Answer. There is nothing wrong with sleeping in this position. It may be that it is simply more comfortable for your legs or back and thus your body "defaults" to this as as a sleeping position at night.
Sleeping in this position for an extended period can increase a person's risk of developing the following issues: Knee pain as the ligaments around the knees and hips become inflamed due to the constant flexion occurring at those joints.
Best Sleep Position for Knee Pain
Place pillow under both legs to elevate the knee above the level of the heart. If there is swelling in the knee, the elevation can help to reduce it. If you have knee stiffness, it is usually best to keep the knee straight while sleeping.
Those who sleep with their knees bent change the position of their pelvis, which lengthens the lower back and creates more space between the vertebrae. This releases pressure on the lower back and spine, helping to alleviate pain and discomfort.
If you sleep on your side, a firm pillow between your knees will prevent your upper leg from pulling your spine out of alignment and reduce stress on your hips and lower back. Pull your knees up slightly toward your chest. The pillow for your head should keep your spine straight.
One leg up can put pressure on the pelvic region and cause or aggravate low back pain. The uneven distribution of pressure causes strain on your muscles, causing more harm than good. While this position is a favourite for many of us, it tends to fall closer to the worst side of the best and worst sleeping positions.
Sleep with your head, neck, and spine in a straight line. Don't keep your head tilted far to one side, or too far forward or backward on the pillow. Sleep on your back or side, not your tummy. You have to twist your neck to breathe if you lie on your stomach.
Are you bothered by an almost irresistible urge to move your legs when you lie down or relax? If so, you may have restless legs syndrome (RLS), a neurological disorder. The tingling, aching, and itching of RLS can last for hours and prevent you from getting the sleep you need.
Your knee is said to have hyperextended when your knee joint bends backward and this causes tissue damage and swelling. Most of the damage happens in the ACL and the PCL, which are the two ligaments in the middle of the knee.
Patellofemoral (pronounced: peh-tel-oh-FEM-er-ul) pain syndrome is an overuse disorder. These happen when someone does the same movements that stress the knee over and over again. In PFP syndrome, repeated bending and straightening the knee stresses the kneecap. It's most common in athletes.
Common Knee Hyperextension Injuries
In mild cases, knee hyperextension is not serious but if the knee bends back too far, usually more than around 10 degrees, then other structures, typically the knee ligaments and cartilage, can be damaged which can be more serious.
Lying with your legs out straight often creates a significant amount of arch in your lower back, which over time stresses the joints of the spine and cause shortening of spinal musculature. This can lead to low back pain or stiffness. Solution #2: Put a pillow or a wedge under your knees.
But high-impact activities can make knee pain worse. Exercise like running, kickboxing, or high intensity interval training (HIIT) can jar your joints and make your knee pain worse. Some stretching exercises, like squats and lunges, can put extra pressure on your knees as well.
Prepatellar bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa in the front of the kneecap (patella). It occurs when the bursa becomes irritated and produces too much fluid, which causes it to swell and put pressure on the adjacent parts of the knee.
The use of a pillow between your knees can improve overall comfort in bed. In particular, these pillows can help relieve pressure on the knees themselves. They can also help keep the spine, hips, and pelvis in alignment, which is particularly useful for those who experience back pain.
Sleeping On Your Side with Leg Support
More importantly: You should sleep on your side with leg support. In doing so, you can maintain your back's naturally curved position. Rest on your side, keep your knees bent, slightly, and keep your hips straight.
Adjust your sleep position to manage leg pain
“The best sleeping position for people with leg pain is on their back with a pillow slightly elevating their knees,” advises Jordan Duncan, chiropractor and owner of Silverdale Sport & Spine, a clinic that specializes in difficult-to-treat musculoskeletal pain conditions.
Side sleepers should lie on the hip that isn't painful, and place one or more pillows between the legs. When lying on your back, place a pillow or rolled up blanket beneath your knees and possibly another under the small of your back. When sleeping on your back, place pillows beneath your knees.
Research reveals more women prefer to sleep on the left side of the bed than the right - and the reason why is super cute.
Your head and neck should lie comfortably on the pillow to ensure that the spine is elongated. Like the back sleep position, your shoulders should fall just beneath the pillow and rest comfortably on the surface of the bed.
There is no cure for arthritis of the knee. It's a lifelong condition. But the good news is treatment can relieve some of the symptoms. Treatment might even slow down or stop the disease from getting worse.
Knee pain will usually go away without further medical treatment, using only a few self-help measures. If you need help you might first see a physiotherapist or your GP.
He says, “thanks to foot elevation simultaneously performed with a relaxed back, your blood flows smoother within the body which triggers sleep faster than usual. This body position redistributes the blood on your feet to other parts of the body, promoting better relaxation and physical comfort.”