Potential Downsides to Sleeping on Your Side This compresses or stresses your skin, which can cause wrinkles. Sleeping on the same side for a long time can put extra pressure on the shoulder you sleep on, as well as your hips and lower back. This can cause or worsen shoulder, hip, or lower back pain.
1 Most people go to sleep in the most comfortable position they can find, but promising research is showing that some positions may be better for you than others. Side sleeping can cause or exacerbate shoulder and neck pain, and contribute to muscle imbalance.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spine and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
Side sleeping offers many benefits, from improved spinal alignment. View Source to a reduced risk of snoring. View Source , heartburn. View Source , and back pain.
Log Position
And that's great because it's good for your health. Resting on your side, with your back mostly straight, can help cut down on sleep apnea. It can also nix neck and back pain since your spine stays aligned.
Sleeping on your left side can help naturally open the airways and make breathing easier. You may also find relief if you rest on your right side, but doctors believe sleeping on your left side to be more effective. It's also the recommended sleeping position for people with sleep apnea.
This is the reason why many people complain of getting a headache when they wake up. Sleeping with your head pointing North can also disrupt your blood circulation and lead to disturbed sleep. In order to prevent such a scenario, it is better to avoid sleeping with your head facing North.
So why do women like the left? "It could come down to what side you prefer to lay on, and if you want to face your partner or not," Arezzolo says. "If you sleep on the left side of the bed and on your right side of your body, you allow yourself to be cuddled, aka the little spoon."
“Sleeping on the left side can increase circulation and is often recommended for those with heart disease or high blood pressure. This position allows for better oxygenation of the body, which may help improve cardiovascular health,” Seeley said.
Without a pillow to support the head, side and back sleepers may experience stiffness or soreness in the lumbar or cervical spine. Referred neck pain from not using a pillow may also contribute to tension headaches. Even when stomach sleepers don't use a pillow, neck pain isn't necessarily unavoidable.
Neither position is unhealthy. Back sleeping may be the best position to maintain spine alignment. We recommend side sleeping since it offers more health benefits, such as reducing pressure on the heart. Side sleeping can also reduce snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, and acid reflux symptoms.
If you sleep on your side, you can put your mind at rest about protecting the health of your brain. According to recent research, side sleeping enhances your brain's ability to eliminate the built-up waste that can lead to neurological diseases.
Try to keep the arm lower than at a right angle to your body (the lower the better normally but don't put your arm flat under your body as you will squash the shoulder). With the bad arm uppermost, use a pillow to rest the arm on.
Sleeping on the left side isn't a problem if you don't have underlying heart issues. But for people with congestive heart failure and other heart issues, it can cause discomfort and even breathing difficulties. If that sounds familiar, try turning to your right when you hit the sheets.
You May Feel Unstable in Bed
For those of us that move around a lot in our sleep, have to sleep on a slight incline, or share the bed with a heavier partner, having one leg bent up can act as an anchor to help with weight distribution and stop us from migrating around the bed.
Cons: Sleeping on the left side can put pressure on the stomach and lungs, and affect blood flow, so it is best to switch it up… or you may experience numbness in your arms from resting on one for too long.
According to vastu, the wife should sleep on the left side of her husband, for a loving and smooth relationship. 7. Positioning of mirrors is very important in a bedroom. Mirrors facing the bed should be strictly avoided.
Which direction should you sleep in Australia? According to vastu shastra and feng shui, you should avoid sleeping with your head pointed south in the southern hemisphere, so get that head pointing north, east or west.
On your back. Yes, your sleep posture can also have an impact on how well you sleep when you have anxiety. It turns out that lying on your back when you sleep reduces anxiety the most. According to health professionals, sleeping on your back is the most balanced position for your backbone.
It is best to sleep with one pillow to support your head and neck. Stacking two pillows under your head can lead to improper spinal alignment and neck pain. However, you can sleep with a second pillow or body pillow to support your body and maintain sleep posture.
People tend to subconsciously turn toward a bent arm, so keep your arms straight to avoid falling out of position. Stiff Neck: Pick a pillow that keeps your head aligned in a straight, neutral position – nothing too flat or puffy – and sleep with your hands at your side to avoid unnecessary neck pain.
To our knowledge, this study is the first to show a relationship between time spent in the supine sleep position and dementia.
'Closing your bedroom door at night offers some privacy and creates a peaceful sleeping environment. It can help to reduce noise and block out distractions from other areas of the house, such as the kitchen or living room,' she explains.