After a tummy tuck, it’s important to know that you shouldn’t sleep on your stomach for at least 3 months. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that if you sleep on your stomach, the pressure of your body against the incisions can cause them to separate or even open up.
If this happened, it could cause an infection or other problems. To keep this from happening, you should also not lie down on any part of your body that is still healing. Also, you shouldn’t lift heavy things or do anything else hard for at least 6 weeks after surgery.
Read on to learn more about How Long After A Tummy Tuck Can I Sleep On My Stomach, Why Can I Not Sleep on My Stomach After Tummy Tuck Surgery and When Can I Sleep on My Stomach Following My Surgery?
How Long After A Tummy Tuck Can I Sleep On My Stomach
But a tummy tuck is a major surgery, and the muscles and tissues need time to heal and get back to normal. If you sleep on your stomach, you put too much weight and pressure on your stomach, which makes it hard for it to heal. This can hurt your muscles and make it hard to get the results you want.
After going through with a tummy tuck and spending time and money on it, the last thing you want is for your sleeping position to mess up the results or hurt you.
When will I be able to sleep on my stomach again after surgery?
You should already know that sleeping on your stomach while healing from a tummy tuck can hurt your results.
So, how long will it be before you can sleep on your back again?
After surgery, people are told not to sleep on their stomachs for at least six weeks. During those six weeks, your stomach will heal and give you the results you want. You don’t want the way you sleep to mess up this process.
It’s important to remember that everyone heals differently, and some people may need to stay off their stomachs for more than six weeks. Please talk to your surgeon about when you can sleep in the way you normally do.
What should I do if I can’t sleep on my stomach after a tummy tuck?
Since you can’t sleep on your stomach after a tummy tuck, you might be wondering how to sleep safely and comfortably. Surgeons usually tell people who just had a tummy tuck to sleep on their backs while they heal, but you may be able to sleep on your side a few weeks after surgery.
If you sleep on your back, you should use pillows to lift yourself up. This can make it easier to get used to sleeping on your back and make it more comfortable. Also, sleeping on your back stretches out your stomach, which can hurt where the incisions are.
We all enjoy our sleep. Unfortunately, many of us do not get enough of it.
Recovering from a tummy tuck is a perfect opportunity to catch up on much-needed rest. However, after tummy tuck surgery, you are required to stay off your stomach for several weeks, which can be difficult for stomach-sleepers.
During your tummy tuck recovery, you will need to find new comfortable sleeping positions that allow you to stay off your stomach.
Why Can I Not Sleep on My Stomach After Tummy Tuck Surgery?
After a tummy tuck, the best way to sleep is on your back with your legs up. A small amount of elevation under the lower back will relieve pressure on the incisions, making the patient feel better and keeping the wound from getting worse.
You might want to use a pillow to prop yourself up or buy an orthopedic wedge pillow so you can sleep well after surgery.
What if you roll over in your sleep and land on your stomach?
Most of the time, you won’t roll over in your sleep after surgery because your stomach will be tight. Even more so, this won’t happen if you sleep in a reclined position.
But if you don’t want to roll over and sleep on your stomach, you might want to put pillows or rolled-up towels on either side of you to stop you from moving.
Advice on How to Sleep After a Tummy Tuck: Try sleeping on your back.
Before the surgery, you might find it helpful to sleep on your back, especially if you usually sleep on your side or front.
There are many benefits to sleeping on your back, such as better posture, less chronic pain, and less congestion in your sinuses. After surgery, it will be easier and more comfortable if you are used to the position.
Sleep in a Recliner
You can also get used to resting in an elevated position, which is important right after surgery, if you sleep in a recliner chair. A cushioned recliner chair can make getting better more comfortable.
Wear tight-fitting clothes.
Compression clothes are a great way to keep pressure on the treatment area while you sleep so that you don’t hurt yourself. As part of your package from the CREO Clinic, you will get a compression garment.
Take your medicine for pain
You must take all of the painkillers your doctor gives you and follow his or her instructions. This will make it much easier to sleep because any pain from a tummy tuck will be easier to handle.
How to Get in and Out of Bed After an Abdominoplasty
After surgery, it’s important not to stretch the skin too much and put too much pressure on the cuts. So, the best way to get out of bed and into it is to keep your body bent and flexed. To get in, you should sit down and then use your hands to rock yourself up.
To get out, you should flex your body and keep tension while rolling slightly to one side, use your arms to get yourself into a sitting position, and then use your leg muscles to stand up. Even though it would be best to have help, you can still do it without.
When can you sleep on your stomach again after a tummy tuck?
As long as you can, you should try not to sleep on your stomach. This will help you heal faster. But most of the time, you can go back to sleeping on your stomach after 4-6 weeks, when the tightness in your abdomen has gone away.
Your surgeon will keep an eye on how you’re doing and tell you when it’s safe to sleep on your stomach again during your post-op appointments.
Does a Tummy Tuck Make Sense?
People who want a more toned and shaped stomach will benefit a lot from tummy tuck surgery. It can be helpful after losing weight or after giving birth.
Even though a tummy tuck can have short-term effects on sleep, it can be worth it because it has so many other medical and cosmetic benefits.
For many of us, sleeping on our stomach feels natural. It is when we are the most comfortable.
However, a tummy tuck is a major surgery, and it takes time for the muscles and tissues to heal and recover. Sleeping directly on your stomach puts too much weight and pressure on your abdomen, interfering with its ability to heal. This can not only damage your muscles, but it can affect your results.
After spending the time and money to undergo a tummy tuck, the last thing you want is for your sleeping position to mess up your results—or cause you pain.
When Can I Sleep on My Stomach Following My Surgery?
As you know by now, sleeping on your stomach while recovering from tummy tuck surgery can be damaging to your results.
So, how long will you have to avoid sleeping on your stomach?
It is recommended that patients avoid stomach sleeping for at least six weeks after surgery. During those six weeks, your abdomen is healing and producing your results. You do not want your sleeping position to disrupt this process.
It is important to note that some patients heal differently and may need to stay off their stomachs for more than six weeks. Please speak with your surgeon regarding when it is safe to return to your normal sleeping position.
If I Cannot Sleep on My Stomach After My Tummy Tuck, How Should I Sleep?
Since you cannot sleep on your stomach after your tummy tuck, you may be wondering what comfortable, safe sleeping position is right for you. Surgeons often recommend sleeping on your back while recovering from a tummy tuck, but you may be able to sleep on your side a few weeks after surgery.
When you sleep on your back, you should elevate yourself with pillows. This can help make sleeping on your back more comfortable and easier to get used to. Additionally, sleeping flat on your back stretches out your abdomen and can harm the incisions.