A restful night’s sleep is essential to comprehensive well-being, just like a healthy diet and regular exercise. However, a lot of people have trouble falling asleep peacefully since sleep deprivation has become widespread, particularly since the pandemic. While your lifestyle has a big impact on how well you sleep, your sleeping habits also important.
Many people go off to sleep without paying attention to their position or the potential negative effects on their health. Snoring, sleep apnea symptoms, neck and back pain, and other medical issues can all be affected by whether you sleep on your stomach, back, or side, according to Dr. VA Senthil Kumar, Head and Senior Consultant – Orthopaedics, Arthroscopy and Spine Surgery, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi.
Dr. Yogesh Kumar, Senior Consultant, Orthopedic Department, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, agreed and noted that sleeping in the wrong position might cause sleep interruptions, increased tension, and impaired circulation. Our immunity, focus, and metabolism are all impacted by inadequate sleep.
Which sleeping position suits you the best, then? According to specialists, the perfect sleeping posture promotes proper spinal alignment from the hips to the top of the head.
Children can sleep equally well on their side, back, or front, with an increasing preference for the side position as they become older, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. Dr. Senthil advised choosing to sleep on your side or your back if possible.
Studies have shown that adults prefer to sleep on their sides more often than any other position. This is the most pleasant posture, and Dr. Senthil claims that with the right mattress, the spine may stay stretched and somewhat neutral in this position. This lessens needless shoulder, back, and neck pain.
Back sleeping: According to him, this is the second most popular sleeping position since it preserves your spine in a more natural position. “This helps lessen some of the back, neck, and shoulder pain that is associated with other positions. Elevating the head with a pillow may also help to minimise acid reflux-related problems.
Your head will be raised off the pillow, which will keep your spine from resting in a neutral position. It can also mean that your neck and back are under more stress due to the overhanging of the spine. You can awaken with tingly extremities because lying on your stomach reduces blood flow.
According to Dr. Kumar, lying on your stomach affects your lower back and could result in neck pain. According to him, those who sleep on their stomachs have increased restlessness from tossing and turning while trying to reach a comfortable posture.
The foetal position is another position for sleeping that you should avoid. According to Dr. Senthil, this position is “bad” for your spine and can have a variety of negative effects on your back.
Best and worst sleeping positions for pregnant women
Orthopedists claim that lying on one’s side while pregnant is the most comfortable position. Contrarily, pregnant women should not sleep on their stomachs or backs.
“Sleep on your side, ideally on your left, if you are pregnant. The amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your unborn child is increased when you sleep on your left side. This position will be useful if you have back issues, according to Dr. Senthil. According to Dr. Kumar, this position also places the least stress on your body’s other organs.
As “your abdomen changes physiologically, making it difficult to lie down on your stomach,” avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Dr. Senthil explained that resting on your back during pregnancy may be the worst position since it might make you feel lightheaded and dizzy and interfere with the flow of blood and nutrients to your developing baby and placenta. It can also lead to back pain, breathing problems, digestive problems, low blood pressure, and poor circulation in both the mother and the child, he continued.
