I've been asked if I could recommend a back support belt for sleeping, or just something that will hold everything in place while the person sleeps. My immediate response is to ask why they are looking for such an item. If the intention is to wear this device every night for as long as they can, I see this as a problem just waiting to happen.

If the back support belt is used only temporarily to get someone through a tough spot, then certainly a back support belt for sleeping may be a good tool to use... with caution. You simply cannot expect to wear a posture support for extended periods of time (more than a few days) without beginning to cause yourself harm.

How can wearing a back support belt for sleeping hurt you? Or will wearing the belt only help?

Usually, the easiest analogy is to compare wearing a back support to wearing a cast after a broken arm. If you've ever seen someone's arm once the cast is removed (after a period of at least several weeks), what happens? The muscles have atrophied or gotten smaller and are now weaker then the muscles on the other arm.

They become weak and atrophied from lack of use. You have to use the muscles in order to make them grow stronger. If muscles aren't required to work, especially for extended periods, they steadily become weaker and weaker.

If you find that you really need a back support belt for sleeping, you should use it only on a temporary basis until you can figure out how to end your back pain or the reason for wearing it in the first place. I know you need your sleep, and the posture support can help, but using it long term will create a dependence on it.

You'll find that not only can't you sleep without the posture support belt at night, but you may need another one for use during the day.

There are other certainly many other possible options to solving your back or posture problem.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com