How to Align Your Spine In Bed Without a Chiropractor?

The spinal column lies down in the middle of your back and comprises the spinal cord. The spinal cord can be considered a superhighway of nerves that link the brain to every tissue in the body. Undoubtedly, the health of your spinal cord is of paramount significance. From the side or lateral view, your spine has three main curves required for flexibility and stability. However, looking at your spine from the backside, it should not deviate from side to side. A few people are born with abnormally curved spines, but poor posture, ill health, and improper nutrition are more responsible for causing spinal problems. In this situation, chiropractors need to align your spine.

How To Care For Your Spine

If you are having extreme pain in your back or neck, you need to pay attention to aligning your spine. Practice some easy exercises and postures to align your spine naturally. 

Maintain The Proper Posture

Keeping a good posture while sitting, sleeping, and walking is the most significant for your spinal health. Several people have sedentary jobs where they need to sit for most of the day. If you are one of them, it becomes more necessary to perform the required activities to align your spine in this scenario. The height, support, and comfort of chairs are significant factors. You need to ensure your office chair is adjustable so that you can customize it to your dimensions and attempt to get one with lumbar support for your lower back. You can use cushions to provide support to your back and prop your legs up while enjoying TV shows.

• Take some small breaks during your working hours and keep changing your position throughout the day to avoid holding the same position for the entire time. 
• Instead of maintaining perfect posture all day long, you need to try this: First, shrug your shoulders, and turn your palms forward. After that, reach for the ground and then drop your shoulders. That’s a proper position for your head, neck, and shoulders. Now, it should feel relaxed.
• You need to ensure that your system screen is at eye level and centered in front of your chair. Otherwise, you will strain your neck and likely make an abnormal curvature.

Read:- How Chiropractors Help Relieving Lower Back Pain?

Don’t Sleep On The Soft Mattress.

You possibly spend about 1/3 of your life in your bed. So, you need to pay a bit more attention to the nature and quality of your mattress and how you sleep on it for proper body alignment in bed. For most people, soft beds are not good; instead, they prefer firm mattresses that provide vital support to their spine. Also, you can choose memory foam top covers that may also be helpful. Try to change mattresses every eight to ten years. Remember that the thickness of your pillow should be according to the side of your head to the tip of your shoulder. It is a good thumb rule to keep your neck aligned while sleeping.

• Lying on your side, with your knees and hips slightly bent and a tiny pillow wedged between your thighs is the best sleeping position for your spine. This position also helps keep your hips aligned.
• While reading in the bed, don’t try to prop your head up with several pillows because it will strain your neck and likely reverse its normal lordosis (curve).

Exercise Moderately To Be More Active.

Moderate exercise is the answer to the question of how to align the spine. Moderate exercises can also be helpful in weight loss and good muscle strength. Strong muscles can positively impact the spine. If you are overweight, consider reducing it as carrying so much weight puts extreme pressure on your spinal joints, making them highly susceptible to wearing out and becoming misaligned. In particular, healthy and strong muscles keep joints and bones within their actual positions. 

Practice exercises that can be beneficial for your shoulders, trunk, upper back, and belly. Also, consider exercises that will help support your ribcage and eventually help strengthen your posture. Consider consultation with a personal trainer if you’re not sure of how to train correctly.

• When you wake up in the morning, turn on your back and perform “snow angels” with your arms and legs for at least five minutes. This moderate exercise is good for warming up.  Slightly stretching several muscles is necessary for keeping your spine aligned.
• Rowing exercises are ideal for making your back and shoulders stronger. You can use resistance bands as they provide similar movement if you are not allowed to use the rowing machine at the gym.
• Yoga and pilates are other exercises that help stretch and balance your body, particularly the core muscles (abdomen, low back, pelvis), which develop the foundation of the correct posture.

Get A Scoliosis Screen.

An unusual lateral curvature of the spine is known as Scoliosis. It is typically in the thoracic area (the region between your shoulder blades) and leads to back pain and limited movement. For uncertain reasons, a few people have had Scoliosis since birth, while others develop it in the adolescent stage. Nurses generally perform screenings in middle school. Scoliosis screening includes bending forward at the hips and watching if one shoulder blade sticks up more than another.

• Screening is more vital for kids than adults as a few treatments, including bracing or metal rods implantation, can slow down or halt the condition’s progression during the development of the spine.
• Females have a higher risk of building Scoliosis and a greater risk of the curve worsening and needing treatment.

Visit A Chiropractor.

Chiropractors are spinal specialists who believe in more natural processes to cure the damaged spine and other body parts. They will help you provide posture alignment therapy. Chiropractors don’t rely on pharmaceuticals or utilize invasive methods such as surgery. They can analyze your spinal bones for abnormalities like limited motion, abnormal curves, or tight muscles.

• Although slight forward curvature in the mid-back and thoracic spine is normal, too much leads to a hunchback or hyper-kyphosis. The most general causes of hyper-kyphosis are arthritis, osteoporosis, tumors, and slouching or poor posture.
• A completely straight thoracic spine can also be a reason to worry because it is considered abnormal and referred to as a “military spine.”

How To Maintain A Good Sleeping Posture To Support Your Back

Almost everyone knows that the correct sleeping posture is essential. The ligaments and muscles of your back relax and heal themselves when you sleep. To keep your back safe from extreme pain, you need to maintain good posture while sleeping.

Here we have mentioned some tips to help you maintain good posture while sleeping:

Pick The Right Mattress.

Scientific research says a good mattress provides you with proper and comfortable sleep. You need to find out which mattress is best for maintaining a healthy back or for back pain. The mattress that’s right for you allows you to wake up feeling relaxed and free of pain or soreness. Unless you have a situation that may need a specific kind of mattress, you should pick a mattress that is comfortable and helps to support the normal curves of your spine.

In case you sleep with a partner, ensure you have sufficient space to move into a comfortable sleeping position. As per the National Sleep Foundation, people need to replace their mattresses every 6 to 8 years. In particular, if you have a back-related issue, you should ask your physical therapist or healthcare provider to recommend what kind of mattress would be best for you.

Remember The Alignment.

People need to keep their ears, shoulders, and hips in the same direction:

• If you prefer sleeping on your back, consider putting a small pillow under your knees. Doing so will put low stress on your spine and support the natural lower back curve. The pillow you put under your head should prop up your head, support the natural curve of your neck and your shoulders.
• Sleeping on your stomach can stress the back as the spine can be put out of alignment. Consider putting a flat pillow under the belly and pelvis area. This position can help to maintain spinal alignment. Sleeping on your stomach doesn’t require a pillow for your head. If you prefer to place a pillow under your head while sleeping on your stomach, try using a flat one.
• People who sleep on their sides need a firm pillow between their knees. Doing so will prevent their upper leg from pulling their spine out of position and minimize stress on the hips and lower back. You should pull your knees up a bit toward your chest. Keep in mind that the pillow you are using for your head should keep your spinal curve straight. A flat pillow or rolled towel under your waist may also support your spine.
• Put flat pillows into gaps between your mattress and the body.
• When moving or turning in bed, don’t turn or twist at the waist. Instead, you should move your entire body as a whole. Keep your stomach sucked in and tightened, and fold your knees toward the chest when you turn.
• Keep your shoulders, ears, and hips in the same direction when turning and while sleeping.  

Choose The Right Pillow.

If you think that pillows are only for your head and neck, then you are wrong here. Based on your sleeping posture, extra or supporting cushions can help keep your spine in an aligned position. The pillow you are using for your head should be comfortable and support the curve of your neck. In comparison, the exceptionally high pillow can keep your neck in a posture that causes muscle strain on your neck, back, and shoulders. You should pick a pillow to keep your neck in the proper position and align with the chest and lower back. Choose an adjustable pillow that allows you to sleep in various positions. Consider replacing your cushions every year or couple of years.

You should also ask your doctor how to align your spine at home. If you are practicing all of these things and still feeling intense pain in your back and neck, you need to better consult with a chiropractor. Dr. Shaub, affiliated with Realign Spine, can help you get rid of the chronic pain in your neck and back. He is a certified chiropractor and specialist in DOT Physicals and Cox process for Disc Herniation Treatment.