Positioning your bed in line with the door is the worst possible position, according to the principles of Feng shui. People who practice Feng shui call it the 'dead man's position' or the 'coffin position' because the feet or head face the door and resemble how we carry the dead through open doors from the house.
Vastu Shastra's best position to sleep is head facing south. This means, while lying down, your head should point towards the south, and your feet pointing to north.
Lay on your bed like you typically would at night, if your toes point towards a door, you have to move your bed's placement immediately. Feng Shui experts explain that your bed facing a door (be it the main bedroom door or a balcony door) is bad luck because the door will “pull” your energy away from you as you sleep.
Because most beds are not on the wall with the door. The head board goes against a wall so the bed is placed on the other 3 walls and foot of the bed will usually face the door.
If you catch yourself or other movements in the reflection it can be difficult for the brain to switch off and go to sleep. This can cause problems like “sleep paralysis” (also known as a hypnagogic hallucination), a condition which causes sufferers to feel as though they are between a sleeping and waking state.
Sleeping with socks on may not be for you if you have circulatory issues, swelling of the feet, or other issues that could potentially increase the likelihood of socks restricting blood flow to your legs and feet. As always, make sure to talk to your doctor about if sleeping with socks on is right for you.
"Simply put, hair is at its most vulnerable when wet. Sleeping with wet hair can lead to a host of problems for the scalp: unwanted bacteria, fungal infections, skin irritation, itchiness, dryness, redness, and dandruff," says hairstylist Miko Branch, co-founder of hair care brand Miss Jessie's Original.
If you stick out your feet out of your blanket in the winter season then it might make you feel cold and you might have to get the feet back inside your blankets, this can eventually lead to disturbance in sleep.
Research from UL's Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FRSI) shows that closing your bedroom door helps prevent a fire from spreading, lessens smoke damage and could even save lives.
Important Safety Tips
Leaving doors closed also gives you some time to figure out an escape, call 911, or wait for firefighters to find you if you can't leave a room. In addition to keeping doors closed at night, don't forget other important fire safety rules.
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.
Italian beds are never placed with the bottom of the bed facing the bedroom door. This is because the dead are carried out feet first from the home, and the foot of the bed pointing towards an open door is bad omen. Placing hats on the bed is another old taboo, because it is supposed to bring bad luck.
Best sleeping direction in the southern hemisphere
One can sleep with the head pointing towards any direction except the south direction. Thus, as per Vastu Shastra, the sleeping direction recommended for southern hemisphere is North, East and West.
Worst direction to sleep
This is because “sleeping towards the north makes the positive pole of earth coincide with the positive pole of our body, which repels each other. You will, thus, have nightmares and disturbed sleep,” Dr Gopinath explained.
People generally consider positioning a queen-sized, king-sized, or double bed against the center of a wall right opposite the entrance of the room. In this arrangement, the headboard is located right at the center of the space. This placement works well in a room with a square layout.
Sleeping with an open window can negatively impact your health as well. While cold air itself can't make you sick — colds and flus occur because germs overwhelm a person's immune system — it can potentially dry out nasal cavities, resulting in increased mucus production and a possible sinus infection.
In a recent study, Canha and colleagues found that closed doors and windows led to higher levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other substances such as formaldehyde. “Sleep is essential to our life in several areas: health, well-being and productivity,” Canha told Reuters Health by email.
For example, co-sleeping can increase the feelings of comfort and companionship your dog provides. Co-sleeping with your dog can also ease anxiety and provide a feeling of safety and security. Your light-sleeping canine will alert you to anything out of the ordinary, so you can rest easy through the night.
Reduces back and hip pain
Putting a pillow between your knees or thighs has the potential to help you maintain the natural alignment of your hips and pelvis while you sleep. This improved alignment may help take the strain off inflamed ligaments or muscles that are causing your discomfort.
Sleeping Position: with One Leg Up
"Not only does it take pressure off your pelvis, but it can also help stabilize the leg that keeps moving upward during sleep."
According to Vastu Shastra, it is good to sleep with your head in the east direction, while one should never sleep with the feet towards the east, that is, with the head in the west.
Sleeping without a pillow can help some people who sleep on their stomach, but it is not a good idea for everyone. People who sleep on their side or back will usually find that sleeping without a pillow puts pressure on their neck. By doing this, it can ruin a person's quality of sleep and lead to neck and back pain.
How Much Should You Wash? For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
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.
Improved sleep quality
Sleeping naked certainly removes any possibility of pajama-induced overheating interfering with a good night's rest. It's the absolute final move in shedding layers to stay cool. “There's no question that cooler is better than warmer for overall sleeping,” says Dr. Drerup.