Have you ever jumped into bed after a busy day at work, raised your hands high in the air, as if surrendering to the bed, and enjoyed that moment of relaxation and freedom?
This kind of sleeping position, dubbed the "'surrender' sleeping position" by netizens, can indeed bring us physical and mental comfort in a short period of time.
But you know what?
Maintaining this sleeping position for a long time may have some negative effects on our health.
Let’s take a closer look at the risks behind this seemingly harmless sleeping position.
"Surrender" sleeping position
Be wary of these 3 situations
When we lie in bed full of fatigue and raise our hands above our heads, three conditions such as acromion impingement, supraspinatus ischemic injury and quadrilateral foramen syndrome may occur.
1
shoulder impingement
This word may make you think of intense sports competition, but in reality, it is more of a condition of our shoulder anatomy.
Simply put, acromion impingement means that certain structures in our shoulders are compressed in the "subacromial space".
The term "subacromial space" sounds like a valley. In fact, it is formed by the space between the acromion structure of the scapula and the greater tubercle structure of the humerus.
When we raise our arms, the greater tuberosity of the humerus also moves upward, and this "valley" may become narrower, and certain structures in the shoulder, especially the supraspinatus tendon and the subacromial bursa, may be impacted.
When we sleep in the "surrender" position, our arms will continue to be raised, which may lead to acromion impingement.
What's more, if your acromion shape is curved or hooked, the risk of acromion impingement may be further increased.
Long-term acromion impingement may cause damage to the supraspinatus muscle, resulting in shoulder pain and even affecting the normal activities of the arm.
2
Supraspinatus muscle ischemic injury
The supraspinatus, an important muscle in the shoulder, is significantly affected in this condition.
If your arm is raised for a long time, and your acromion structure happens to be not good at this time, it may be compressed, further blocking its blood supply, and causing ischemic injury to the supraspinatus muscle.
If things go on like this, it may eventually lead to functional impairment of the supraspinatus muscle.
In this case, you may experience shoulder pain and limited arm movement, which may affect daily life in severe cases.
3
quadrilateral foramen syndrome
Raising your hands may not only cause acromion impingement and ischemic injury to the supraspinatus, but may also trigger a condition known as "quadhole syndrome."
This "four-sided hole" is not a common hole in our lives, but an important anatomical structure located in the shoulder. It consists of the teres minor, teres major, the lateral edge of the long head of the triceps brachii and the surgical neck of the humerus. A structure enclosed together.
The axillary nerve and posterior humeral circumflex artery pass through this quadrilateral foramen. If we hold our arms high for a long time, they may be compressed, leading to quadrilateral foramen syndrome.
Manifestations of this syndrome may include shoulder pain, reduced strength in shoulder abduction and external rotation, and even muscle numbness and paresthesia.
Avoid the above 3 situations
you can do this
After understanding the possible problems caused by the "surrender" sleeping position, we may start to think about what should be done to prevent these problems?
First, for acromion impingement and supraspinatus ischemic injury, an intuitive solution is to avoid maintaining the arm raised position for too long.
Try adjusting your sleeping position while sleeping by placing your arms by your sides or using pillows to support your arms to reduce compression.
For quadrilateral foramen syndrome, although it is caused by compression of certain anatomical structures in the shoulder, we can reduce the compression by strengthening the muscles of the shoulder and upper limbs.
Some simple stretching and strengthening exercises, such as shoulder circular movements, shrugs, and arm rotations, can help improve the flexibility and strength of your shoulder muscles.
To better protect our health, we need to know our bodies better.
Knowing the problems that the "surrender" sleeping position may cause does not make us afraid of this comfortable sleeping position, but reminds us that we need to understand, observe and adjust our bodies.
This kind of sleeping position
It's also dangerous
In addition to the "surrender" sleeping position, from an anatomical point of view, sleeping on your stomach (that is, sleeping on your stomach) may also have an impact on our physical health.
First of all, the human cervical spine includes 7 vertebrae, which are connected through complex joints and ligaments, allowing our heads to move in multiple directions.
When sleeping in a prone position, the head needs to be tilted to one side to maintain smooth breathing. This will cause the cervical spine to be rotated for a long time, which will overstretch and compress the joints of the cervical spine and surrounding muscles and ligaments, causing neck pain. Pain, soreness, and may even lead to chronic neck pain.
In addition, sleeping in the prone position may also affect breathing.
In the prone position, the chest is pressed against the mattress, limiting the space for the lungs to expand.
The normal expansion and contraction of the lungs is the basis for our breathing. If the expansion of the lungs is restricted, it may lead to difficulty breathing, which may aggravate the problem of dyspnea in the long run.
Except for sleeping position
Mattress and pillows are also important
The right mattress and pillow are key to good sleep quality.
1
Mattress
For people with lumbar spine problems, it is very important for the mattress to be moderately soft and hard.
The lumbar spine contains 5 vertebrae, which are connected to each other through intervertebral discs and ligaments. When lying down, the lumbar spine is shaped like an arch bridge.
If the mattress is too firm, it may cause excessive pressure on the lumbar spine; if the mattress is too soft, it may not provide enough support, allowing the lumbar spine to bend excessively.
Therefore, a mattress that is too soft or too hard may increase the pressure on the waist, causing waist pain, and may even lead to chronic low back pain.
2
Pillow
When choosing a pillow, you also need to pay attention to its relationship with the cervical spine.
A good pillow should be able to adapt to the physiological curvature of the cervical spine and provide appropriate support.
When lying flat, the cervical spine also needs to maintain a comfortable curvature.
If the pillow is too high, it will cause excessive flexion of the cervical spine; if the pillow is too low, it may cause the cervical spine to tilt back too much.
These may change the normal curvature of the cervical spine, put pressure on the cervical spine structure, affect the blood circulation in the neck, and may lead to headaches, shoulder and neck pain and other problems.
In addition, the height of the pillow will also affect breathing. Pillows that are too high or too low may compress the respiratory tract and affect smooth breathing.
There is a relatively simple method. Sometimes you choose to use a towel, roll it up to the height of your fist or one and a half fists, and put it on the back of your neck. This is a very suitable curvature for the cervical spine.
Finally, sleep is a vital part of human life and has a profound impact on our health, mental state, and quality of life.
There is no standard answer to sleeping positions.
But at least we can start by recognizing these problems, and then make appropriate adjustments according to our own physical condition to protect our own health.
(CCTV News Client)