World Sleep Day is celebrated on March 21 every year to remind us to pay attention to sleep health.
Many sugar lovers have sleep problems, but few people realize that it may be caused by an incorrect sleeping position.
The wrong sleeping position not only affects the quality of our sleep, but may even cause long-term damage to our health.
Let's take a look at the following 6 sleeping positions, which sugar friends are not suitable.
01
Adult sugar friends should not be in the prone position for a long time
Babies often lie on their stomachs because sleeping on their stomachs relieves gas and increases a sense of security. In fact, very few people choose to lie prone after adulthood.
For patients with cervical spondylosis, this is the worst sleeping position, which not only causes excessive pressure on the cervical spine and lower back, but also causes pressure on organs such as the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and bladder.
For sugar friends with heart and lung diseases, it is easy to aggravate their own condition. Therefore, it is not recommended to sleep in the prone position for a long time.
02
Sugar friends with numbness in the upper limbs should not be placed in the lateral decubitus position
Long-term lying on the side can easily lead to nerve compression, causing poor blood circulation in one upper limb and numbness of the upper limb.
I have seen some sugar patients in the clinic who have experienced numbness in their fingers at night, which can be relieved by changing the posture of the upper limbs or shaking the hand, which may be a manifestation of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Recommended sleeping position:
It is recommended that sugar friends with such conditions choose the supine position to reduce nerve compression.
In addition, the supine position is used to maintain the physiological curvature of the neck, which is very helpful for the prevention and treatment of cervical spondylosis, and it is recommended to choose a pillow with an appropriate height to avoid excessive extension of the cervical spine.
03
Snoring sugar friends should not be placed in the supine position
Lying on your back is sleeping on your back, and it is the most common sleeping position used by most people.
However, studies have shown [1] that up to 86% of patients with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea.
When snoring sugar friends sleep on their backs at night, the pharynx is narrowed due to the relaxation of the pharyngeal and tongue muscles, and the base of the tongue falls back, which is easy to cause upper airway narrowing or occlusion, which will aggravate snoring, apnea, and even sudden death in severe cases.
Recommended sleeping position:
It is advisable to try the lateral decubitus position, which can help relieve breathing, and if changing the sleeping position does not effectively improve symptoms, you should seek medical attention and take other measures as appropriate.
04
Sugar friends with heart disease should not lie on the left side
The human heart is located 2/3 to the left of the chest.
Due to gravity, more blood returns to the heart in the left decubitus position, and the heart is more taxed than in the right decubitus position.
Recommended sleeping position:
It is recommended that people with heart disease lie on their right side with their heads slightly higher than their feet to reduce the amount of blood flowing back from the inferior vena cava, which helps to stabilize blood pressure and rest the heart.
05
Diabetes friends should not be in the supine position during pregnancy
Sugar friends in the middle and third trimesters of pregnancy are not recommended to sleep on their backs, if lying on their backs may cause the uterus to compress the abdominal aorta, affect the blood supply to the uterus and the oxygen and nutrient supply to the fetus, and may also affect the blood supply to the kidneys, reduce urine output, increase blood pressure, swelling of the lower limbs and vulva, and even life-threatening.
Recommended sleeping position:
For sugar friends in the middle and third trimesters of pregnancy, lying on the left side is of great benefit to themselves and their babies, and sleeping on the left side can improve blood circulation, maintain normal blood flow in the uterine arteries, ensure the blood supply of the placenta, and provide a better environment for the growth and development of the fetus.
06
Sugar friends with gastroesophageal reflux should not be in the right decubitus position
More than half of sugar lovers have comorbid digestive tract diseases. Different digestive problems choose different sleeping positions.
If you often experience acid reflux, especially in the morning, you may have gastroesophageal reflux. Because the esophagus is on the right side of the body of the stomach, the right lateral decubitus stomach is located higher than the esophagus, and gastroesophageal reflux is more susceptible.
Recommended sleeping position:
It is recommended to lie on the left side, or sleep with a pillow or shake the head of the bed high to avoid acid reflux caused by lying flat [2].
However, sugar friends with gastric ulcers and chronic gastritis are recommended to lie on the right side, because the stomach is in the left abdomen of the human body, so avoid lying on the left side to compress the stomach and aggravate stomach problems.
One-third of a person's life is spent sleeping, and good sleep is an important cornerstone of good health.
On this World Sleep Day, let's reflect on our sleeping habits and start by changing your sleeping position!
Author: Wu Ruoshui, endocrinologist
Bibliography:
[1] Liu Hui, Xue Qin.Research progress on the relationship between diabetic nephropathy and obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome[J].Chinese Journal of Nephrology of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine,2023,24(05):465-467.
[2] Zhao Xiaoyun, Fan Lanlan.Analysis of influencing factors and nursing measures of gastroesophageal reflux in elderly patients with long-term nasogastric feeding[J]. Clinical Medical Research and Practice,2022,7(13):7-10.