Sleep This Way to Relieve Chronic Pain

In All Health Watch, Sleep Health

Chronic pain is the number one cause of disability in the U.S. It affects more than 50 million Americans.i ii 

The worst part? 

Mainstream doctors have no good solutions. For decades, their first-line treatment for severe pain was opioid medication.  

We all know how that turned out… 

More than 2 million Americans are now opioid addicts. There are an average of 115 overdose deaths every day.iii 

But there is one safe and natural way to reduce pain that you can do in your sleep… 

Dr. Shelby Harris is a sleep medicine expert and a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She says that many people can ease chronic pain simply by adjusting their sleep position. 

Most people sleep on their sides. But this can cause hip and shoulder pain, Dr. Harris said. 

Dr. Harris recommends that side sleepers use pillows that provide good head support so as to relieve pressure from the shoulders. And put a pillow between your knees. It will help with back pain. 

Sleeping on your stomach is the worst position for pain, according to Dr. Harris. It puts pressure on joints throughout the body. 

Stomach sleeping requires having your head turned to the side so you can breathe. That increases the odds of suffering back and neck pain. 

If you sleep on your stomach and are dealing with pain issues, Dr. Harris recommends that you try to make a change… 

The Best Sleeping Position to Relieve Pain 

Sleeping on your back is the best position to relieve joint and muscle pain, according to Dr. Harris. It distributes your weight evenly. This reduces pressure in areas that hurt. 

Dr. Harris recommends that back sleepers use a relatively flat pillow. This eases pressure on the neck and back. 

How to Change Your Sleep Position 

It can be difficult to change the way you sleep. You may have spent nights in one position your entire life. 

But there are ways to train yourself to sleep on your back, Dr. Harris said. 

First, try putting pillows on either side of yourself and another under your knees, says Dr. Harris. This can keep you from turning over in your sleep. 

If that doesn’t work?  

Dr. Harris recommends sewing a tennis ball into the side of a shirt that you can sleep in. Put it in the side on which you normally sleep. If you roll onto your side while asleep, the discomfort will prompt you to return to your back. 

There are two groups of people who should avoid back sleeping… 

Side sleeping is better for people who snore and/or have sleep apnea, Dr. Harris said. 

And heartburn sufferers should try to sleep on their left side. This helps keep the esophageal sphincter closed, keeping acid from escaping the stomach.iv 

Don’t let chronic pain rule your life. Changing your sleep position may be a simple, drug-free way to find relief.   

Editor’s Note: Can CBD relieve your pain? You won’t get straight answers from the mainstream media… Get Independent Healing’s exclusive Cannabis Cure Protocol. It tells you which conditions CBD can effectively treat, and which ones it can’t. 

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