5 Things You Don't Know Are Affecting Your Posture in Portland

Posture is just about sitting up straight, right? Wrong. In every moment of your life, you are holding your body in different positions. Every position you take affects your posture. Your sleeping habits, your workout habits, and your computer chair all affect your posture, and therefore, your spinal health.

It's common to put off improving your posture until later. Once you understand the things affecting your posture though, it's easy to see that small habits can build to a better posture today. Your chiropractor in Portland can help you build those small habits.

Why Your Posture Matters in Portland

Chiropractors work with your nervous system and your musculoskeletal system. They spent years studying the body's natural alignment and the ways it affects your health. Through all this study and years of experience caring for patients, chiropractors know better than anyone else just how much your posture matters. It's not just about sitting up straight and looking nice. It's about how your weight is balanced on your body.

Think about it: your body was designed to be positioned in particular ways, with your weight distributed just so. In today's world, we spend hours upon hours sitting in awkward positions. We crane our necks over our phones to read the screens. We go to sleep at night, on cushy mattresses, and get comfortable on our stomachs.

All of these small habits are hard on our spines. When our spinal health is off, it can a variety of different health issues. This can mean headaches, back pain, vertigo, disc injuries, and pain in the limbs.

The better your posture, the better you'll feel overall.

1. Sitting With Your Legs Crossed

Women in particular have been taught to sit with their legs crossed at all times. This is actually terrible for your posture and hurts your lower back. Instead, sit with your legs bent in front of you and your feet flat on the floor. This may take some getting used to. Stick with it.

2. Not Going to the Chiropractor Right Away For Injuries

Were you in a car accident? Did you take a hard hit during your last soccer match and jar your neck? Has your knee been funny since your last run? Did you just sneeze and feel immediate pain in your lower back?

Seeking out health care right away after an injury is always best for your health and your posture. If you're suffering in pain or limping through it, hoping that it will go away, don't! The sooner you seek care, the better.

3. The Way You Sleep

Are you sleeping on your back? Good. Are you sleeping on your side? Work toward sleeping on your back. Are you sleeping on your stomach? Work toward sleeping on your side, and then eventually, your back.

We spend multiple hours every day sleeping. The posture you hold while you're asleep will affect your standing posture. This can take a lot to get used to. Start off by simply doing your best to fall asleep in a new position. Stick with it. Over time, your body will get there. If you're having troubles, talk to your chiropractor for more tips.

4. Your Texting Habits

You need to hold your phone up at eye level. It may seem harmless. It feels like you're only looking at your phone for a few minutes. However, today chiropractors continue to see people with what is now being called "text neck". This is where the shoulders are rounded forward and the head dips down. This is terrible posture, bad for your health, and gets worse with time.

5. Not Taking Breaks During the Day

Your break doesn't need to be long, but it should be frequent. Set an alarm on your phone or your computer to off every hour. Then, simply stand and stretch for three minutes. Ideally, you will also work a healthy exercise routine into your day. These brief stretching breaks are also an opportunity to adjust how you're sitting. Put your feet flat on the floor when you sit back down. Sit up straight. Make sure your computer screen is at eye level. With time, these natural adjustments will lead to results in your posture you'll be able to see.

Do you have more questions about improving your posture? Talk to your Portland chiropractor at North Portland Wellness Group today. They're experts in helping you improve your posture and your spinal health for the long term.