Sleep has a deep impact on our health. Adopting healthy sleep positions can help improve and prevent many serious ailments
Not only is it important to sleep for the right number of hours every night, but ensuring healthy sleep positions is vital too. Sleeping on one side, or your back can have an impact on your heart, brain as well as overall well-being. Healthy sleeping positions can also help improve and prevent health problems. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to sleep well. Poor sleep can lead to a host of difficulties such as weight gain as it can impact your appetite as well as your mood. Other serious implications of sleep apnea and insomnia can impact your heart, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Read on to understand the healthy sleep positions to adopt to improve your heart and overall wellness.
Women’s Health
Preventive Care
Self Care
Best sleep positions for a healthy heart and overall wellness
SELF CARE
Best sleep positions for a healthy heart and overall wellness
Sleep has a deep impact on our health. Adopting healthy sleep positions can help improve and prevent many serious ailments.
Sleeping in healthy sleep positions can help to improve as well as get rid of many ailments. Image courtesy: Pexels
Anjuri Nayar Singh PUBLISHED: 15 SEP 2024, 12:37 PM IST
Medically Reviewed by
Dr Basavaraj S Kumbar
Internal Medicine
ChannelChannel
Not only is it important to sleep for the right number of hours every night, but ensuring healthy sleep positions is vital too. Sleeping on one side, or your back can have an impact on your heart, brain as well as overall well-being. Healthy sleeping positions can also help improve and prevent health problems. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to sleep well. Poor sleep can lead to a host of difficulties such as weight gain as it can impact your appetite as well as your mood. Other serious implications of sleep apnea and insomnia can impact your heart, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Read on to understand the healthy sleep positions to adopt to improve your heart and overall wellness.
Is there a connection between how to sleep and your overall health?
Sleep positions have an impact on your health. There are some specific sleeping positions that make it difficult for you to snore, make you rest well and even prevent some illnesses. You can also alleviate some health problems, increase your sleep performance, and avoid discomfort by sleeping in the right position. Sleeping in healthy positions can encourage good sleep. This good sleep, in turn, improves brain performance, as well as your mood, states this study. There is a deep connection between the quality of sleep and health concerns. A study published, suggests that not getting enough sleep can increase your chances of poor heart health as well as other ailments. However, it is important to note that it might cause slight heartburn and even increase snoring which wouldn’t be the best position for everyone. A study published, suggests that sleeping on the right side induces episodes of heartburn as well as reflux in the participants. This is because the stomach is relatively superior to the oesophagus. This leads to more flow of stomach acid into the oesophagus, and this can cause reflux.
What are the benefits of sleeping on your left side?
The left side sleeping position is commonly advised in patients with digestive troubles because waste can be dispelled from the colon with the aid of gravity which is moving waste towards the journey to the stomach. It lowers the severity of acid reflux and can help in heart function optimization by lessening the pressure exerted on the heart. Sleeping on the left side is also especially good for pregnant women. Fetal circulation is optimised when pregnant women sleep on their left side. Sleeping on your left side, with your knees bent is said to be the best position for a pregnant woman. This is also because it helps the fetus not put pressure on the large vein called the inferior vena cava. This circulates the blood in your feet as well as your legs.
How should you sleep after a heart attack?
After a heart attack, sleeping on your back with your head elevated is generally recommended to reduce pressure on the heart and improve breathing. Sleeping on the left side can also be beneficial as it may reduce strain on the heart. Avoid sleeping on your right side, as it can compress the heart. However, this should only be followed if you don’t have problems such as sleep apnea. A study published, states that sleeping face down, on your stomach, helps alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea can worsen heart disease and increase the risk of heart failure. However, another study published, states that sleeping on the left side can cause changes in ECG or Electrocardiogram that measures the electrical activity of the heart. Ideally, it is best to consult your doctor regarding which position is best to sleep in after a heart attack.
How should you sleep if you suffer from high blood pressure?
When sleeping with high blood pressure, the left lateral position might be suitable, as it may relieve compression of the blood vessels and encourage better blood flow. Alternatively, the supine sleep posture with the head slightly elevated may also facilitate blood flow and lessen the load on the heart. It is advised that people who suffer from high blood pressure should not sleep flat on their back as this increases their chances of heart failure, heart attack as well as a stroke.
How should you sleep if you have digestive problems?
For issues relating to heartburn or other digestive issues, you should sleep on the left side. This keeps the stomach contents below the esophagus therefore there is a little chance of getting the acid back up. This position, of course, also allows for better digestion as waste is less likely to hang up inside the colon. A study published, states that sleeping on the left, resulted in a shorter exposure time to stomach acid. This helped the oesophagus to clear faster.
How should you sleep if you have a cold or a cough?
In the event of a cold or cough, lying down and elevating the head can assist in keeping the airways open and avoiding nasal obstruction. This position helps to decrease the likelihood of coughing during sleep and drainage of mucus accumulation in the throat as well. However, make sure to not elevate your head too much, as this can lead to neck pain.
How to sleep to promote overall health?
To optimise health and conditioning, always sleep in a position that keeps your spine in its natural position, does not compress the organs and promotes blood circulation. Any positions that feel too uncomfortable or that put too much strain on the body are not recommended and it may be necessary to use the pillows to support the body to achieve a good sleeping posture for the rest of the night.
Sleeping well throughout the night is essential to stay fit and healthy. While research has provided us with many healthy sleeping positions that can help your heart as well as overall well-being, it is very important to be comfortable. An uncomfortable sleep position might do more harm than good. Therefore, working out the best sleep position that keeps you healthy as well as comfortable would be ideal. According to research, sleeping on the left side is great in pregnancy as it puts less pressure on your heart while sleeping on the right side showed effective results with people who suffered from heart diseases. Sleeping on an elevated pillow is great if you have a cold and cough.
Adapted from: Health Shots
Comments