Sleep on Your Side, Stomach, or Back?
Getting a good night’s sleep is important if we want to be productive and happy. Our bodies have been telling us this for years and so have countless sleep studies. Now we’re learning that it’s not just the quality of sleep we get that is vital to our well-being, it’s also the sleep positions we choose.
According to the latest research, sleeping on our side – as opposed to our back or stomach – could be a healthier position for our brain. If we sleep on our side it allows our brain to clear out waste while we are resting.
Researchers from Stony Brook University used an MRI to monitor what is called the brain’s glymphathic pathway. This is the system that takes waste out of our brains. The researchers discovered this system works best when people sleep on their sides. Neurologists say brain waste can include proteins that make up the plaque linked to Alzheimer’s disease. This means that sleeping style could be a factor in developing such neurological diseases.The heart has received the most attention when it comes to sleeping. While there is no clear evidence to suggest sleeping on your right side is better if you are generally in good health, it has been shown that people with chronic heart issues do better sleeping on their right side, as opposed to their left. Studies have indicated that lying on the right reduces heart rate and blood pressure, which are beneficial, especially when dealing with heart conditions. Just exactly why this happens is still under investigation; however, some medical researchers suspect when the right side is down, the heart is in a “superior position,” making it much easier to pump blood out.
Sleep specialists estimate that we spend one-third of our lives sleeping, so taking a look at current sleep positions and the possible health implications isn’t a bad idea for all of us. The National Sleep Foundation and many orthopedic surgeons tell us that 80 percent of the population will have back or neck problems at some point in our lives, often due to the way we sleep.
Sources:
http://www.prevention.com/health/sleeping-position-and-health
http://www.today.com/health/how-your-sleep-position-can-impact-your-health-t38576
http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/news/general/150804sleeping.php
https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/31/11034http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1130618
Reprinted with permission from Bel Marra Health.
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