AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Do you ever go to bed feeling just fine, but wake up with a stiff neck or achy shoulders? In a 2016 study looking at more than 150 conditions, researchers found Americans spent more health care dollars on neck and lower back pain than anything else - some $130 billion. But according to LIFE KIT reporter Andee Tagle, much of that pain may be preventable by just paying closer attention to how you sleep and what you sleep with. Hey, Andee.
ANDEE TAGLE, BYLINE: Hey, Ayesha.
RASCOE: What do you mean by, like, how you sleep?
TAGLE: What it comes down to is spinal alignment. I talked to Ellen Wermter about this. She's a nurse practitioner and behavioral sleep medicine specialist out of Virginia. She told me, just like when you stand or sit at a desk, to prevent pain, you need good posture when you sleep.
ELLEN WERMTER: You want your neck to be aligned with the upper back, your chin and neck aligned to the center of your shoulders, your shoulders in line with your hips, and then you want your head looking forward, not bent up and not bent down.
TAGLE: In case you couldn't quite picture that, all she's saying is you want to aim to sleep the way you stand - as in, a straight line from the top of your head to your tailbone. You wouldn't go walking around all day with your head completely turned to one side, right? But plenty of people sleep that way, and spending hours in awkward angles at night is how you end up with daytime soreness and stiffness.
RASCOE: OK, got it. Is there an optimal position to sleep in?
TAGLE: Well, yes and no. Wermter says every posture has pros and cons, but there is a clear worst position, according to a lot of sleep experts.
WERMTER: Really, avoiding stomach sleeping is the biggest posture recommendation. The main issue is it's really hard to keep your head looking forward because it naturally bends up, or you turn it to the side. And when you turn it to the side, you're getting some tension there with the rotating.
TAGLE: So stomach sleeping is the least common among adults. It can open your airways, but it's most associated with morning pain like neck and shoulder aches, as well as more fragmented sleep. So if you're set on this posture, like I am, Wermter suggests a very thin pillow or no pillow at all to limit the strain on your body.
RASCOE: Oh, my goodness. I sleep on my stomach. So that's why I've been having...
TAGLE: Oh, no (laughter).
RASCOE: ...All these neck and upper back pains. Oh, my goodness.
TAGLE: (Laughter).
RASCOE: That's what I need to know. But what about the people who sleep on their back and side?
TAGLE: Back sleeping is considered the best for spinal alignment, which makes sense, right? It looks the most like standing. But Wermter says to be careful that your head pillow doesn't elevate the neck too much, so you want to opt for something thinner or something ergonomic - like, with a cutout for the curve of your neck. You also want to be sure to support any gaps at the small of your back or under your knees. Finally, for side sleepers, this is the most common sleeping position and also the healthiest, according to some measures. For example, lying on your left side increases circulation. So if this is your preference, the loft or height of your pillow is going to be especially important. Wermter says to find the ideal head pillow, you want to measure from the bend of your neck to the edge of your shoulder. So if you're very broad, you're going to need a larger pillow.
RASCOE: What do we need to know about pillows and, like, mattresses so that we can avoid waking up in pain?
TAGLE: So the big takeaway from Wermter is it's probably time to replace what you have at home. You know, ideal type is just user's choice, trial and error based on your sleep style. But the Better Sleep Council suggests replacing all pillows every two to three years to account for cleanliness and because pillows lose their structure over time. And for those same reasons, they suggest replacing your mattress every seven to eight years because an unsupportive pillow or mattress can literally be a pain in the neck.
RASCOE: That's LIFE KIT reporter Andee Tagle. Thank you so much. I learned a lot. Get some rest tonight.
TAGLE: So glad to hear it. You too, Ayesha.
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