Why do i sleep with my hand under my head

Sometimes we can do a great job taking care of ourselves during the day, but our sleep positions can undo all our hard work. Many of the problems that hand therapists treat, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, arthritis, or even tendonitis can be exacerbated by pressure while we are sleeping. This pressure can worsen symptoms like swelling, numbness, tingling, and pain.

How does this happen?

Sometimes the positions in which we sleep place our spine, joints, and soft tissues under compression, tension, or both. Our nerves are especially sensitive to this. For example, when we sleep in a “fetal position,” the nerves in our wrists and elbows can be compressed at the point where our arms and wrists bend. They can also be put under tension which can cause irritation and aggravate symptoms like numbness, tingling, and/or pain. Another example is when a pillow causes the neck to be bent in a position that can compress the nerves that travel from the spine into the arms and hands.

How can I prevent it?

Fortunately, this does not always mean that we need to go buy an expensive mattress or pillow. There are some simple changes that we can make at night to better position ourselves for success during the day. See below for some helpful tips with photos.

Back Sleepers

For back-sleepers, the goal is to maintain the natural curves in your spine from head to your hips. You want a pillow that naturally cradles the neck without placing the head too high or too low. This protects the nerves that travel from the neck into our arms and hands. A small pillow under each elbow allows the shoulder to naturally fall back against the mattress, the arms to rest in a neutral position, and lessens the urge to put your arms up over your head. This decreases pressure or tension on the nerves as they travel through the shoulder and elbow. A pillow under your knees maintains the curve at the base of the spine and decreases pressure on your lower back and knees. This also can alleviate pressure on the nerves that arise from our lower spine and travel into our legs and feet.

Side Sleepers

For side-sleepers, the goal is to maintain the spine in a level line from neck to hips. Your pillow should cradle the neck without positioning the head too high or too low. On the mattress side, your shoulder blade should be lying flat on the bed rather than having your arm curled underneath you. Your top arm should be lying on and cradling a pillow to prevent compression in your shoulder, elbow, and wrist. A pillow between your legs decreases pressure on the low back, hips, and knees.

How can my hand therapist help me?

Your hand therapist can provide further education on sleep positions and even help you practice finding the most comfortable position for you in the clinic. For some conditions, he or she might also provide an orthosis to help maintain certain joints in positions of comfort or to improve the health of a joint, muscle, or nerve.

For more information about hand therapists and how they can help you with these and other types of conditions, please visit: https://www.asht.org/patients

If you would like to find a Hand Therapist in your area, please visit: https://www.asht.org/find-a-therapist

Kimberly Masker, OTD, OTR/L, CHT, is a Certified Hand Therapist, and is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists and an affiliate member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.

If you're like most people, then you probably don't give a second thought to your sleep position until you're having one of those nights that make you toss and turn for what feels like forever. After a night when you can only get comfortable with your arms splayed out behind you, you might start wondering, “Why do I sleep with my arms above my head?” What does sleeping with arms up mean? Does it impact your sleep quality or your health? This might sound silly, but could it even reveal something crucial about your personality? According to experts, sleeping with arms above your head could mean a whole lot.

People who sleep this way are in the minority, according to a 2017 study by the Better Sleep Council, but they’re not totally unheard of. The research found that "starfish sleepers," AKA those who lie on their back with their arms up near their head or pillow, make up only 7% of the population. Most people sleep in the fetal position, curled up on one side.

“Side sleeping is also the fetal position,” Dr. Shane Creado, M.D., a double-board-certified sleep medicine doctor and psychiatrist, tells Elite Daily. “The ideal position to sleep in is the non-dominant side. For most people, this is the left side.” This, he says, is because sleep is the most vulnerable thing we do. “Our subconscious mind may feel safer [sleeping on the side], as your dominant hand can raise up to protect you in case of attack.” So, starfish sleepers, sorry to say, but you are ill-prepared for an attack in the night. But what else could this sleeping position mean besides poor survival instincts?

What Determines Your Sleep Position?

There are a lot of factors that could affect which position your unconscious body decides to slumber in. According to Creado, “Different positions may be habitual, related to breathing, or other factors such as pain.” If you’re pregnant ,for example, sleeping on the left side is preferable “because when you think of the weight of the fetus and uterus, it can put pressure on the inferior vena cava (situated to the right of the aorta),” Creado tells Elite Daily. “The inferior vena cava is a large vein that brings blood to the heart, from the lower body and legs.”

Or maybe you have sleep apnea, which is usually worse when sleeping on your back. “Our airways are floppy front-back, and the tongue can fall back to obstruct the airway under the influence of gravity,” explains Creado. “However, sleeping position also is determined by the person's pillow, mattress, pain, arthritis, and other factors,” he adds.

What Sleeping With Your Arms Up Means

Chris Brantner, a certified sleep science coach, tells Elite Daily that while sleeping in a certain position each night could just be a habit and nothing more, another explanation could be that you sleep with a partner, and you raise your arms above your head to create extra space for cuddles.

However, sleeping this way could actually indicate that you aren't breathing as easily as you should be. "Some people sleep with their arms above their heads, as it's a natural way of opening up the lungs," Brantner says. "If you don't typically fall asleep in this position, but find yourself waking up like this, it could be a sign that you're having trouble breathing in the middle of the night." He adds that sleeping on your back can definitely lead to snoring, too.

Is Sleeping With Your Arms Above Your Head Bad For You?

As far as sleep quality goes, Creado says sleeping with your arms above your head isn’t something that should affect sleep quality, but rather, “it is the position and ergonomics that may result in pain or stiffness, that in turn may affect sleep quality.” That is to say, it’s all about whether you’re maintaining a comfortable position throughout the night.

However, it is possible that this position could lead to pain throughout the day. "Sleeping on your back in starfish position may induce lower back pain and sleep apnea," Terry Cralle, RN, a Better Sleep Council certified clinical sleep educator, tells Elite Daily. Luckily, though, you don't have to totally change the way you sleep if this position starts causing you discomfort. Just make some minor tweaks to make sure your body is well-supported. "If you experience back pain, consider placing a pillow or rolled-up towel under your knees to align the natural curve of your spine," Cralle suggests.

What It Means For Your Personality

Brantner admits he isn't sure how much stock he puts into deciphering someone's personality based on their sleep position alone. The truth is that personality types are complex, and while they might be based on a whole host of factors, including how you were raised, your natural inclinations, your learned behaviors, sleep probably isn't one of them. But he says there is actually a common belief about what a starfish sleeping pattern can say about you: Basically, the sleep science coach tells Elite Daily, many people believe starfish sleepers aren't comfortable being the center of attention, and may also be better listeners than other people. Whether that accurately captures your personality or not, embrace your uniqueness, you starfish, you.

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