[Apparelyzed]

So, for the first 12 years of my injury, I slept in the knees up, on my side position, with pillows everywhere.

I used to have a pillow between my knees, one between my ankels and one in my back, as advised by my spinal unit. Plus two under my head.

That's alot of pillows!

Now, I don't use any, just my head pillows!

If I sleep on my left side, I'll have my left leg bent up, but my top leg straight. This means there will be no bony areas touching eack other, hence no need for pillows.

The other advantage of sleeping like this, is it helps stretch your legs. If you think about it, if you sleep on your side with your legs both bent, you are in the same position as when you are in your wheelchair.

The only time your hip flexors get a stretch, is when you're on your back, or if you go prone, which can be very uncomfortable for quadriplegics.

So, which do you find the easiest postion to sleep in?

Simon.

[Deej]

I still sleep on my side, because I find it more comfortable to do so ( and generally I stay on the same side all night - no problems), but I have never used all the pillows between my knees and ankles thing since I left hospital.

If I am on my right side (which I usually am) I place my left leg over and infront of the right one, so no bones touching/ on top of each other. I do have a small bone that sticks out of the inside of my left foot though and tends to be red in the morning - so I just cover it with a padded dressing that I change every week and this seems to do the trick.

This does mean my knees are bent at night but usually when I wake up at least one of my legs has straightened out due to spasm! I also make sure I lie either supine or prone with my legs outstretched for at least 1 hour per day to stretch the hips.

[Kit]

My friend sleeps in the same position as Deej and tries to alternate between lying on her left and right sides, she was given the same advice about using pillows to prevent presure sores by her spinal unit.

She would like to sleep on her stomach as this is what she used to do pre-sci, is there any way that she would be able to do this comfortably? (She's a C5/C6 quad)

Sleeping flat on her back makes her spasm, would the same thing happen if she were sleeping on her stomach?

This post has been edited by Kit: 17 July 2007 - 03:26 PM

[Joed]

I sleep primarily on my side(s) with the top leg straightened more than the bottom for the reasons given above. I have a psuedo-meningolycele mid-back, about the size of a hamburger bun, and although it's painful to lie on it initially, the pain lessens after awhile, but then I get some furious rebound pain from it when that pressure is released. So overall, I avoid it altogether. The rods prevent me from lying prone comfortably, but I try to get 30 min. or so in that positiion before I get up for the day.

I only use a pillow for my head and a bolster pillow to lie alongside my back to prevent my husband from knee-ing me in his sleep when I'm facing the other way. If facing toward him, I place it between my knees and chest to help keep my body aligned, as it's difficult for me to keep from tottering on my skinny ol' hip bone, which usually ends me up in a twisted position....ouch! That'll wake you up everytime!

[lune14]

I typically sleep on my right side, knees bent with pillow between my knee/ankle. I'm glad Simon posted the note about how our legs should be extended as much as possible however as it's a good reminder! I have been doing just as he described for the past year or two.... that is to have one leg extended straight out with the other only slightly bent. Sometimes I will sleep on my side with little bend in either knee for this reason as well. I tend to hug a pillow to my chest when I sleep on my side as it is more comfy on my shoulder and... well I'm single most of the time LOL. (I'm a snuggler, what can I say)

As well I sometimes sleep flat on my back with no leg elevation, which seems to be the most peaceful sleep for me. I tend to wake very refreshed and alert when I sleep this way, however my shoulders sometimes become sore. I chalk that up to some severe impingements I developed a few years ago, coupled with a mattress I need to replace.

Sleeping on either side, I tend to roll over onto my back from the hips up.... while sleeping on my back I don't move at all. I never slept with pillows until the past two years and I feel it's more for comfort in aligning my shoulders/hips vs. pressure points. I have some good "natural padding"

Informative topic Simon, thank you!

[Apparelyzed]

Just thought I'd mention this point before someone else does!

"Why not sleep on your side with both legs straight?"

Well.....

In my experience, I have found that if you sleep on your side, with the same side of the body's leg straight, your weight is not dissipated as effectively.

What this means is you have less weight on your hip with your leg bent whilst on your side, than you do if the same leg was straight.

Someone's got the maths out there to prove it, I just have experience.

Also, if your legs are both bent whilst on your side, and you roll onto your back, this is called a "pelvic twist".

The pillows are good for acute spinal cord injuries, but as you get to know your body, and pressure warning signs, it makes life alot easier to do without them.

As for sleeping prone, I'm as C5/6, and it puts too much pressure on my neck to do it. Every now and again I'll try, but I always end up with a stiff neck afterwards. Also, some quad's may find it hard as it restricts their breathing. This because of the extra weight on the diaphram which is the main breathing muscle for quads..

Simon

[lune14]

So is the 'pelvic twist' a bad thing? I've never experienced any discomfort from it but I will add that when I do slip onto my back while in this position my top leg tends to follow and straighten out, the other stays slightly bent. Don't want to cause myself any harm or over stretch something. Eeek.

[korrobe]

i slept on my stomach before my accident, and haven't changed at all. every night i start on my stomach and most....most mornings i end up there. i have on occasion rolled myself to my side or even my back. doesn't really bother my either way as long as i don't spend too much time on my back.

[wheeliebear75]

I sleep in different positions. Sometimes on my stomach with only 1 pillow, sometimes on my back with pillows keeping my legs up, like you said Simon with one leg extended and one bent, and then at times I also do the "pillow nest" (it's what we call it here at my house, the mega pillow spinal unit way). The one way I CAN NOT sleep though is with my back bent only a little. I can have my knees tucked to my chest and it's OK or having my thighs a 90 angle in relation to my back is OK too; but if I sleep with my back almost straight .....OH MOMMY!!! It pinches my sciatic nerves every time. This position isn't that hard to avoid....unless of course I am also having Asthma Hell then it is because I have to sleep propped up in order to breathe.

[nomis]

I lie prone. My abdominal muscles etc usually go into action simulating unmentionable movements before settling down whereupon I twist my head and shoulders to one side or the other. Whichever way I'm turned the near leg is bent.

The only cushion is under my head.

As a para, it's easy to swap sides and sometimes I go to sleep facing one way and wake facing the other. If I'm reading, listening to music or watching tv in bed I'll lie on my left (best for the light) then go to sleep on the right and turn if I wake up in the night. All I need do is straighten the leg, turn my head and shoulders then drop back to sleep.

This post has been edited by nomis: 18 July 2007 - 12:29 AM

[hockeydahc]

hmm interesting.

I go to sleep in just about everyway possible. side, back, stomach, legs bent, straight, one of each, I havent got anyone to share the bed with yet, so sometimes I even go for spread eagle in the middle of the bed. No matter how I start, I always wake on my back. I don't use a pillow either, they hurt my neck.

[Apparelyzed]

lune14, on Jul 17 2007, 10:11 PM, said:

So is the 'pelvic twist' a bad thing? I've never experienced any discomfort from it but I will add that when I do slip onto my back while in this position my top leg tends to follow and straighten out, the other stays slightly bent. Don't want to cause myself any harm or over stretch something. Eeek.

A pelvic twist is general ok for quads, but it's advisable to have some sort of lumbar support, in the form of a pillow in the lower back. This helps support your back.

If you have had a low lumbar or thoracic injury, you would need to ask your physiotherapist first, as a pelvic twist can damage unstable injuries, unstable discs, or be uncomfortable if you have had a fusion of the vertabrae or have metal plates/rods supporting your spine.

A pelvic twist is usefull, as both shoulders are flat on the bed, but your laying on your side with the pressure on your hip bone, leaving the sacrum pressure free.

If in doubt, ask your physio/doctor.

Regards

Simon.

[lune14]

Thanks for that Simon. I haven't had any issues and just spoke with the doc... said I'm fine as I'm not in that position very long. I took note last night and found I tend to roll back onto my side off & on all night.

Ironically, I have this print hanging above my bed... it never occured to me to me this is nearly the exact position I take sometimes......

[xeena]

Sleeping Positions
Immediately after the Injury,I did the pillow thing but it was quite uncomfortable.So I ditched the pillows and for now i sleep like Simon described,the difference is that its my top leg that is bentandthe one under straight.I'll try it the other way round this niight. the other positions i alsofind comfortable enough are lying on my tummy and lying on my back....I think that is basically it. all that talk about sleep.

[edlee]

I have slept on my back, almost exclusively, my entire life, before injury. Now I find it almost impossible to get comfortable in any other position ( and I keep trying).

Thank heaven for adjustable beds and alternating pressure matresses. Mine would be a case history for pressure sores without them.

I've never been able to get comfortable on my stomach, before or after.
ed

[LadyPilot]

Apparelyzed, on Jul 18 2007, 05:14 PM, said:

A pelvic twist is usefull, as both shoulders are flat on the bed, but your laying on your side with the pressure on your hip bone, leaving the sacrum pressure free.



Regards

Simon.

This is the only position I can sleep in! I use a visco memory foam neck pillow and I can sleep all night without moving.

[Alin Steglinski]

i sleep on my right side, rarely my left side. dont really move much in the night unless its a major seizure, in that case i wake up on the floor! pillows just on the head end.

[smokymtn memories]

I'm still trying to figure out which darn position is comfortable. I've had to sleep on my back, for the most part since just before surgery. I'm finding that bothers my lower back (DDD) more than it does my neck at times. I tried the pillows everywhere and even bought one of those slanted big foam things. I went back to normal pillow use. I've noticed lately when I try to roll out of bed, I can hear/feel my lower back cracking. I'm guessing from the blown disc. That's one of the reasons I was curious about how others handle lying in bed.

[Cheshire]

I'm one of the stomach sleepers. Pre-injury, it was the only way I could get a decent night's sleep. They wouldn't let me sleep on my stomach in the hospital (for good reasons), but they did let me cheat by using a big pillow. I had asked my mom to find a full-body pillow, but fruitless searching made us settle for a king-size instead. We went with something medium-soft that had (I forget what it's called) temperature-cooling properties so as to keep me from getting all sweaty.

I would start on my side cuddling the pillow like a huge teddy bear, then slowly and/or gently roll over top of it until I was almost completely on top but not quite. This kept my chest from bearing all the weight, and the pillow kept my back from being bent too much (the reason they wouldn't let me sleep outright on my stomach.

Now I sleep almost exclusively on my stomach. I've learned to sleep on my back (because of a pressure spot I got when hospitalized), but side sleeping gives me flashback nightmares. I use one regular pillow, and have it long-ways under my head and chest. If it's not under my chest at least halfway, it makes breathing difficult. I prefer having it so my head tilts slightly downward...easier for me to breathe and relax that way.
The other reason I stomach sleep is I'm 6'1"...my feet just slightly hang off the end of the bed. It feels better to me to have my feet snug in the curve off the end of the mattress than get tangled up in the blankets and bent at some odd angle that hurts and wakes me up.

This post has been edited by Cheshire: 20 July 2007 - 03:39 PM

[Texaswheelz]

Glad i'm not the only pillow hog out there. I use alot but don't place them between my legs, normally I have one or two wedged behind my back as I'm on my side, I'll have 2 or 3 in various positions around my head(don't know why) and then I have one at my chest that I sort of roll on to(snuggle with it) although alot of time it's my wife that I use there instead of a pillow(untill she gets hot and kicks me off).

I wake every 2-3 hrs and roll over, I guess it is a habbit from being woken in hospital and rolled to prevent sores even though that was 16 years ago. I some times sleep on my back, but I can't lay flat, I have to have 2-3 pillows under my head, upper back. I also slept on my stomach before injury but I haven't ever been able to get comfortable that way since. My upper thighs and lower abs have major spasms when I lay on my stomach and stretch them out. I normally roll onto my stomach in the morning before I get up and let them do their thing for 5-10 minutes while I do some half ass girlie push ups.

[russ1]

One of the things the nurses in rehab were very keen on was weaning me off positioning pillows - I now sleep on my side with no pillows - I try to straighten my legs but generally spasms will just pill them back into the 'wheelchair' position. I'll sleep in a truly on my side position or in a pelvic twist with just the one pillow under my head. I can sleep for 8 hours straight, sometimes I'll wake with the odd red mark where something bony has been pressing where it shouldn't but it'll go after an hour or so. Often wake at between 5 to 8 hours and turn to get comfortable again.

[nomis]

I found I could sleep ok in a really stupid position when a few years ago I had an eye operation. Yep. I had to remain with my head in an upright position for 10 days and nights. I was worried cos after sitting most of the day I'm usually keen to keep of my bum and tailbone. With many cushions I managed to wedge myself into a twisted sitting position and get about 3 hours sleep before needing to switch. I was impressed that if necessary there is room to adapt.

[wheeliebear75]

Apparelyzed, on Jul 18 2007, 04:14 PM, said:

lune14, on Jul 17 2007, 10:11 PM, said:

So is the 'pelvic twist' a bad thing? I've never experienced any discomfort from it but I will add that when I do slip onto my back while in this position my top leg tends to follow and straighten out, the other stays slightly bent. Don't want to cause myself any harm or over stretch something. Eeek.

A pelvic twist is general ok for quads, but it's advisable to have some sort of lumbar support, in the form of a pillow in the lower back. This helps support your back.

If you have had a low lumbar or thoracic injury, you would need to ask your physiotherapist first, as a pelvic twist can damage unstable injuries, unstable discs, or be uncomfortable if you have had a fusion of the vertabrae or have metal plates/rods supporting your spine.

A pelvic twist is usefull, as both shoulders are flat on the bed, but your laying on your side with the pressure on your hip bone, leaving the sacrum pressure free.

If in doubt, ask your physio/doctor.

Regards

Simon.

I can vouch for it being a possible BIG NO NO if you have unstable lumbar. I've acquired a lot more damage to my nerves (increased burning and tingling) by accidentally pinching soft tissue (slipping and pinching discs and such) from an unstable Lumbar. It'd be different for different people I'm sure; but I try to prevent my hips from doing any major twists in relation to my body. I've been told I should consider having a spinal fusion.....but I'm a big chicken. Scalpels are NOT my friends.

[MDK]

We have a long ,round ,fat roll and when I put Kevin on his side ( he can only use his left side) I position his right leg at a 90 degree angle with the knee bent ( at 90 degrees ) on the roll.
He feels comfy, & so far no skin problems.