I have been trying to train myself to sleep other ways, because I get vertigo (positional) and I choke if I lay any other way but on my right side. My body gets so sore sleeping the same way all the time (been doing this for about 10 yrs now, 12+hrs a day), so I am trying to learn to ignore the vertigo and live with the choking . . .

I was mentioning to my neuro a few weeks ago, that I notice that when I sleep on my back, my hands are more numb when I wake up. She said "perhaps sleep another way then".

I too have cervical lesions, that cause l'hirmettes when I bend my neck forward, and cause a warm flushing feeling on my right side of my body when I turn to the right. She said that the numbness in my hands is another l'hirmettes-type thing, causing numbness to my hands. She asked if my pillow is high, which it has been slightly . . . so that I don't choke as much. She said that angle of my neck (combined with the lesions) could be causing the numbness when I wake up.

Her suggestion has helped with the numbness (but not for choking ), and I am using a flatter pillow when I sleep on my back now.

So, it seems very possible that the pressure, or weight, or sleeping position (+ C-spine lesions) can cause these symptoms. Maybe you could try adjusting things to see if it changes the outcome.

Cherie