Protect Your Spine with Healthy Sleep Habits

The importance of sleep for our vital functions is indisputable. But what about its effects on our spinal health? Orthopedic and Traumatology Surgeon Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay, who states that many factors from sleep hours to sleep position, bed hardness to pillow structure affect spinal health, makes important statements about ideal sleep behaviors and choices!

Many people complain of stiffness and back and neck pain when they wake up in the morning. Speaking about the effect of sleep position on these pains, Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay says, “If we consider that we sleep an average of 8 hours a day, we spend a third of our lives asleep. So a person who has lived up to 90 years old spends 30 years in bed. Despite this, for some reason, we do not give as much importance to the ergonomics of our bed as we do to the ergonomics of our cars, which we spend 1-2 hours a day.” He draws attention to the importance of choosing the right bed to avoid waking up with stiffness, back and neck pain in the morning. Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay says, “You should think of sleep as a kind of reset of the body. The organs rest and prepare themselves for the next day. The hour spent in sleep, the comfort of the bed, quality and uninterrupted sleep actually largely shape our lives.”

What is a healthy sleep routine?

Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay emphasizes that it is necessary to be awake during the morning hours when the body switches to cortisol secretion, “The hours when the body pulls itself together and prepares for a new day usually coincide around 5-6 in the morning and it is necessary to be awake at these hours. Also, it is very important not to sleep less than 5 hours a day and more than 8 hours. It is also very important for the environment to be dark during sleep. The gland, also known as our inner eye or pineal gland, should not receive light from outside. The pineal gland also affects melatonin, which determines our skin color. Therefore, changes such as under-eye bruises and darkening of the skin can occur in people who do not have a regular night sleep. To sum up the issue, sleeping in absolute darkness, keeping the sleep duration below 5 hours and above 8 hours, and waking up between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning is the healthiest sleep routine that does not cause spinal pain.” he says.

What is the ideal sleep position?

Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay, who shares the correct sleep position for spinal health, says, “If you do not have an orthopedic obstacle, you should lie on your right side and pull your knees to your stomach like a fetus in the womb. If you cannot lie on your side due to any discomfort, you should lie on your back and support under your knees with a pillow.”

Pay attention to these in pillow selection!

Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay, who states that the shape of the pillow that needs to be chosen according to the sleeping position also changes, says, “For people who sleep on their side, pillows that fill the shoulder gap and tilt the head down about 10-15 degrees, i.e., fill the neck gap, should be preferred. When lying on your back, it is very important to support the neck gap. For this, you can prefer double-humped orthopedic pillows. The thick side of this pillow can be used for lying on the side and the thin side for lying on the back.”

Misconceptions known as correct in bed selection!

Op. Dr. Evren Fehmi Atay, who points out that there are many mistakes known as correct in bed selection, says, “The bed should not be too soft or too hard for spinal health. So you should stay away from beds that shape according to every movement of the body and beds that are almost as hard as wood. Medium hardness beds are the most suitable bed alternative for spinal health.” he concludes his words.