Sleeping Soundly with Hypermobility

Alice, a fairly new client to Leith Pilates, kindly offered to write down advice on how to sleep more comfortably when you suffer from Hypermobility or EDS. Here’s what she had to say:

Sleeping advice from a hyper mobile side-sleeper

These are some of the things I’ve found has helped me not wake up with neck and shoulder pain in the morning. Everyone is different and you know your body best so only follow the advice you think might help.

Head

Having the right pillow support your head is the most important element of your sleeping routine. Try to have your head and neck aligned with your spine so that it forms a straight line.

This might require using a folded blanket or towel under your pillow to get the right height. I’ve found this helps me avoid waking up with neck pain and this will also lessen the pressure on the shoulder you are sleeping on.

Shoulders

While having a firm mattress is often recommended to those with back pain, I’ve found that mattresses that are too firm may put more pressure on your shoulders and hips. 

Having a good memory foam mattress toper has done wonders for my shoulder pain, allowing them to sink into bed rather than support my weight causing them to crumple in awkward positions. 

Now for the shoulder that you aren’t sleeping on. I’ve found that the weight of my arm would often strain the muscles in my shoulder especially if I had any pain to begin with. The most effective solution for me has been to hug a really firm pillow folded in half so that my upper arm rests over it elevated so that my elbow is either in line with or slightly above the level of my shoulder. The goal is to prevent your arm from hanging forward or down toward the chest. This has helped me keep my shoulders back instead of collapsed towards my chest.

Tip: it can be a bit tricky to find the right pillow firmness and height so that it can properly support your arm. Through experimentation you’ll find what works best for you as it’s not a one size fits all situation. I typically use a combination of small plush pillows to get the right height.

Knees and Hips

Having a pillow between the knees helps keep the spine aligned and pelvis neutral. This also helps relieve some of the pressure on your hips.

For some, a small pillow supporting the waist (between ribs and hips) can help keep the spine straight, especially if the waist dips down.