Edited by Carolyn Kent – Women’s Football Hub
When we talk about athlete recovery, we often focus on the things they do while awake: nutrition, strength and conditioning, mobility work, psychological preparation. But there’s something that consumes roughly a third of our lives and that might be overlooked even by high-level athletes and physios: sleep posture.
In a recent episode of the Women’s Football Hub Podcast, host Carolyn Kent sat down with two very different but complementary guests: Louise Rogerson, a neurological physiotherapist and Chief Clinical Officer at Levitex, and Katy Marchant, Team GB track cyclist, Olympic Gold Medalist and world-record holder. Together, they unpacked what sleep posture really means, why it matters, and how even small changes can lead to big improvements in recovery, pain, and performance.
What is Sleep Posture?
As Louise explains, when we talk about sleep posture, it’s not just the position you’re in during the night it’s the position you settle in, the “num num moment” as she calls it, that final snuggle-down just before falling asleep. This is the one you can actually control.
While sleep posture is often dismissed as something you can’t change, Louise challenges this idea. She argues that, just as physiotherapists focus on seated and standing posture, they should consider lying posture too especially given its impact on muscle relaxation. In her neurological physio practice, achieving comfortable, relaxed postures for patients is essential. She suggests the same principles apply to everyone, from athletes to the general public.
Katy’s Athlete Perspective: From Skepticism to Transformation
Katy Marchant describes herself as having once been a “good sleeper” who clocked 10 solid hours each night—so she didn’t see any reason to change. Despite that, she struggled with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain, something she wrote off as just the price of being an elite cyclist.
It wasn’t until a teammate introduced her to the idea of sleep posture that she realised how she slept might be part of the problem. After working with the Levitex team, Katy made one simple change: placing a pillow between her knees and ankles when sleeping on her side. That change significantly reduced her SIJ pain, improved her sleep quality, and ultimately supported better training and performance.
As Katy put it:
“It’s about controlling what you can control. I can’t change the mattress at the Crowne Plaza in the middle of Hong Kong. But I can change how I fall asleep.”
Recommended Sleep Positions
Louise doesn’t claim there’s one “perfect” way to sleep. Instead, she suggests avoiding positions that are more likely to cause or exacerbate back and neck pain. She outlines two evidence-informed “good” options:
- The Dreamer: Side sleeping with a supportive pillow under the head (filling the gap between ear and shoulder), plus a pillow between the knees and ankles to keep the hips aligned and reduce rotation. Hugging a pillow can also help keep you on your side.
- The Soldier: Back sleeping with a thin pillow under the head and a pillow under the knees to encourage muscle relaxation.
Front sleeping? Not so great. Both Louise and Katy note that it can contribute to neck and back pain—and that changing this habit might take practice, but it’s possible with deliberate, repeated effort.
Evidence and Challenges
Research on sleep posture is tricky: bringing people into sleep labs can itself change how they sleep. But there is evidence linking certain positions to higher rates of waking with pain, or worsening conditions like sleep apnoea and even bruxism (teeth grinding).
Louise also points out the problem with relying solely on wearables for sleep data:
“They’re great, but they can make people obsessed with numbers. How you actually feel in the morning is the best measure.”
For Physios, Coaches, and Athletes
One of the most interesting parts of the conversation was around the culture in sport. Katy explained that, as an athlete, her support team was obsessed with optimising everything she did while awake—her training, nutrition, even pre-sleep routines like blue-light blocking. But nobody asked the simple question:
“How do you fall asleep at night?”
This missing piece, she says, is both incredibly simple and potentially transformative. And Louise agrees, suggesting physios should be more comfortable asking about sleep posture—because it can be changed.
Travelling, Injuries, and Adapting
Elite athletes travel constantly. Katy shared how she brings her travel pillow everywhere but also emphasises that no hotel mattress can be controlled—only her own posture can.
For those recovering from injuries (like Carolyn’s own ACL surgeries), Louise recommends thinking about sleep posture in the context of avoiding positions that might irritate healing joints or provoke muscle tightness. And she has a critical tip: practice your new sleep posture while awake. Waiting until you’re exhausted at bedtime rarely works.
Advice for Young Athletes
Katy’s advice for younger athletes? Don’t be dismissive or assume sleeping longer means sleeping better. Sleep posture is a learned habit—and the earlier you build it, the easier it is to maintain. She also encouraged athletes to open the conversation with coaches and physios: sleep deserves the same attention as training load and nutrition.
Simple Steps to Improve Your Sleep Posture
Louise’s practical tips include:
✅ Assess your bed and pillow setup.
✅ Choose the right position for you (side or back).
✅ Use pillows strategically (under head, between knees/ankles, or under knees).
✅ Practice it before bedtime.
✅ Be patient and consistent—it’s a learned skill.
The Big Takeaway: Control the Controllables
Katy summed it up best: “Control the controllables.” You can’t fix everything, especially in sport where travel, stress, and competition create chaos. But choosing how you settle to sleep is something you can control.
If you’re a physiotherapist, coach, athlete, or just someone wanting better sleep, this conversation is a powerful reminder that small, evidence-informed changes can make a big difference.
So tonight, before you drift off, ask yourself: How am I settling to sleep?
It just might change everything.
This blog was generated with the assistance of ChatGPT, then checked and edited by the podcast host.
Women's Football Hub 
Leave a comment