Just try to avoid sleeping on your stomach if you can. Experts agree that you should stick with whatever sleeping habits work best for you.īut, that said, sleeping on your back appears to be the healthiest method, followed by your left side, then your right one. If you can’t find a comfortable sleeping position, it might be one of the signs you need a new mattress. It’s hard to pinpoint the best method for sleeping.
Avoid the stomach. Stomach sleepers tend to put more pressure on their muscles and joints, which can lead to aches, nerve issues, and numbness.But when you sleep on your right, “the pressure of your body smashes up against the blood vessels that return to your ticker.” Meanwhile, “sleeping on your left side with your right side not squished is supposed to potentially increase blood flow back to your heart,” Winter said. Winter told CNN your blood flows throughout your body and eventually returns to the heart on the right side. Christopher Winter, MD, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, who spoke with CNN about side sleeping. Avoid the right side. It may not be the best idea, especially for your heart, according to sleep specialist W.If you’re suffering from acid reflux at night and it’s getting in the way of your sleep, check out the MedCline Reflux Relief System pillow, clinically proven to reduce exposure to harmful stomach acid by 87% compared to a standard bed wedge. A study from The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that those who slept on their left side were less likely to suffer heartburn problems. It turns out that sleeping your left side may reduce the chances of suffering heartburn. Note that if you suffer from sleep apnea, experts recommend avoiding the back sleeping position, and instead going for a side position. When you sleep facing the ceiling, you will lessen the likelihood of suffering acid reflux. And, according to, sleeping on your back gives you head, neck, and spine a proper rest throughout the night. It also cuts down on heartburn, as it keeps your head elevated above your chest,” according to Popular Science. Back is still best. Despite the back-and-forth debate between the right and left side, research points to sleeping on your back as the best method for staying healthy while sleeping.“Back sleeping is the best option for pain management, as it allows your body to rest in a neutral position, which is great for reducing aches.Here’s what the science says is best when it comes to sleeping on your sides, back and stomach. But, at the same time, sleeping on one particular side can also yield tremendous benefits. A bulk of research and expert opinions suggest that sleeping on your back might be the best method for sleeping.
A separate 13 percent sleep on their sides, with their arms stretched outward, while 11 percent sleep flat on their back.īut the research shows we’re all getting it wrong when it comes to sleeping correctly. Meanwhile, 17 percent like to sleep on their stomach. Close to 47 percent of Americans sleep in the fetal position, which is considered to be the most common form of sleep, according to the Better Sleep Council. Research shows that nearly everyone has a different mind about the best way to sleep.
Plenty of people struggle to decide how they want to sleep every night. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share via Email