Poor posture gives your spine inadequate support. This lack of support puts stress on the muscles around the spine, and this added stress leads to constricted blood vessels and nerves. All of this can lead to an increase in your risk for spinal problems, including pain and slipped disks, and it can lead to health issues in other areas of your body.
Proper Posture
Poor posture can stem from a number of things, including a poorly designed workspace or repetitively carrying a heavy backpack. A healthy spine has a slight "S" curve on a vertical plane. The curve at the bottom -- just above your buttocks -- is called a lordotic curve. The slight outward curve of the thoracic vertebrae at rib level is called a kyphotic curve. A condition known as "swayback" or lordosis is the result of too much lordotic curving. A condition called "flatback" manifests as a reduction in the lordotic curve. All of these not only cause back issues, but can cause other issues that affect your health, as well.
Tension Headache
Although the exact cause of tension headaches is unknown, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports that it is known that maintaining poor posture while seated or standing for long periods of time is a common trigger for tension headaches. In the workplace, people sit or stand for many hours at a time in the same position. A workstation not ergonomically adjusted to your measurements can cause poor posture throughout your workday. Sleeping in an awkward position can also trigger tension headaches.
Snoring
A narrowing of your airway causes snoring while you sleep. Poor sleeping posture can cause your tongue to contribute to the narrowing of your airway. You can try to correct your sleeping posture by lying on your side or raising the head of your bed slightly. If these suggestions don't work, try other sleeping positions and propping up different parts of your body with an assortment of pillows to find a position that does not narrow your airway.
TMJ
Having poor posture can aggravate temporomandibular joint disorders. This health condition commonly referred to as TMJ affects the muscles around your jaw that help you chew. Sitting at the computer all day, head leaning forward, causes bad posture, strains the muscles of your face and neck and may aggravate TMJ.
References
- MedlinePlus: TMJ Disorders
- Spine-Health: Good Posture Helps Reduce Back Pain
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Headaches -- Tension -- Causes
- American College of Sports Medicine: Children Carrying Heavy Pack Packs Risk Poor Posture, Injury
- Helpguide.org: Sleep Disorders and Problems
- Spine-Health: Lordosis
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