It’s not a secret that a night of good sleep makes you feel better and gives you enough energy to handle a daily routine.
However, only a few know that the main secret of quality sleeping is the pose. Today, I’ll help you figure out which side is better for sleep and why it is recommended.
How to Choose a Proper Sleeping Pose
Many of you may be surprised that this topic deserves so much attention. People usually think that the main thing is just to fall asleep, and rarely consider the position.
We just go to bed, without even for a second thinking about what position we will take.
Actually, sleeping positions are very important, and a properly chosen pose can prevent many health problems. For example, here’s what a sleeping pose affects:
- Blood supply to the brain;
- Spine stability;
- Hormones production;
- The elasticity of joints and ligaments;
- Oxygen supply and breathing efficiency;
- Muscle tissue functioning and recovery;
- Heartbeat and blood pressure;
- Cellular metabolism and digestion.
The crucial factor of choosing a sleeping side or a position generally is its efficiency concerning your organs’ normal functioning. It means that during sleeping time, your organism should not change its working rhythms.
So, if you slept for 7-8 hours straight and woke up like you didn’t sleep at all, you have to solve this issue immediately.
One of the most important aspects is maintaining the stability of the spine. Any chiropractor will confirm that the spinal cord is directly connected to all major organs.
If the spine is damaged or communication between the brain and the body is disrupted, chronic, and even catastrophic consequences may occur. The position of your body may also cause some of these problems while you sleep.
Luckily, there’s a solution that can prevent your sleeping problems or deal with them. Sleeping on the left side is recommended not only by me, but also by many scientists all around the world, and here’s why.
Why Sleep on the Left Side?
It probably didn’t even occur to you that sleeping on the left or right side has any pros and cons. However, this is indeed the case.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
Left-side sleeping has several significant benefits:
First, it improves the functioning of the lymphatic system.
As you know, the lymphatic system flows into the thoracic duct on the left side. And when we sleep on our left side, nutrients enter the lymph much faster.
Many people do not pay enough attention to their lymph nodes. The left side of your body is the dominant lymphatic side, and while you sleep on that side, your body will filter lymph, toxins, and other waste more efficiently.
Secondly, the spleen does its job better in this sleeping position.
It’s already known that eating before bed causes different digestive problems. But each person is able to help their stomach work better, and for this, you need to lie on your left side.
It is worth knowing that the main part of the stomach is located precisely on the left side. Therefore, if you sleep on your left, food gets into the colon faster and easier.
Next comes the free flow of enzymes, so the food is quickly and well digested. This also contributes to better spleen functioning.
In the morning, you’ll wake up with a pleasant feeling of hunger and lightness in the body.
Photo by Damir Spanic from Unsplash
Third, heartburn prevention.
The human heart muscle begins to beat with the very first breath of a person and continues to do this all their life. In other words, the most important organ works without stopping.
One can only imagine what titanic labor the heart does throughout the entire life of a person. So, to reduce the load on the heart muscle, it is also recommended to sleep on the left side.
The fact is that the bend of the aorta goes exactly to the left side, and then the blood moves to the heart, making it the perfect pose for a healthy nap.
Fourth, no snoring.
Yes, it is proven that sleeping on the left side prevents snoring. After all, everyone will agree that the snoring of one person disturbs others in their sleep.
Even if snoring cannot, unfortunately, be cured, it is quite possible to reduce its manifestations.
Sleeping on the left side creates a comfortable position for the tongue, so the person does not make completely unpleasant sounds.
I hope this article will help you to deal with sleeping problems if you have any. Wish you a good and healthy sleep!
About The Author:
This article is provided by Dr.Catherine Rodgers, a certified sleep medicine therapist. Catherine has dedicated more than 10 years to solving insomnia, narcolepsy, sleepwalking, sleep apnea, snore, and other sleeping disorders.
