13 Benefits Of Sleeping With A Pillow Between Your Legs

Most people think of pillows as headrests. But did you know that they’re just as useful between your knees?

If you’ve never heard of knee or leg pillows before, this might sound peculiar. Stick with us, though! The health benefits of sleeping with a pillow between your legs are extensive. From pain relief to better circulation, you can transform your sleep quality and how you feel throughout the day.

In this article, we’re covering the science-backed benefits of leg pillows to help you decide whether this trick is right for your bedtime routine. Put your legs up and keep reading to discover more.

13 Benefits of Sleeping With a Pillow Between Your Legs

From placing a pillow under the knees for better circulation to improving your sleep posture, here are the benefits of using a pillow between your legs. Don’t forget them when you’re counting sheep tonight!

1. Less Lower Back Pain

Sleeping with a pillow between your legs can reduce back pain as it keeps you in a healthy side sleeping position all night. There’s less chance you’ll turn and end up in a position that twists or puts excess pressure on your lower back.

2. An Aligned Spine

Pillows between your legs keep your back and spine in a straighter position. This reduces the chance of you experiencing extra discomfort from a misaligned spine, meaning you’ll sleep deeper and wake up less throughout the night.

3. Improved Sleep Posture

Similarly to aligning your spine, a leg pillow can straighten your overall sleep posture. A 2021 study found a link between provocative (unaligned) sleep postures and higher rates of back pain and spinal symptoms (Cary, Jaques and Briffa, 2021). So, using a pillow can help you wake up pain-free.

4. Support For Pregnant Women

Finding a comfortable sleeping position when pregnant is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, a pillow between your needs is like adding a magnet to the equation. Add a pillow between your knees to get relief from pregnancy back pain and knee joint pain and to help distribute the weight of your bump.

5. Better Circulation

Using a pillow under your knees for circulation is always a good idea. This reduces pins and needles, swollen legs, and tingling sensations caused by restricted blood flow.

Pillows also elevate your legs above your heart level to keep blood flowing. This also prevents varicose veins, and increased blood flow during sleep can improve critical brain functions (Penn State University, n.d.).

6. Fewer Muscle Cramps

Awkward sleep positions can increase your chances of nightly leg cramps. Keeping a pillow between your legs can reduce the possibility of muscle cramps and help you relax your muscles while you sleep.

7. Good For Herniated Disc Pain

Herniated discs can cause pain and discomfort, especially when trying to sleep at night. Leg pillows keep your hip and pelvis straight, allowing your lower back and herniated disc to rest in a healthy position while you sleep.

8. Clearer Airways

Studies have proven sleeping can worsen sleep apnea and snoring-related problems (Joosten et al., 2014). You can train yourself to sleep on your side with a healthy posture and clearer airways by adding a pillow between your legs.

9. Less Tossing & Turning

Whether you start the night in one position and wake up in another or spend hours fidgeting before falling asleep, a leg pillow could be the solution for calmer sleep. A leg or body pillow can act as an anchor, making you stay still rather than rolling around.

10. Reduces Hip Pressure

Many of us accidentally put pressure on our hips overnight by resting in twisted positions. You can reduce the pressure by stacking your knees on top of each other and straightening your spine. This can be tricky without a sleep aid — but with a memory foam leg pillow, it’s a piece of cake.

11. More Comfort & Sleep Faster

Some find sleeping with a pillow between their legs more comfortable. Of course, this is subjective. However, extra comfort always helps you fall asleep faster and can lead to deeper sleep.

If you suffer from low sleep quality, your quality of life, health, and mortality are affected (Colten and Altevogt, 2006). This is your sign to try it out and get those all-important eight hours!

12. Evenly Distributes Weight

Sleeping on your side is the most popular sleeping position. But without proper form, it’s easy to sleep with uneven weight distribution, which can lead to back, shoulder, and hip pain — depending on where your body leans. A pillow can absorb some of the pressure while also re-adjusting your posture.

13. Reduces Leg Pain & Sciatica

Leg and sciatica pain can make falling asleep a true challenge, especially if you gravitate towards positions that twist the lower back and sciatic nerve. A pillow between your legs can keep the back straight, reducing the painful impacts of these problems.

Potential Cons of Knee Pillows

Leg pillows have revitalising benefits. However, we are also asked, ‘Is sleeping with a pillow between your legs bad?’ This is a valid question, and we’re here to provide honest answers.

Sleeping with a knee pillow can be bad if it forces your body into a twisted position. With a supportive or specially designed leg pillow (like the Groove X Lower Back Pain Relief Pillow), this won’t happen. However, with your average pillow, you run the risk of migrating into an unhealthy posture.

As with any posture or pillow, if it hurts or causes aches, it’s best to ditch it and try something new. If the pain worsens or persists for over two weeks, contact a professional medical provider.

Final Words

Overall, adding a leg pillow to your nighttime line-up is a good idea. It’ll keep your posture straight, prevent pain, and elevate your sleep quality.

Make sure you’re guaranteeing sleep success with a high-quality pillow. Shop the Groove X Lower Back Pain Relief Pillow now. Or read our Trustpilot reviews to see what customers think.

REFERENCES:

- Cary, D., Jacques, A. and Briffa, K. (2021). Examining relationships between sleep posture, waking spinal symptoms and quality of sleep: A cross sectional study. PLOS ONE, 16(11), p.e0260582. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260582.

- Colten, H.R. and Altevogt, B.M. (2006). Extent and health consequences of chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders. [online] nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/.

- Joosten, S.A., O’Driscoll, D.M., Berger, P.J. and Hamilton, G.S. (2014). Supine position related obstructive sleep apnea in adults: Pathogenesis and treatment. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 18(1), pp.7–17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2013.01.005.

- Penn State University. (n.d.). Increased blood flow during sleep tied to critical brain function | Penn State University. [online] Available at: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/increased-blood-flow-during-sleep-tied-critical-brain-function/.

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