Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Pillow-talk

I alternate between sleeping on my back and sleeping on my side. If I spend too much time in either position then I get sore. Also, different sleeping positions tend to cause my AS to start attacking different areas. eg: if I sleep on my side then my ribs and shoulders will be attacked. And if I sleep on my back my lower / mid back will be attacked.

for those who sleep on their back ...
I was laying on my back last night and started getting back pain in the middle of the spine - right were the kidneys are. So I did what I have always done : I got out a small cloth / towel and rolled it up so that it was about 1 or 2cm thick and used that to support my lumbar region and up to roughly where my kidneys are. If I get the thickness right it works quite well.

For my head I use a low pillow - but whilst laying on my back my head wants to roll to the side. Don't know why. Anyway, the most comfortable position for my head is if I take a small pillow and rest that up near my cheak, so that my head can roll slightly to the side.

I wonder if anyone else has that last problem? anyway, I feel much more comfy with a pillow there.

Oh, one benefit of sleeping on my back is that I get a chance to meditate whilst I drift off. Something I just can't quite do when sleeping on my side.

regards,
z

"So long and thanks for all the fish" - Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy

I sleep on my side, but if the bed is hard or i am sore, i take the top knee over onto the bed (as in First Aid recovery position). This negates any need for a knee pillow and takes pressure off the contact points as there is more contact area with the mattress.
I only sleep on my back in the late morning as a sort of anti-kyphosis spell - with no pillow - as i tend to have a sore back from osteo reasons if i sleep that way all night. I may try the lumbar support idea some time.
Sounds like you would like that weird-shaped pillow idea. I only use my modified one very occasionally.

Ted

Hey Zark,

I never really thought about it as I seem to sleep on my back so little (usually do in a flare though, notably???) and when I do my head always goes to the side....

Took note of it today though, and found my breathing was much easier when my head went to the side, which is probably not a good thing ....??!)

Like the thought of meditating when going to sleep, but for me this is nigh on impossible - well, with this many cats anyhow!!! I think that is why I sometimes wake up on my back to be honest - in starfish mode, by trying not to disturb them HAHA!

When I started getting problems with my neck recently I ended up binning the neck pillow - was much more comfortable and slept better on an ordinary new pillow. If I got a 'neck pillow' per se again, I think I'd go for the tempur one, whatever it cost!

Happy, undisturbed meditating to you

Take care,

Jan



If my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy

Well I deserve nothing more than I get

'Cos nothing I have is truly mine

- Dido

>> Like the thought of meditating when going to sleep, but for me this is nigh on impossible

Gosh I know how you feel ! I often have terrible difficulty trying to meditate.. takes a lot of discipline and practice. But I have made a commitment with myself to keep trying.. A big reason being the surprising amount of relief I felt when I went to a buddhist retreat. That was a few years ago however.

There is plenty of research on the harmful effect of stress on the immune system. And I do hear the subject being brought up from time to time.. ie: stress can worsen AS and other autoimmune diseases.

Now that I am really observing my bodies reactions all the time.. I realise how I have always been such a tense and anxious person. Ever since the teens I have had tense muscles and sweaty palms. No wonder my immune system is screwy..


thoughts on meditation:
* Noise is a big impediment to meditation: so I have invested in earplugs :-)
* Some foods/drinks can make me way too tense.. Some teas relax me, others make me tense
* Essential oils are a great way to get to sleep. But I wonder how much of the effect is some kind of intoxication. Insense is awesome if you dont mind the smoke.
* One very simple way to start meditation is to just observe each part of your body and relax each muscle. Then relax the old mind-muscle .. it needs a break too :-)

"He controls his senses and his mind, intent upon liberation; when desire, fear and anger have left him, that man is forever free" - Bhagavad Gita - 5.28 (Sanskrit text - over 2000 years old)

"So long and thanks for all the fish" - Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy

Hi Zark,

Know what you mean about stress - I'm usually pretty laid back, but if I'm subjected to prolonged stress I find that as well as being prone to every passing sore throat, cold, etc, I also get premenstrual migraines - the severity or otherwise being directly associated with how stressed or otherwise I am feeling!

Thanks for the advice on meditation - the one about observing each part of the body and relaxing it reminds me of some stuff I did a while ago which was to do with intuition - which after the body was relaxed involved becoming totally aware of everything, and then slowly blocking it out. I got pretty good at it, but I don't think I ever reached true meditation territory? Don't know...but it's reminded me that I got some meditation tapes ages ago and haven't even listended to them - duh! I really must dig them out and just do it!

I know I need it, and owe it to myself and my general sanity haha! I think it's probably why I spend so much time in the bath - sometimes it feels like it's the only ME time I get! Maybe next time I'll play a tape when I'm in there! I really long for that feeling of inner peace I once had.

Love the quote btw!

Take care,

Jan

If my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy

Well I deserve nothing more than I get

'Cos nothing I have is truly mine

- Dido

>> " which after the body was relaxed involved becoming totally aware of everything, and then slowly blocking it out."

yeah, it is kind of like that isn't it.. I guess the key is learning to "let go"... "letting go" is a very important thing to learn according to the Bhagavad gita. So I figure that by concentrating on one area of my body, then moving my concentration to another part.. I am teaching my brain to repeatedly focus, then let go.. then focus elsewhere, then let go. Which is like repeatedly making the brain tense, and then relaxed ... tense then relaxed... a bit like muscle building for them mind?



"So long and thanks for all the fish" - Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy

Zark,

Meditation and me isn't a good mate so I prefer to sleep or doing anything else. I once learn about Reiki and pass the first step but still I can't do the meditation so my Reiki go away with wind.

My little sister in the other hand is very good with meditation - she told me that meditation help her through the difficult times in her life and she is learning about yoga and meditation in one of small village in India. Now, she's doing it two times a day.

In fact, my prayers always come out short

Sinta

Finding a lot of neck tension and stiffness lately and not enjoying it as kyphosis and attempts to fuse seem in process. I am fighting it as much as i can with exercise and posture and prone-lying while awake.
I find sleepng on my side favours the foetal position - flexion of back and neck, which is not beneficial to us, so i moved towards the "recovery position" as used in First Aid.
This puts the neck slightly into extension and i am now moving even more onto my front to push the neck back so have totally adopted the recovery position. If this has too much tension for comfort, then sometimes i have to spend twenty minutes prone-lying before i go to sleep.
I find this process improves how my neck feels when i wake up and i can do my sit-up exercises without prone-lying first thing...
but do it anyway

Ted

NSAIDs = biochemical warfare where our tactical decisions are hostile to our strategic interests.

Yep,
Quite apart from the benefits to the the neck, I find the recovery position to be the only comfortable position for any extended period of time because it minimizes pressure on the spine.



Anyone else suddenly feeling sleepy?

     Loz