How do I make an immediate and crucial change in sleeping position?
June 11, 2020 6:42 PM Subscribe
So today I was diagnosed with a partially detached retina and, after pneumatic retinopathy, must sleep on my left side at least until tomorrow and perhaps for a few days afterwards. But my normal sleep pattern is to start out on my right side and then, sometime while I'm sound asleep, shift over to sleeping on my back. Please help me with some ideas about how to change this!
I can pretty easily transition to going to sleep on my left, rather than my right, side. I am most concerned about how to ensure I stay on my left side and not roll over onto my back. My retina surgeon assures me that sleeping on my back is the worst possible thing I can do. If I'm cold at night, I will usually stay on whatever side I fell asleep on, but it's late spring and warm where I am, and the ceiling fan can only do so much. I thought about sleeping on a sofa, hoping that the novelty of that is enough to keep me from sleeping so soundly that I turn onto my back without waking up. But that's not guaranteed unless the dog sleeps with me and I'm not certain she will do that. And please don't tell me to secure a tennis ball to the back of my pajamas because I sleep in the nude and don't even own any pajamas. So please hit me with your best out-of-the-box ideas; my vision may depend on getting this right!
I can pretty easily transition to going to sleep on my left, rather than my right, side. I am most concerned about how to ensure I stay on my left side and not roll over onto my back. My retina surgeon assures me that sleeping on my back is the worst possible thing I can do. If I'm cold at night, I will usually stay on whatever side I fell asleep on, but it's late spring and warm where I am, and the ceiling fan can only do so much. I thought about sleeping on a sofa, hoping that the novelty of that is enough to keep me from sleeping so soundly that I turn onto my back without waking up. But that's not guaranteed unless the dog sleeps with me and I'm not certain she will do that. And please don't tell me to secure a tennis ball to the back of my pajamas because I sleep in the nude and don't even own any pajamas. So please hit me with your best out-of-the-box ideas; my vision may depend on getting this right!
Best answer: Sleep on the couch right up against the back and drape and arm and a leg over a body pillow (or several smaller ones)to keep you from edging forward enough to roll over. Use chairs to block the pillows from getting shoved or kicked off the couch.
posted by ananci at 6:56 PM on June 11, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by ananci at 6:56 PM on June 11, 2020 [9 favorites]
Grab some sofa cushions to put behind your back. Wear a soft belt like the tie belt from your robe and secure it to the mattress with half a dozen safety pins.
posted by Jane the Brown at 6:57 PM on June 11, 2020
posted by Jane the Brown at 6:57 PM on June 11, 2020
Stuff a backpack full of laundry and wear it to bed. You won't sleep well, but you won't sleep on your back.
posted by gideonfrog at 7:01 PM on June 11, 2020 [18 favorites]
posted by gideonfrog at 7:01 PM on June 11, 2020 [18 favorites]
Even if you sleep nude, you can secure a tennis ball (or a couple golf balls) to the small of your back by wrapping an ace bandage around your stomach with the ball at the base of your spine. That's what I did when I had a similar need to not sleep on my back.
posted by pdb at 7:11 PM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by pdb at 7:11 PM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Whatever you do, don't underestimate sleep-drunk-you's ability to grumpily dismantle your clever solution. I've had a detached retina and personally, if sitting up in general is acceptable and we're maybe only talking one night, I'd be planning to power through awake in a chair I couldn't fall out of even if I did nod off. The stuffed backpack idea is a close second but then I'd probably improvise a sternum strap out of a loop of duct tape so I couldn't just take it off. All other options seem to have entirely too much risk, and I'm not even a particularly deep sleeper.
posted by teremala at 7:51 PM on June 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by teremala at 7:51 PM on June 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
Hire a home health care aide to stay with you to prevent you from rolling over. Any mechanical trick like extra pillows or golf balls has a good chance of failing. THIS IS YOUR EYESIGHT AT RISK. Why take any chances?
Write "up" on your right side, have aide sign paper that their sole job is keeping you on your left side.
posted by Sophont at 8:58 PM on June 11, 2020
Write "up" on your right side, have aide sign paper that their sole job is keeping you on your left side.
posted by Sophont at 8:58 PM on June 11, 2020
Pregnancy means left side for me, and it's super tough. Sleep me insists that back is more comfy. (It's easier now it's actually a little uncomfy - early on it was so tough. ) The two things that work are body pillow and a partner that makes me roll back to the right spot. If any back sleeping at all is bad, then you're going to need aggressive solutions. Agree that sleep self is very good at following their own agenda.
posted by freethefeet at 9:49 PM on June 11, 2020
posted by freethefeet at 9:49 PM on June 11, 2020
Pregnancy issues required me, a stomach sleeper, to sleep only on my left side - I can vouch for the couch trick. A large pillow like the Snoogle (silly name, great pillow) can help if you'd rather stay in your bed.
posted by epanalepsis at 8:45 AM on June 12, 2020
posted by epanalepsis at 8:45 AM on June 12, 2020
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posted by kbuxton at 6:48 PM on June 11, 2020