No matter what the situation, good and healthy sleep is an important aspect of ensuring good health, and when we fall asleep, after waking up, we will find that most of the time it is the same sleeping position. Some friends like to sleep on their backs, some friends like to sleep on their sides, some friends like to sleep on their stomachs, facing a variety of sleeping positions, which is more conducive to health?
For the answer to this question, there is no generalized standard answer, but what we need to know is that different sleeping positions may indeed have different effects on health, and friends with different physical health problems can also choose to be more suitable for themselves, which is more conducive to conditioning and improving the sleeping posture of related problems. Today's popular science article, let's talk to you about sleeping positions and health.
Supine
Many friends will choose to sleep on their backs, this way of sleeping has its advantages, but for friends with certain health problems, it is not appropriate to use such a sleeping position.
Sleep on your back is a sleep position that is more friendly to the spine and joints, and studies at the Cleveland Clinic believe that this is the best sleeping position for patients with back pain.
Another advantage of sleeping on your back is that this sleeping position can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the skin, sleep on your back, the face is not squeezed and rubbed, help prevent the occurrence of skin wrinkles, in Dr. Debra Jaliman's book "Trade Secrets from New York's Top Dermatologists" pointed out that the sleeping position is more friendly to the maintenance of facial skin, because when lying on our backs, our faces do not have to be pressed into the pillow.
However, there are some cases that are particularly unsuitable for sleeping on their backs.
For people with sleep apnea syndrome, or who snore easily when they sleep (snoring is also a typical symptom of sleep apnea syndrome), lying on their back is not a good sleeping position. When sleeping on your back, the muscles that maintain the tension in the back of the throat area relax, and excessive relaxation can lead to squeezing, which in turn can lead to snoring or affect the patency of air entering the lungs. People who sleep on their backs are more likely to have snoring and paused sleep syndrome, so changing your sleeping position can help improve these problems.
Don't underestimate sleep apnea syndrome and snoring, which can severely affect sleep quality and increase the risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and liver problems.
There is also a situation that for friends with nocturnal acid reflux symptoms, supine is not a good sleeping position, supine will increase the chance of acid reflux symptoms, experts suggest that if there are patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, and sleep like supine, you should pay attention to raising the head of the bed by 15 to 20 cm, which will help improve relief.
Side
Sleeping on your side is the choice of most people and is also a good sleeping position.
For people with snoring habits or sleep apnea, it is better to have supine instead of sleeping on their sides, and this sleeping position is also known as the "first therapy" to improve sweating.
In addition, another advantage of side sleep is that side sleep does not cause any stress to the body organs, which is the ideal sleeping position for pregnant women.
The disadvantage of side sleep is that this position will irritate the joints of the shoulders and hips, causing joint discomfort and pain, and for some friends with related chronic arthritis problems, lying on the side may have the risk of exacerbating symptoms.
Corresponding to supine lying, lying on the side of the pillow may increase the chance of fine lines appearing on the face.
A friend wants to know: sleeping position on the side, which is better on the left or right side?
Studies have shown that in terms of improving blood circulation, the left side of the sleeping position is better than the right side, according to gravity and the physiological structure of the stomach and esophagus, the choice of left side of the bed also helps to alleviate the problem of acid reflux. Therefore, if you prefer to lie on your side, choosing the left bedroom may be a better option.
Sleep on your stomach
Sleeping on their stomach is very common in small babies, but it is the rarest for adults, with statistics showing that about 54% of people choose to lie on their sides, while about 38% choose to lie on their backs, and less than 10% of people choose to sleep on their stomachs.
The problems caused by sleeping on the stomach are obvious, one is that the face will be rubbed and squeezed, increasing the probability of wrinkles, and the other problem is that when sleeping on the stomach, in order to maintain smooth breathing, you must turn your neck and keep your face facing to one side, which will cause neck and back pain and pillow problems.
But the good news is that, as with lying on your side, sleeping on your stomach is good for reducing symptoms of snoring and sleep apnea.
How to change your sleeping position
Our sleeping habits and sleeping postures are often developed from an early age, so although we understand the relationship between sleeping posture and health, it is not so simple and easy to change from one sleeping position to another.
There is also a problem that when you change a sleeping position, one problem may be solved, and another problem will be aggravated, such as a supine sleeping position can relieve back pain, but may aggravate the problem of acid reflux, so whether to improve the sleeping position, or should be combined with the specific situation, or consult a doctor to determine.
If changing the sleeping position can indeed bring greater health benefits, such as friends with sleep apnea problems, want to change from the supine position to the side lying, or should pay attention not to be too anxious, if we quickly change a long-term habit, it may affect our insomnia, want to change the sleeping position, may wish to start from the new position for one hour every night, when the body feels the benefits of the new posture, the time for the change of sleeping position will naturally and slowly extend.
You can also consider using some small props to help improve the sleeping posture, such as the Mayo Clinic's proposal to sew a tennis ball behind the pajamas to prevent the sleeping position on the back, of course, some such measures may also bring discomfort, if it helps, continue to maintain, until slowly eliminate these props, if it affects sleep, it should be taken off in time.
The little pillows work
In addition to improving the sleeping position that is more suitable for us, the use of pillows can also help us to sleep in a healthy way. Friends who choose to sleep on their sides may wish to put a pillow between their knees, which can not only bring a sense of security to sleep, but also help reduce the muscle and joint pressure caused by the staggered legs. Friends who take a supine sleeping position to relieve back pain can also put a pillow under the knee, which can also be more conducive to improving and alleviating back pain.
About the impact of sleeping position on health, today I will talk to you so much, if you have benefited from reading this knowledge, you are also welcome to forward and share more, so that more friends can obtain really reliable health knowledge, let us work together to spread health science knowledge.