Learning to sleep on your back

I'm a lifelong side sleeper, but it turned out to aggravate my chronic back problems. I'm also a nighttime thrasher, which made changing how I sleep a challenge. Here's how I finally turned myself into a back sleeper!

1. Elevate the feet. I already had an adjustable bedframe, but a pillow would do just fine.

2. Create a pillow barrier. I make my Buffy Wiggle pillow into a U-shape with the bottom of the U running behind my knees. This creates a barrier on either side that I can't just push away in my sleep, since my body weight anchors it. The Buffy pillow is especially good for this as you can smoosh the filling around to create a low spot where your legs go.

3. Use a weighted blanket. The idea is to turn yourself into a sort of human pot pie, where you can move comfortably inside your barrier, but there's a heavy topping keeping you from just rolling straight over it. Mine is from Bearaby; in the cooler months, I top it with a furry throw to retain heat and add a bit more weight.

4. Try a buckwheat neck pillow (bolster style). If you have a short neck like me, choose one where you can adjust the fill, or search for ones designed for short people. It took me about three days to adapt and now I can't imagine going back.

5. Add a weighted eye mask. I tried a Nodpod thanks to Rec League, and it turned out to be the magic missing piece. The weight on my face puts me straight to sleep, and it feels so good that I want to stay on my back so that it doesn't fall off.

Getting myself settled in bed is now a bit of a ritual, but the outcome is so much better for my body - and I actually enjoy the process as a way of slowing down and telling my body it's time to rest.