You might be sleeping in a way that’s hurting your posture
Believe it or not, the way you sleep could be affecting your posture more than you realize, and an expert has a strong warning about it.
Add this to the ever-growing list of things you’ve apparently been doing wrong: sleeping with two pillows.
That’s according to physical therapist Sammy Spiegel, who often shares health and wellness advice on social media.
In a TikTok video posted on her page, Samspiegs, Spiegel explained why she strongly advises against using two pillows.
She highlighted a problem she calls ‘two pillow syndrome.’
Although she admitted that this isn’t an official medical term, she insisted that the effects of it are very real.
Look at her and that dangerous over abundance of pillows
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Before dismissing her claim, it’s worth noting that Spiegel has been a physical therapist for over 13 years, working closely with patients dealing with preventable posture issues.
She demonstrated a slouched position and explained: “What is happening to us in daily life is we are falling into this position,”
She then elaborated: “If we are here all day and then lie down with the two pillows, what that does is that it lifts up to our head, conforming to our curve that is occurring over time with poor posture instead of our neck and spine stretch back into a nice straight position.”
So why does this actually matter?
According to Spiegel, regularly sleeping in a poor posture could contribute to or worsen a condition known as a dowager’s hump. This condition, which affects the upper back near the base of the neck, is sometimes called a neck hump or hunchback.
The Cleveland Clinic describes it as an “excessive curve of the spine,” and the most common cause is—you guessed it—poor posture.
Spiegel emphasized that spending around eight hours a night in a bad sleeping position will inevitably take a toll on the body.
According to the physio therapist she needs to ditch those two pillows for nap time
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She advised that people should sleep in a posture that aligns with how they want their body to look and feel throughout the day.
She explained: “I’m already fighting bad posture enough as it is, I don’t want to lie down in bed and have a pillow just put me in bad posture.”
“When you go to bed at night, use gravity to your advantage to stretch you straighter, if you can tolerate it.”
To drive her point home, Spiegel wrapped up her video by offering a few exercises to help strengthen posture and, most importantly, advising people to “avoid two pillow syndrome.”