Healthiest Sleep Position

In order to maximize good health, you may want to select the healthiest sleep position.  This is just small aspect that can affect illness and injury.  The ways in which the healthiest sleep position can help is mostly preventative. Proactively seeking the healthiest sleep position is one of many tasks on the journey to a healthy lifestyle.  To maximize the benefits, maintain proper diet and exercise regularly.  Also capitalize on good sleep practices.  That means more than simply sleeping in the healthiest sleep position, it means getting adequate sleep on a regular schedule.  Sleep positioning can help many health-related issues.  There is a healthiest sleep position for digestion, sleep apnea with snoring, asthma, lymph health, spine health and acid reflux.

Healthiest Sleep Position for You: Right Side, Left Side, Back or Stomach?

The healthiest sleep position for you may not be the healthiest for someone else.  Though we all mostly have the same basic body structure, we have differences in body types and sizes.  Most of the information you will find is generic and applies to average circumstances.  If you already suffer from a certain medical condition, the healthiest sleep position may be one that addresses it.  One sleeping position’s benefits may be significantly more valuable for someone with sleep apnea or other breathing related issues.  Similarly, pregnancy may influence the health benefits of a sleeping position.  Another thing to consider is that you might not want to sleep in the same position every night.  Moderation may help you sleep better when it comes to the healthiest sleep position.  Research performed by the University of California linked sleeping in the same position nightly to recurrent kidney stones.

Healthiest Sleep Position for Back Pain and Sleep Posture

Provided there are no current illnesses or injuries to consider, choose the healthiest sleep position for spinal alignment.  Consider where your back pain originates as well as factors like body weight and type.  Generally, those who suffer from back pain will want to sleep on the back or side.  The key here is to place the body in a neutral position which evenly allocates body weight.  Finding which position does this best for you will help to get rid of any pressure points that you encounter.  A flat mattress will most likely necessitate the use of pillows to achieve this goal.  To achieve the healthiest sleep position concerning sleep posture, you will also need to reach the neutral position.  Neck and back pain are often made worse because of straining the muscles or joints along the spine during sleep.  For correct sleep posture, sleeping on your back is usually the best.  This is of course if you also use a pillow beneath the neck and lower limbs.

 

Healthiest Sleep Position for Heartburn and Digestion

If you struggle with heartburn that worsens at night, the healthiest sleep position for you is sleeping facing left.  In the absence of an incline available by adjustable bed, this position may help the most.  That’s because of the prolonged acid clearance of sleeping on the right side.  Gravity works to your advantage when you sleep on the left.  This reduces the average reflux time as well as average acid clearance according to an analysis of 2039 related trials.  Additionally, the lymphatic system works best when sleeping on your left side.  This might also be a result of gravity assistance.  The lymphatic system drains left and works to remove toxins from the body.  Concerning digestion, side sleepers have a lower chance of intestinal disorders.

Healthiest Sleep Position in Pregnancy

With the obvious comfort issues of being pregnant, the heathiest sleep position for pregnant women will be on the side.  Any other positioning would put pressure on mother’s organs, causing breathing issues and more.  The preferred side to sleep on is the left side because sleeping on the right may restrict blood flow through the vena cava.  This flow is essential so that nutrients can reach the baby.  The vein runs alongside the right of the spine so left-sided sleeping prevents any pressure from cutting off the supply.  Now, in the early stages of pregnancy, this might not be the ideal position.  Assess any other medical concerns and talk to your OBGYN.  Other medical concerns that require a different sleep position may take priority.

Other Suggestions for Healthiest Sleep Position

• Sniffles got you down? Try sleeping with head pillow support.  This position may give you relief from a stuffy nose by allowing for drainage.
• Do not sleep on your stomach. Many medical professionals in several health fields discourage sleeping on the stomach.  It can restrict breathing, put pressure on organs and even cause facial wrinkles.
• The healthiest sleep position for sleep apnea is on the side since it is the least restrictive of airways. Also, inclining an adjustable base can help you with this issue as well.