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Posture, Snoring, Breathing, and Flexibility
Talka
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Four questions that I suspect are all somewhat related:
1) I want to improve my posture, in part because slouching is unattractive but mainly because my back has been sore ever since I started spending ten hours a day sitting in an office chair. The past two weeks I've tried to spend my days at work sitting in what I had read was the correct posture: with the spine bent in the correct three places, the lower back supported by the base of the backrest, my shoulders and ears level with my hips, and my feet on the floor. However, even though I'm not tensing any muscles and nothing feels particularly strained, it's exhausting, and I inevitably go back to slouching after twenty minutes. Is this just a willpower and practice thing, or am I probably doing something wrong? Can I reasonably expect any improvement in appearance and back comfort if I stick to this long enough? Also, what's the correct posture for standing, walking, and sleeping, and how can I know if I'm doing any of these things correctly?
2) Speaking of sleeping: I snore. Loudly. Which is a problem whenever I sleep around other people, whether it's with a girl, crashing at a friend's place, or just dozing off during a lecture. I also drool, which gets embarrassing. I suspect these things might be beyond my control, but if there's a "better" way to sleep I'd love to know it (perhaps this will also improve my posture and help with my back pain. For the record, I just recently moved to a much firmer mattress, which might be affecting things). I don't think I can remember ever having gotten particularly "good" sleep; even when I'm out for twelve hours I never really feel rested, and I always seem to wake up with a dry mouth and a clogged nose.
3) Similarly, is there a "proper" way to breathe? I ask because I'm so used to sitting with terrible posture that I actually feel almost... dizzy or winded when I sit up straight, as if my airflow has completely changed and suddenly I'm getting more/less air per breathe or it's headed somewhere else than it used to go. I got my nose broken a few years back and I had surgery to correct a deviated septum, but even still I feel like one of my nostrils is always slightly clogged. Also, whenever I breathe in deeply in my new "correct" posture, my back cracks. Not in a loud or painful way (actually, it feels kinda' good), but there's a very, very soft crink every few breathes, like a smaller version of that feeling you get when you stretch your back out after a long road trip and you hear a bunch of cracks. Should I be worried?
4) This last one is unrelated, but I figured I'd ask anyways. What's the best way to get more flexible, short of joining a yoga class? I'm not in terrible shape, but I've never been particularly flexible. Ideally I'd like to be able to sit cross-legged (or even in some sort of lotus position), but I don't really know how to improve my flexibility and if I try to force the correct position it feels like I'm going to injure my knees.
All in all, my body feels lethargic and sore and poorly rested. I would appreciate some help or advice with any of these problems, or even just more general advice on how to get my body to feel more awake and... well, "good."
1) I want to improve my posture, in part because slouching is unattractive but mainly because my back has been sore ever since I started spending ten hours a day sitting in an office chair. The past two weeks I've tried to spend my days at work sitting in what I had read was the correct posture: with the spine bent in the correct three places, the lower back supported by the base of the backrest, my shoulders and ears level with my hips, and my feet on the floor. However, even though I'm not tensing any muscles and nothing feels particularly strained, it's exhausting, and I inevitably go back to slouching after twenty minutes. Is this just a willpower and practice thing, or am I probably doing something wrong? Can I reasonably expect any improvement in appearance and back comfort if I stick to this long enough? Also, what's the correct posture for standing, walking, and sleeping, and how can I know if I'm doing any of these things correctly?
2) Speaking of sleeping: I snore. Loudly. Which is a problem whenever I sleep around other people, whether it's with a girl, crashing at a friend's place, or just dozing off during a lecture. I also drool, which gets embarrassing. I suspect these things might be beyond my control, but if there's a "better" way to sleep I'd love to know it (perhaps this will also improve my posture and help with my back pain. For the record, I just recently moved to a much firmer mattress, which might be affecting things). I don't think I can remember ever having gotten particularly "good" sleep; even when I'm out for twelve hours I never really feel rested, and I always seem to wake up with a dry mouth and a clogged nose.
3) Similarly, is there a "proper" way to breathe? I ask because I'm so used to sitting with terrible posture that I actually feel almost... dizzy or winded when I sit up straight, as if my airflow has completely changed and suddenly I'm getting more/less air per breathe or it's headed somewhere else than it used to go. I got my nose broken a few years back and I had surgery to correct a deviated septum, but even still I feel like one of my nostrils is always slightly clogged. Also, whenever I breathe in deeply in my new "correct" posture, my back cracks. Not in a loud or painful way (actually, it feels kinda' good), but there's a very, very soft crink every few breathes, like a smaller version of that feeling you get when you stretch your back out after a long road trip and you hear a bunch of cracks. Should I be worried?
4) This last one is unrelated, but I figured I'd ask anyways. What's the best way to get more flexible, short of joining a yoga class? I'm not in terrible shape, but I've never been particularly flexible. Ideally I'd like to be able to sit cross-legged (or even in some sort of lotus position), but I don't really know how to improve my flexibility and if I try to force the correct position it feels like I'm going to injure my knees.
All in all, my body feels lethargic and sore and poorly rested. I would appreciate some help or advice with any of these problems, or even just more general advice on how to get my body to feel more awake and... well, "good."
Talka on
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and really you just gotta try to remember
You really sound like you just have to get healthier, because good health will improve everything there
On the sleeping thing - my girlfriend has said that often in my sleep I'll stop breathing, and then make like choking sounds, and suddenly start breathing again. This is a well known condition called Sleep-apnoea, and if you have it badly, you'll go through life never getting any real rest.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Sleep-apnoea/Pages/Introduction.aspx
That site has some info on it. I haven't taken a step of going as far as getting diagnosed and getting treatment. It seems related to being over-weight and drinking too much, both of which I am trying to put a stop to with a fitness regime and healthier eating.
On the flexibility and exercise issue - I play sports and am finding at the ripe old age of 28 I need to stretch properly before and after exercise. In terms of improving your flexibility, you need to devise stretches and just work on them, building into the habit of stretching as part of a daily routine. Yoga would definitely help here. I'm currently swimming for 30 mins every morning in our local pool and both before and afterwards I spend some time gently stretching my groin, calves, arms, and hamstrings. It's a long battle if you're starting from nothing, but you get quick gains if you're disciplined and you persevere.
1) Posture does not need to be an "all or nothing" thing. Sitting/standing up straight for half a day is fantastic, and most people relax for a large portion of the day, even those in shape. For sitting, your back should be straight, shoulders truly at the sides of your body. In most chairs you should feel support at the base of your back and behind your shoulder blades. For standing, if you have bad posture, an easy fix is to stand with your hands folded behind your back, as this pulls your shoulders back.
2) You can't control yourself much when you sleep, but if you snore loudly it's usually related to weight/fat. Most people snore occasionally, but it's light. A loud, deep snore is usually caused by the fat in your neck constricting your windpipe.
3) The proper way to breath is through your nose in neither deep nor shallow breaths. You should breath from your chest, not your stomach (like on your back and your chest should move, your stomach should remain still). And yes, I'm sure everyone who reads this is suddenly self-conscious about how they're breathing.
4) Most dudes are less flexible anyway. You would do better to up your flexibility through exercise rather than plain "flexibility training," as having flexible joints without strong muscles to support that flexibility is just asking for injury.
I think i have periodic limb movement or whatever disorder. Lately i've been spasming myself awake a few times a night. It's really damn annoying and i'm worried i'm going to elbow my GF in the face involuntarily or something.
The only way to be more flexible is to stretch, although there are ways to stretch that can harm you. I'm not an expert on this so this is all I will say.
But really, just zoning out for a few minutes on it will do you a world of good. And it feels awesome when you're done.
If he has apnea, yeah there can be a couple causes. But being overweight also causes it, as this website (and others, searching for "sleep apnea fat throat") points out:
"Fat deposition between your chin and "Adam’s apple" may be responsible for pushing your tongue closer to your soft palate, a key area of obstruction." In other words the fat is what's causing the problem, vs. a general "this is closing just because."
That's fine, but you don't point out how to properly breath. If you completely disagree, you're saying you should breath entirely through your mouth and entirely using your stomach. Which my physical therapist, who treated me when I had back pain due to bad posture, corrected me on (well, I already breathed through my nose).
As with every health advice thread, we don't have doctors diagnosing people. I had back pain every morning, often waking me up, and went to the doctor. She said my problem appeared to be posture, and sent me to a physical therapist. The therapist concurred -- my posture was bad, leading to underdeveloped back muscles, and other myriad problems. We worked and stretched on everything for 10 weeks, giving me exercises to do at home and methods for ensuring that my posture was improved. And it definitely worked -- my posture is much better, and while I still occasionally wake up with back pain, it's significantly improved from how bad it was before.
As far as the apnea, while it can be caused by obesity and heightened by alcohol/sedatives, those aren't the only causes and reducing weight and cutting back on the alcohol are great ideas, but not necessarily total solutions. I was diagnosed with osa back in January, and I'm 6'2 (and a half! heh) and my weight fluctuates from 187-202 lbs at any given time. I rarely drink more than once a week, and take no sedatives of any kind. And I get virtually no refreshment from sleep unless I use the CPAP machine I was set up with. Wearing a mask while sleeping sucks, and I rather hate it, but the benefit of getting actual quality sleep is worth it.
Everything I've been taught on proper breathing is through the nose and into the stomach. If you watch a baby breathing, their stomach will rise and fall. This is what you want.
I don't have any of my books on hand, so I can't quote and go into details as to why this is.
However, for posture, chest breathing should feel natural and easy. If you're slouched over, and try to breath with your chest, it feels shallow and labored. If you have good posture, you should be able to take a deep breath with your chest and have it feel, well, good. Because your muscle and bone structure helps your lungs do their thing, I guess.
I've heard good things about using a stability ball as an office chair.
You have to make sure to get one that fits you.
Note, I have not tried this myself, and can't vouch for it personally. I'll probably keep suggesting it though until someone tries it and gives me feedback.
I actually only seem to do the PLMD thing when my girlfriend is sleeping over. It's weird. unless i'm just not waking myself up completely when she's not there.
I think i do need to go to get a sleep study done. I break out in a sweat a lot while i'm sleeping as well. i don't know what the hell that means. like, i need to change my shirt, and move to the other side of the bed sweat. i'm not even sick!!
I've got about 30 pounds on you, but your problem may be similar to my posture problems then. In my case it was simply because I had bad posture and hadn't worked any muscles that helped maintain good posture.
I had a series of shoulder/back exercises, such as laying on the floor or over a ball and putting your arms up straight, next to your ears. You should be laying on your stomach. Then lift your arms off the ground, using your back/shoulder muscles, keeping your arms straight. Hold for 4 seconds, relax for 4 seconds, and repeat for a full minute.
Take a break, put your arms straight out like a T, and do the same thing. Then put your arms at your sides and do the same thing again.
That was my main exercise while I was undergoing physical therapy. That won't address the snoring, but it might help your back pain and will definitely help your posture.
I've received breath training from many different schools of thought - voice teachers, acting coaches, athletic trainers, Buddhist monks, and an Alexander Technique teacher (a practice that is specifically about about proper posture and how one breathes). No matter who has tried to teach me the 'proper' way to breathe, the goal was to shift the focus lower, so that the stomach (the diaphragm, actually, but 'stomach' is an easy way to describe how low it should be situated) expands with each breath and moves back in on the out-breath.
Without pulling out specific books, I'll direct you a few places. The American Medical Student Association recommends diaphramagtic breathing techniques. Any school of yoga worth a lick of salt will encourage diaphragmatic or 'deep' breathing. I have never heard of someone encouraging chest-breathing as proper technique.
As for the posture thing, the firm mattress will probably help rather than hinder. Get into a regular exercise program, which will help strengthen your muscles to help maintain posture, and may help with the flexibility if you stretch properly. Be sure to pay attention to your body and maintain proper posture while exercising. The rest is really just practice. Keep attention to you posture. If you find yourself slipping a bit, just straighten up. And keep at it. Really practice makes perfect. There really aren't any tricks to help in the long run.
Can't really help on the breathing thing, although theoretically maintaining proper posture will probably help a lot.
Due to that thread I actually got one for my desk. It definitely forces you to have better posture, at least it has in the little time I've used it. And just bouncing while on it and using the computer I can feel some activity in my abs. You need to work up to a full day of sitting though, I still only use it for short periods.
It is very very hard on your heart. My buddy's dad passed away in the same way John Ritter did (his aerotic valve literally split in half).
He survived (which has a 10% survival rate), but died due to complications from the surgery later that year.
So, in short, get your sleep apnea looked into. It might benefit you in the long run.