For many of us, winding down for bed involves reading a good book. As we dive deep into a fictional story, we relax and can forget the stressors of the day, which allows us to, eventually, ease into a deep slumber.
However, for your posture, there can be some serious downfalls with reading in bed. Below, we explore exactly why we don’t recommend doing this and what to do instead.
The Problem With Reading in Bed
When many of us curl up with a good book, we tend to assume a less-than-desirable posture. We may hunch our body into a C-shape, which actually does the opposite of the ABC technique we use in the clinic.
The ABC technique works to re-align your spine. Meanwhile, taking on a hunched posture in bed to read, such as with many pillows stacked beneath your low back, pushes your spine and body forward. This supports a forward head posture, which can lead to varying degrees of pain and also interfere with any progress we’ve made in the clinic.
Tips for Reading Before Bed
Inevitably, reading right before bed is a habit that many perform. In fact, it’s not a bad bedtime routine to have! Instead, you just want to be smart about how you read. This may mean reading in a different spot than your bed.
You may want to consider:
- Sitting in a chair to read with the book placed on a book holder on a table in front of you.
- Avoiding lying on your stomach as this doesn’t support good posture either.
- Creating a reading nook in a corner of a room in your home with a nice set-up that supports your posture (such as what is described in the first point)
- If you absolutely love reading in bed, forego the pillows and scoot your buttocks right against your headboard and sit up straight as you read. However, doing this alone will also result in a slumped posture. Thus, we recommend creating a better angle for the pelvis by placing a pillow tinder on the back of your bum. It’s not perfect but far better!
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