips for how to sleep with back pain depending on your sleep position habits well be exploring include:
- Side sleepers sleeping with a pillow between your knees
- Sleeping in the fetal position to help heal herniated discs
- Supporting your abdomen while sleeping on your stomach
- Elevating your knees while sleeping on your back
- Sleeping in a reclined position to alleviate back pain
Improve Heart Health Through Better Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can negatively impact your heart health, leading to the development of different heart-related issues, such as high blood pressure and heart failure. With a zero gravity bed, you can ensure youre getting the most restful sleep possible for your body.
Whats the optimal amount of time spent snoozing?
A good rule to follow is seven to eight hours of sleep each night.5 While it can vary a little, youll know youre reaching your bodys ideal sleep duration if youre able to fall asleep in 15 minutes and wake up feeling rested without an alarm.
If youre looking for more ways to improve your sleep quality and your heart health, Hopkins Medicine recommends:
- Reporting to your doctor for any sleep or heart concerns
- Seeking treatment for any underlying sleep-related problems
- Maintaining a healthy weight
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What Does A Zero Gravity Chair Do
Zero gravity chairs evenly distribute body weight and put you in a neutral position that relieves pressure, strain and stress. A zero gravity chair will alleviate spinal compression by distributing the weight of the body evenly through all pressure points, explains Dr. Di. If youve been sitting for extended periods in an upright chair, your muscles cant relax because theyve been constantly working to keep you upright. A zero gravity chair will allow them to relax by supporting your spine in a neutral position.
The concept mimics the position astronauts are put in before they take off so that their bodies are under less stress. In a zero gravity chair, your feet should be placed above or in alignment with your heart this creates a weightless, floating sensation that allows you to relax.
Boost Your Immune System
Theres no doubt that zero gravity chairs will help you relax after a long day at work, but did you know they also can boost your immune system?
The zero gravity chair is not just a fun activity for the kids, but it also helps in boosting your immune system. The chair can create a feeling of weightlessness with no pressure on your body. It also ensures that there is good blood flow with less tension in the muscles.
Studies prove that when people spend time lounging in their zero gravity recliner, they experience almost zero stress levels. When youre under constant stress, your body releases cortisol, which directly impacts your immune system.
Moreover, the immune system needs to fight constant stress and some infections. But, when you lounge in a zero gravity recliner and reduce the stress level, you will experience an improved immune system.
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Should I Use A Pillow With Zero Gravity
Sleepers can experiment with whether or not a pillow increases their comfort, but as a general rule, we recommend sleeping with a pillow. Pillows are often necessary to bridge the gap between the neck and mattress surface. Without a pillow, sleepers are likely to wake up with a sore neck.
If you find a regular pillow uncomfortable in the zero gravity position, you might want to try a small neck pillow.
One Small Step For Man One Giant Leap For Mankind
Zero-gravity refers to a specific sleeping position that was originally developed by NASA. In preparation for a shuttle launch, astronauts were placed into a neutral body posture as a way to evenly distribute their weight and minimize the pressure on their bodies. This position became known as Zero-G.
The style uses a mattress and frame to position the body in a way that relieves pressure from common pain points like the lower back, hips, and shoulders. By minimizing the stress in these areas, the bed helps to offer a more comfortable sleeping experience.
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Is It Ok To Sleep In Zero Gravity Position
It is perfectly ok and actually encouraged to sleep in zero gravity position. It can be difficult to maintain this posture throughout the day, which makes the night perfect to try it out. Of course, you can try to recreate the pose with added pillows or blankets for support, but the easiest way to do so would be with an adjustable bed.
An adjustable bed operates by having your bed base do all the work for you. Now you can reap the benefits of zero gravity, all while getting your 6-8 hours of sleep and barely doing any work.
Wall Hugger/ Wall Sliding Technology
An adjustable bed causing back pain occurs when the bed movement is not in sync with natural body movement. Cheap adjustables can exacerbate lower back pain because they merely adjust the height of your upper body and lower body. The mechanics do not take into account the other movements that you do while you are in an inclined position such as reaching for your glasses, your phone, and such which are typically placed on your nightstand. Although this is what many adjustable beds do, Yaasa® has a wall hugger or wall sliding technology which gives you all the comfort that you need as you lie in bed.
What is wall hugger or wall sliding technology? With the Yaasa® bed, the mattress will fall back so you will have a comfortable setup rather than forcing your head and your neck forward at an impossible angle. This way you wont have any problems reaching out for any item on your nightstand.
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Elevating The Abdomen And Head
If you have back pain doctors almost always recommend sleeping on the back to avoid an unnatural position for the neck and also because weight is more evenly distributed, which minimises the pressure points, and aids the alignment of organs.
In a research paper called Anthropometry and Biomechanics NASA found that a neutral body posture to be the best position to sleep in to minimise the impact of gravity on our joints. In this position, the body feels weightless, since the force of gravity is falling evenly on every single part of the body whilst allowing for the weight of different body parts.
We talked about that more in our article on how adjustable beds can improve snoring.
Adjustable beds are the best way to place the body in this position and discourage you from moving overnight, allowing great sleep without waking over pain. Cheaper and simpler solutions such as elevating the head and legs with pillows can also work for a short period but it is easy to shift pillows during the night.
What Are The Benefits Of An Adjustable Bed
For most people, adjustable beds have a wide array of benefits that go far beyond simply promoting spine health. Some of the benefits of an adjustable bed include:
- Increasing mobility. Over time, an adjustable bed can help to reduce pain and increase mobility.
- Minimizes mouth breathing. Breathing through your mouth is much less efficient than breathing through your nose and can lead to nasal congestion, obstructed airways, and dried bums. Sleeping on an incline helps to promote breathing through your nose.
- Promoting blood circulation. With an adjustable bed, you can sleep in a zero-gravity position, which promotes blood flow and circulation. This can be beneficial for individuals with heart issues and varicose veins.
These are a couple of benefits associated with using an adjustable bed. If you are struggling with back pain an adjustable bed could be a viable solution.
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Reduce Or Even Eliminate Snoring
Snoring generally happens when air cannot move freely through your nose and throat.
This prohibited flow causes the surrounding tissues to vibrate, which produces that all too familiar sleep-disturbing sound.
When sleeping in the zero gravity position your head is elevated which helps to open up any restricted airways.
Reducing or even eliminating snoring can help you enter the rapid eye movement sleep stage more often throughout the night.
This leads to more restorative sleep for both you and your partner.
What Are The Downsides To Sleeping On Your Back Or Stomach
With that being said, there are also downsides to sleeping on your back or stomach.
We have already discussed sleep apnea, but sleeping on your back in a flat position can also make sinus problems worse because the fluid cant drain.
Sleeping on your back or stomach can also make acid reflux or GERD worse because the acid can escape back into your throat.
In addition, sleeping on your stomach can cause your spine to curve out of its natural alignment, leading to back or neck pain.
While many of the problems associated with sleeping in a flat position can be alleviated by switching to sleeping on your side, there is another solution to the problem: zero gravity sleeping.
It does sound far-fetched, yes, but if you have ever been in a hospital bed where you can adjust the position of your head or feet, you will already have a good idea of what we are talking about.
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What Are The Benefits Of Sleeping In Zero Gravity Position
As mentioned earlier, there are countless benefits of sleeping in zero gravity position. This includes medical benefits, lifestyle, and even more. Depending on your current health situation, some of these advantages of zero gravity may stand out more than others. No matter what, you will start feeling better and live a healthier life.
Relief From Back Pain
Sleeping on an adjustable bed in Zero Gravity position allows the weight of the body to be evenly distributed which may relieve the pressure in the back. The zero gravity position is a term developed as a position for astronauts to help relieve stress of earth’s gravity on the body while taking off into space. The zero gravity position is achieved by lying on your back, then raising your legs and head above your stomach or heart. An adjustable bed allows the upper body to rest at a slight incline, along with elevated support under the knees so they bend at angles most comfortable to you, achieving the zero gravity position.
An adjustable bed has the potential to help anyone with back or neck pain to feel better in an inclined position, such as when sitting or even reading or sleeping, rather than when lying on a flat mattress. It is known for people with back or neck pain, or people suffering from other conditions like frozen shoulder, sciatic nerve or shoulder arthritis, to feel better in this position.
A flatbed may not provide the proper support for the spinal cord, resulting in excess back pain and restless sleep. Inclining the bed may provide relief for the lower back. By raising the foot of the bed relieves even more pressure on the spine, which raises the legs and bends the knees. Patients having low back surgery feel an adjustable bed is far more comfortable than a flatbed.
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