Falling asleep as soon as you get in bed is something that most people wish for. Some people might face difficulties in getting a good night’s sleep. They keep changing positions and sides but couldn’t get the sleep they wanted. This could be because of their sleeping postures, an uncomfortable bed, or a buzzing mind. Whatever be the reason, the ultimate outcome is an incomplete bad sleep. Eventually, due to this, they feel drowsy the whole day, they couldn’t focus on work properly and end up living a bad day in their life. So, if you are one such person, then keep reading this article. As the title suggests, we would be discussing the best sleeping positions that you can try to get a good sound sleep at night.
But before we get to know more about the sleeping positions, let’s take a look as to why a sound sleep is important for your health.
Table of Contents
Importance of Sleep
A healthy person requires 6-8 hours of deep sleep. Sleeping is essential as other life processes. Good sleep allows your brain to relax and be prepared for the following day. Sleeping gives your body time to heal and repair the brain cells, to regulate your heart rate and maintain optimum blood pressure. Sleeping for 8 hours a day keeps you away from infections and diseases by boosting your immunity. The way you sleep affects the life you live in. If you don’t get a good sleep at night, then it will impact your mood the next morning. You will feel frustrated and agitated from your life, thus losing excitement and happiness. Therefore, a person who sleeps well is more enthusiastic, more attentive at work, have better decision-making ability and nevertheless, lives a healthy life.
( Also Read : 10 Surprising Benefits Of Sleeping Naked )
Best sleeping positions for your health
Now, you know how much your sleep matters for your health and your life. So, let’s see the different sleeping positions that will work best for you to get a good night’s sleep.
1. Sleeping on the Stomach
Stomach sleeping is one of those sleeping positions that do harm more than facilitating your sleep. Sleeping experts recommend such people to shift their sleeping sides by supporting their bodies with pillows.
Advantages
- The only good thing about sleeping on the stomach is that it reduces snoring.
Disadvantages
- Sleeping in this position leads to stomach pain and discomfort.
- Causes pain in the neck making an uncomfortable head of your head.
- It applies pressure on stomach muscles which can affect digestion.
- It can affect the natural curve of your spine.
- Sleeping in this position is not recommended during medical situations like pregnancy.
2. Sleeping on the Sides
According to a survey, it has been proven that most of the people prefer to sleep on their side. Whether the right side or left side, it varies from person to person. The side you prefer to sleep also makes a difference. There are differences in the effect of sleeping on the right side and left side. Each sleeping position has its own specific benefits and disadvantages. Let’s find out what’s the difference between sleeping on the right side and the left side.
2.1 Right Side
In this sleeping position, your body is aligned to the right along with your hands and legs on the same side.
Advantages
- It allows your spine to get in shape as it relaxes the natural curve of the spine.
Disadvantages
- Constricts your cardiovascular system as it lies on the right side of your body.
- It strains lungs and applies pressure on the rib cage.
- It also slows down the blood circulation, thus making it uncomfortable for you to breathe sometimes while sleeping.
- Try to avoid sleeping on the right side and prefer sleeping on the left side
2.2 Left Side
Sleeping on the left side is far better than sleeping on the right side. To make this position more comfortable, try using pillows between your knees.
Advantages
- People facing stomach problems like acid reflux, heartburn, acidity, etc. should sleep on the left side only.
- It is better to sleep on the left side during pregnancy as there is less strain on the inferior vena cava.
Disadvantages
- It you curl your leg too much making an uncomfortable angle, then you might feel difficulty in breathing and your sleep can get disturbed.
3. Sleeping with legs up
While sleeping, your legs have a tendency to change their position up and down. You might have experienced this also. When you wake up in the morning, you realize that your legs are curled closer to your chest. Sometimes, you might wake up in the middle of the night just to find that one of your legs is folded from your knee joint while the other rest straight.
Advantages
- People suffering or experiencing backpain can raise both their legs, folded from the knee joint to ease their ache.
Disadvantages
- Raising one leg up causes unevenness in the body posture, especially in the pelvis.
- You might feel strain in your pelvic muscles.
- Sometimes, sleeping with your legs up induces back pain as it puts pressure on your back.
To prevent the raising of legs, you can use a pillow for your advantage. A pillow between your legs will make it difficult for your legs to change their position while you are asleep.
4. Sleeping Straight on the Back
According to studies, sleeping with a straight back is the best sleeping position. In this position, your face is looking straight and your head is comfortably resting on the pillow, making an appropriate angle. The Pillow below your head makes sure that your head is placed slightly raised above the level of the stomach. This sleeping position is best suited for your health.
Advantages
- This position distributes your body weight evenly on your back, thus preventing back pain.
- It protects your face skin from getting wrinkles that appears due to digging your face in the pillow.
- Slightly raised head above the stomach level reduces the possibility of stomach problems like acid reflux, heartburn, acidity, etc.
- Relaxing on your back puts no pressure on the abdomen thus, improving digestion.
- Your body feel more relaxed and you fall asleep early.
Disadvantages
- Snoring is the biggest disadvantage of this position. People whole snore doesn’t like to sleep in this position as they might feel difficulty in breathing while snoring.
To make this position the best for you, try adding pillows below your head and back. This will align your whole body and will have a positive impact on getting a good night’s sleep and eventually your overall health.
Now, you know all the sleeping positions. You can choose which sleeping position is best suited for your comfort and health. Remember the advantages and disadvantages of each sleeping position before making a choice. I hope now you can fall asleep as per your wish. Till then, Sleep Well. Eat Well. Stay Healthy.
