Not finding the perfect sleeping position for a restful night can be a real nuisance – both literally and figuratively. Dr. Alyssa Hickey’s (@dr.alyssanhickey) viral video explains the proper techniques for sleeping on your side and highlights the most common mistakes that often lead to restless nights and stiff necks in the morning.
Since the video was uploaded to TikTok last month, it has been viewed over 777,000 times.
“I have a quick little tip before you go to bed,” Dr. Hickley began.
How to sleep on your side
To lie in bed on their side With two pillows as a headrest, she says: “Your head shouldn’t lie like that when you sleep.”
The video switches to Dr. Hickley in a different sleeping position, with her Head lies flat on the bed and without pillow supportShe adds: “You don’t want to lie like that either.”
“If you sleep on your side, make sure you’re well supported here so your shoulders don’t roll forward so much,” she continued, pointing to her neck, then hunched her shoulders to demonstrate.
“Because then you wake up in the morning and everything here hurts and you can’t turn your head properly and you often feel numbness and tingling in your hands,” she warned.
In the next clip she returns to the bed for another demonstration.
“Another suggestion is to hug a pillow. This will keep your chest more open so the upper shoulder doesn’t roll forward,” she recommended.
Dr. Hickley ends her video with one final tip that may be less well known to side sleepers: place a pillow between your knees.
“A pillow between your knees can also help reduce tension in your hips and (lower) back. So give it a try and I hope it helps.”
Top comments were grateful for the doctor’s suggestions, and many viewers also shared their own experiences and recommendations for other side sleepers.
“Girl, I bought a side sleeper pillow and it changed my life,” read one comment.
“I knew there was a reason I was still hugging my stuffed animal as I fell asleep,” another person wrote.
“If my body falls apart in 75% of sleeping positions, then I’m just going to let it happen, man… I can’t get upset about sleeping wrong,” complained one.
@dr.alyssanhickey #sidesleeper #sleepy #sleepingposition #pillow #neckpillow #chiropractorTikTok #carpaltunnel ♬ Original sound – Dr. Alyssa Hickey
“I bought a pregnancy pillow and my life changed! (No) more neck/back or back pain. I tried all kinds of pillows and nothing helped,” said another.
Dr. Hickey did not respond to The Daily Dot’s requests for comment via email and TikTok direct message.
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