So we see a lot of people struggle with sleep position. They wake up with pain during the night. They move around but can't get back to sleep or they just wake up really stiff and sore. This can be worse with travel for work or even on holidays because of different beds. Camping can be a shocker but it doesn't have to be. If you understand the body and how to support it, you can get comfy no matter where you sleep. Heres how:

One of the things that muscles hate is to be left on stretch. What that means is that if you are on your side, your top leg will shift forward to rest on the bed. That usually won't bother you straight away but it puts the butt (gluteal) muscles on stretch. Over an hour or more they won't like it and they will tighten. Then trigger points can activate which can cause pain and leave you tight, increasing your risk of injury the next day at work.

Solution: If you are at a hotel, pop a small pillow between your knees to support. If you don't like that, use a doona instead. If you're camping you can tuck some sleeping bag between knees or get a beach towel folded in there for support. It will stop your back feeling stiff and sore when you wake.

The head is so important! If you're on your side make sure the head is in the midline of your body (see below). You will often be comfortable with your head slightly lower, kind of in the foetal position. This is because tight muscles in your neck (scalenes) actually like to be taken off stretch...but it's a trap. In that position, those muscles on the pillow side WILL shorten and start to cause tension and pain while the ones on top are on stretch and they tighten as well.

Solution: Get your head in the midline. We call it the Goldilocks position (just right)! If you're home, that might be a normal pillow plus an older, smaller pillow but away in a hotel or camping you will have to adjust usually with a folded towel (see the second picture above). You can tuck the towel slightly under the chin to stop yourself ending up chin to chest as well.

On your side the top arm hanging onto the bed can put the body into a slight forward twist and stretches the arm muscles again. This can wake you after a few hours.

Solution: Hug a pillow to support the arm and body in a neutral position. Your muscles will thank you for it. Camping, you can bunch up a bit of sleeping bag or just hug the person next to you!

Back sleepers can wake up with tension or pain in the back. That's because the hip flexors (deep in the tummy) are almost always tight and on the back over a few hours they will cause the hips to rock forward, (try rocking your hips forward even in standing, you can feel the tension in your back pretty quickly).

Solution: Place a pillow under knees. It takes the hip flexors off stretch and allows you to be neutral through the hips. We just use one, but if you were ever sore you can put two in like the pic above (we would do this in the clinic). Ask the hotel for another pillow or for camping, it could be your quarter filled duffle bag.

There are a lot of stomach sleepers out there. Not our favourite position for necks etc. but if you are comfy like that and wake up feeling ok, we usually don't change you. If you're getting stiff and sore there's a few things you can do.

Solution: You could try the other positions or you could get a couple of pillows, one for supporting the leg and one for slightly under your torso, so you are then a quarter turn off your stomach. That can support you and specifically takes pressure off the neck. While you're away you could ask reception for a couple extra pillows or in the tent use two half filled duffle bags.

When you sleep right, you will be fresher, more alert (and less grumpy)! Your team (and family) will thank you for it!! And most importantly, understanding muscles, they won't silently drift towards trigger points firing up and leading to an injury.

Physiotherapist