A chiropractor says we should never sleep on our stomachs

If you're a stomach sleeper, chances are you're not getting the best possible night of rest.

"It's the worst thing," New York chiropractor Dr. Jan Lefkovitz of Body in Balance Chiropractic told Business insider. "You should never sleep on your stomach - it creates rotation in your spine."

Unless you rest with your head face down into the pillow, you're probably turning your head to one side and that can put a lot of strain on your neck and cause misalignment problems, according to Dr. Lefkovitz.

"If you sleep 8 hours a night that's a 1/3 of your day, so you're spending a 1/3 of your life with your spine completely rotated," he explained to us, adding that it can cause severe back and neck pain.

If you are sleeping on your stomach, the easiest way to transition is to start sleeping on your side.

Dr. Lefkovitz also recommends investing in a full length body pillow.

"That's a really, really good way to get off your stomach because it will block you from turning onto your stomach," he said. "Put one end between your knees from your ankle to your knee and the rest of the pillow should go to the front of your body and you can rest your top arm on it."

This position will allow the pillow to keep you on your side and stop you if you try and roll over. Plus, for anyone who has lower back pain, having a pillow between your knees will align your hips and prevents your pelvis from rotating and collapsing.