Help me sleep better!

April 29, 2019 11:04 AM

How do I train myself to sleep on my back?

Due to some really annoying and painful arthritis issues in my left shoulder, I find it necessary to sleep on my back. Problem is, for probably 40 of my 50 years on this planet, I've been sleeping about 80% of any given night on my left side.

When I am ready to sleep, I generally lie flat on my back until I start to drift off to sleep, then pretty much every fiber in my body says OKAY TIME TO ROLL OVER TO YOUR LEFT NOW, and off I go to the left, and then I go fully to sleep. Sometimes I roll over to the right, but most of the time it's to the left. It's hard to explain but it's a very powerful urge, that I can't ignore, almost a physical sensation that pulls me off my back.

How do I train my brain not to think that it's time to roll over? I haven't tried a physical obstruction like a body pillow or whatever yet, because I get the feeling I'd just move it when that ROLL OVER NOW sensation hits. For me, the question is less about the physical environment in which I'm sleeping than about the mental space I'm in while I'm falling asleep, if that makes sense.

posted by pdb to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

When I was recovering from breast reduction surgery, I did get a body pillow. I put that between my then-husband and myself and kind of tucked other pillows around my head and neck as reminders, don't roll over. I think pain probably had a bit to do with my not moving it, I had 20 inches of incisions. But it might help.

Tennis balls sewn into the sleeves of your jammies?
posted by wellred at 11:12 AM on April 29, 2019

This trick is usually for back sleepers, I think, but you could sew/attach something annoying but not painful (ping pong ball, etc.) to the left side of something you wear to bed so that if you roll onto that side, your body will be annoyed and roll back. Hopefully not painful enough to wake you up, but enough to deter your sleepy self to not stay on that side.

This is a physical solution but you likely will be able to remove the physical element after you start getting in the habit of staying on your back. This approach worked for me for when I no longer was allowed to sleep on my front due to neck issues.
posted by rachaelfaith at 11:13 AM on April 29, 2019

I can’t sleep flat on my back but I can sometimes fall asleep on my back if I’m on a wedge pillow with my head elevated. Using a heavy blanket and/or having a pillow to hug also helps. Putting a pillow under my knees can also help. I realize this is more about physical environment than mental space, but - for me at least - making it so I’m in a more similar physical position to lying on my side (slight bend at hips, pressure on my side and/or stomach) really really helps me be comfortable on my back.
posted by insectosaurus at 11:13 AM on April 29, 2019 [2 favorites]

Sew a sock with a tennis ball in it to each side of your sleeping shirt. As you're drifting off to sleep and your brain starts to roll over it'll say "hey, this isn't comfy" and put you back on your back.
posted by bondcliff at 11:14 AM on April 29, 2019

When I had to sleep on my back, I would put a pillow under my knees. For some reason, turning on my side with my knees slightly elevated was too much of an annoyance for my sleeping self to get past, and I'd stay on my back.
posted by xingcat at 12:13 PM on April 29, 2019 [2 favorites]

Previously: How can I reset my sleep position? - bed back shoulder | Ask MetaFilter
posted by zengargoyle at 12:21 PM on April 29, 2019

I found that using a memory foam pillow to cradle my head and individual duvet covers (we each get our own) helped me a lot. I kind of swaddle myself with my body positioned like a mummy, upper arms next to my sides and then forearms/hands up over my breasts. If my arms are gently restricted I find that really minimizes my body's desire to turn on my side. I have hip/back issues so I sleep with a small bolster under my knees and I find that helps with comfort too.

I also read on my side but then when I get sleepy I turn off the light and mummy up on my back, I think getting reallllly comfortable on my back and kind of feeling the weight of my body sink into the mattress signals that it's time to fall asleep and stay there.
posted by stellaluna at 1:44 PM on April 29, 2019

I accidentally trained myself to sleep on my back by sleeping on the edge of the bed and having a big ol mountain of clothes heaped up between me and the rest of the bed so I had nowhere to roll.
posted by estlin at 2:52 PM on April 29, 2019

I found I I sleep perfectly fine on my back...in a hammock. So I prop up my whole upper body slightly and create a sort of barrier on either side of me with pillows so I'm not tempted to slide down and roll over.

I think its because my hip flexors are tight, and its uncomfortable for my lower back when I lay flat. When I'm on my side I always have my knees up a bit towards my chest, kind of like fetal position but not so extreme. So lifting my whole upper body to mimic a side sleeping angle really helps.
posted by ananci at 4:38 PM on April 29, 2019

I normally sleep on my side but now and then i have to make myself sleep on my back due to borked shoulder. Pillow under knees, and having the head pillow sort of pulled around my shoulders to stabilize my head, helps. I roll over onto my side because my back gets uncomfortable when I'm truly flat, so little adjustments for comfort and stability help.
posted by bunderful at 8:30 PM on April 29, 2019

Seconding the pillow under your knees, it's the only thing that worked for me (a committed side sleeper) to keep me on my back.
posted by lydhre at 6:01 AM on April 30, 2019 [1 favorite]