The secret to getting better sleep tonight | James Leinhardt | TEDxManchester

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Published 2024-06-09
There’s a seemingly endless series of articles all telling us to get more sleep and yet very few that give any direction on how to improve the quality of our sleep. James Leinhardt joined us to discuss the topic of “sleep posture”. Along with improving the quality of our sleep he asserted that better sleep posture brings a host of other benefits including better spine health, general wellbeing and reduction in neck and back pain. Ultimately better sleep posture will mean waking up rested and free of pain. Yes please! James Leinhardt is the founder and Chief Sleep Posture Expert of Levitex. He has a wealth of knowledge in nighttime postural care and has designed medical devices to manage the posture for people suffering with complex neurological illness and injury. He works with NHS trusts and social care throughout the UK and clients as far as the Middle East and Australia. Working with client groups such as catastrophic brain injury, MS, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke survivors, James feels a strong sense of purpose to care and improve the lives of patients in medical difficulty and the wider public.

James guest lectures at Universities across the UK and US and is a Honorary Lecturer at the School of Sport and Health Sciences within the University of Central Lancashire. He is passionate about spreading the message of the importance of sleep posture as a clinical intervention to the next generations of nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
All Comments (21)
  • @DaveyNelson
    Sleep on your back or sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs and save yourself 15 minutes of babble. This could’ve been a tweet
  • @Liberteabelle
    I’ve been preaching sleep position to family, friends (and strangers if I see them in pain) for 30 years. I have been fine tuning my sleeping position over these years throughout the whole time. First to fix a numb arm, then lower right back pain, recent arthritic hand pain, etc. So I was SO PLEASED to see someone else taking this seriously! People need to pay attention- not just when they are old!

    A couple of my findings:

    * Yes the dreamer position works for me too, but I find I do not need a pillow between the knees as long as I keep my knees together.

    * I keep a long thick pillow (like 12” depth) in front and back of me, pulled in tight next to me. In this way I can balance my arm along the top and not let it fall forward and pinch a nerve thus causing arm numbness. I have not had that problem recur in 30 years.

    * Pushing the pillow up against my back is like sleeping on a couch - it gives you back support and keeps your spine street. The reason I keep a pillow on either side is so I can easily flip over to the other side and keep the pillows lined up.

    The pillow on either side also helped me TRAIN myself to stay in position while I was asleep. Yes! You CAN train yourself, I promise! You do not have to wake up in pain!
  • @JK_JK_JK_JK
    I like listening to ASMR videos on YouTube! 🥱

    Its just basically people whispering in your ear! It helps relax me and make me sleep! 💤😴🛌🏻
  • @jentommyontheroad8089
    Yep! Been the dreamer on one side or the other since I had the first hip replacement in 2017 and now with a wedge pillow (for acid reflux) with a hole for my arm. I sleep great now! No more reflux and wake up feeling refreshed!
  • @maureen1820
    THANK YOU!! Great Learning here for me. I take it to heart.. SO GOOD !
  • @michakrzysik83
    Does anyone from TEDx Talks verifies the content of the presentations? This one could've been one simple infographic
  • @stvinney
    As i get older i do find that the hardest part of sleeping is getting comfortable initially
    Once im into a sleep cycle i could probably stay asleep standing on my head in a room that's too cold with no blankets. Ill wake up feeling like i broke something but i can sleep
  • @mohammedirfanm2032
    This posture highly recommended by prophet Muhammad ages ago.
    However I learnt today he was right.
    Thanks ❤
  • @janestewart4667
    I have read the left side is better for you to sleep than right side due to the position of the heart and GI system. Thoughts?
  • @chkee17
    The various sleep positions can have a significant impact on one's health and well-being. It is beneficial to gain knowledge in this area.
  • @kludgescraftsplus8631
    The biggest problem I have with any of these including the soldier, which I sleep in, is the inclusion of a pillow for back sleeping. If you were to look at the soldier with his neck on the pillow from the side you'd see his head was stretched upwards. This will cause pain. The back of the head should be on the same plane as the rest of the body. A small pillow should be placed under the neck to keep the head from falling from one side to the other and focus the gaze on the ceiling. The only safe way to use a typical pillow on your back is to scoot up until your shoulders are also on the pillow. This tapers the angle onto your back and away from your neck. I have a series of pillows that I have fabricated changing designs. The most recent version which I sleep with the most often, allows me to sleep on my back primarily but have a pillow for my head on both sides of short time I spend in dreamer. I have lower back issues and I have since I was a child slept on hard floor on my back was acting up to straighten things out. The best change to that ever was to get my head on the floor as well.