Still in the same posture😭
What’s wrong with that sleep position?
Usually people with back pain have back pain due to muscle spasms/tightness/knots which are the back trying to protect itself from a percieved threat. The solition is to make the back stronger so it can handle more load, and train the mind to not percieve regular stressors as threats.
Hence, poor posture is not the cause of back pain, but an effect of the same source - lack of strength in the back musculature.
A heavy backpack should train you over time to be stronger to handle the load, so it is actually good for you.
And your sleeping posture exerts almost no load or pressure on the back at all, and should literally be irrelivant.
Actual solutions to back pain:
- As another poster commented, get some magnesium. Magnesium is an electrolyte that allows your muscles to relax, and a magnesium deficiency can cause chronic muscle tightness and knots - which may manifest as back pain. Magnesium supplements are an option, or you could try just eating some spinach.
- After decades of research, the science is clear - almost all chronic back pain is psychosomatic, or at least, can be resolved via psychosomatic therapies. Get a copy of the book The Way Out, and use the techniques described. It is available for free from the usual sources.
- Get stronger. If you have significant, debilitating back pain, you should start under the supervision of a physio. However, if you just have occasional annoying tweaks, then you can start by just looking up some exercises online, going to a yoga class, starting lifting (with reasonable weights), or simply going for a daily walk. The stronger you get, the more resistant you will be to back pain in the future, all other things being equal.
Chronic back pain is sometimes skeletal in nature. Yoga may make it worse.
I’m not a doctor but just with a quick search I could find many studies and medical articles recommending to not sleep on your stomach because it strains your lower back.
Romanian deadlifts fixed my back problems. Sedentary people have weak hamstrings and glutes and tend to bend at the lower back instead of hinging at the hips. Romanian deadlifts will strengthen these muscles and teach you better body mechanics.
A heavy back pack can be good for your posture if it is worn correctly. Hence why people in the military tend to have good posture. Too many people wear their back pack too low so its just hanging on their shoulders or they fling it over a single shoulder.
