Similarly, sleeping on your left side, specifically, could help the flow of blood to your heart. When your heart pumps blood out to your body, it gets circulated and then flows back to your heart on the right side, Winter explains.
In general, the consensus seems to be that sleeping on your left side is better for most people. It may reduce GERD and sleep apnea more than sleeping on your right side. The only exception is that people with congestive heart failure or heart palpitations might benefit from sleeping on their right sides.
Lying on your left side can stimulate the vagus nerve, sending abnormal electrical signals to the heart causing palpitations. It is a harmless reaction and if it worries you, change position or avoid lying on your left side.
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.
Try relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga or deep breathing. Avoid stimulants. Caffeine, nicotine, some cold medicines and energy drinks can make the heart beat too fast or irregularly. Avoid illegal drugs.
Exercise regularly
Exercise can improve overall cardiovascular health and help restore the heart's natural rhythm. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety. Cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen the heart, which can prevent or reduce palpitations.
Studies show that many people with heart failure naturally choose to sleep on their right side and avoid sleeping on the left side. Echocardiograms of people with heart failure show that left side sleeping impacts the way the heart functions, potentially causing discomfort.
Palpitations can happen at any time, even if you're resting or doing normal activities. Although they may be startling, palpitations usually aren't serious or harmful. However, they can sometimes be related to an abnormal heart rhythm that needs medical attention.
Most of the time, they're caused by stress and anxiety, or because you've had too much caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol. They can also happen when you're pregnant. In rare cases, palpitations can be a sign of a more serious heart condition. If you have heart palpitations, see your doctor.
Stress, exercise, medication or, rarely, a medical condition can trigger them. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they're usually harmless. Rarely, heart palpitations can be a symptom of a more serious heart condition, such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), that might require treatment.
Sustained heart palpitations lasting more than 30 seconds are considered a medical emergency. They could indicate pre-existing heart diseases such as coronary artery disease or heart valve disorders.
Palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer. You may feel this in your chest, neck, or throat. Palpitations can happen at anytime, even if you are resting or doing normal activities. Although they can be unpleasant, palpitations are common and, in most cases, harmless.
Heart palpitations may also be more noticeable at night because there are fewer distractions and lower noise levels when lying in bed.
Change your sleep position.
“In heart failure patients, lateral sleep positions — on the side, left or right — can often decrease sleep apnea.” It's controversial whether the left or right side is best, says Khayat. If you have an implanted defibrillator, sleep on the opposite side.
The results from a 2003 study suggest sleeping on the right side can help people with heart conditions. In this sleeping position, sleepers may feel less pressure on their heart. The results also indicate that right side sleeping helps stabilize blood pressure and heart rate.
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 spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
But heart palpitations are common at night, and in most cases they are not signs of a medical emergency. While nighttime heart palpitations sometimes indicate a problem with the heart, they may also be caused by anxiety, caffeine, certain medications, or other factors.
Is It Bad to Sleep in Other Directions? Because your head functions like a north pole, sleeping with your body in a north-facing position is considered a worst-case scenario, according to vastu shastra. It creates tension that may lead to headaches and other health problems.
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.
Adding nutrients like magnesium, CoQ10, taurine, and L-carnitine may help in some cases. In more severe cases of heart palpitations, your doctor may suggest prescription medication like beta-blockers.
Patients can be in atrial fibrillation for many years without harm, but some patients with very little symptoms may have too rapid and irregular a rhythm present with symptoms of heart failure. There may also be some increased risk of stroke because of blood clots that can form in association with atrial fibrillation.