I’ve always read and been told that sleeping on your stomach is bad for your spine and neck but after a workout or long day at work, I find that laying on my stomach for an hour or so while I read or scroll on my phone makes my back feel so much better. Am I doing more long-term harm than good with this? Why does it feel so good on my back but is bad for it? Is it just not recommended for long periods of time but beneficial for shorter periods?
I’ve had no problems after sleeping on my stomach for multiple decades.
How on earth are you reading while lying on your stomach??
Anecdotally, I had a quenching desire to lie on my stomach after giving birth. Like, I was exhausted and sleep deprived and you could have told me that this would kill me and I’d still sleep on my stomach in the hospital. I later looked it up and apparently lying on your stomach helps with the back formation of the uterus.
I’ve always wanted a massage table so I could lay flat on my stomach with my head in a neutral position and read by looking through the hole.
Sometimes I lay on my stomach with my head hanging over the edge of the bed and the book on the floor. My bed is only like a foot tall though. My ex sat on one of the corners and it broke the leg so I took the rest of the legs off and made it into a low rider.
I believe that feeling is decompression and depending on your body different positions will decompress the spine and thus feel good
It probably depends on your specific physiology and also what you’re doing all day
I highly doubt it’s bad for you to temporarily lay on your stomach. Like any posture you should shift position somewhat often just to relieve and shift around the compressive forces on various parts of your body.
For example, I know someone who sat cross legged for too long and it compressed a nerve in their ankle causing permanent nerve damage.
If it feels good you’re fine. It felt freaking awesome when I was recovering from a herniated disc as prescribed by a physiotherapist. Lying that way is at least as effective as “decompression” from a chiroquacker. I can’t imagine why it would be harmful.
If you’re scrolling and your neck isn’t supported your neck muscles will not thank you.
Do my hands count as support?
Sure.
