Sleeping easy

Sleeping is essential to your health but certain sleeping positions can either heal or harm you. 

If there’s one thing we have in common it’s that we all enjoy sleeping. There’s nothing quite like waking up from a good night’s rest feeling fresh and enthusiastic about what the new day has to offer. 

If you followed your doctor’s orders and got the required eight hours of sleep per night, you’d spend a third of your life asleep. While it may sound like a lot, getting enough rest is vital to keeping your body healthy. 

But it’s not just the quality and quantity of your sleep that matters – the position you sleep in is also very important. Here’s a look at the health pros and cons of your favourite night-time positions.

The recovery position is great for those who suffer from acid reflux and indigestion. These conditions occur when stomach acid splashes up the oesophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth down to the stomach). This acid is caused by a weakness of the muscle between the stomach and the oesophagus and triggers the pain. 

In a study of heartburn patients, American doctors found that patients who slept on their right side suffered more discomfort, as sleeping on your right side allows the leaked stomach acid to drain out of the oesophagus slower. If you enjoy sleeping in this position, try sleeping on your left side.

However, this posture can cause wrinkles. British researchers warn that this position increases pressure on the folds that run from the corners of your nose to the sides of your mouth – known as laughter lines. Depending on the side you usually sleep on, the laughter line may be more pronounced and deeper from your face being squashed against the pillow. 

The corpse position is good when you suffer from arthritis and joint pain. Try sleeping on your back as it will distribute weight evenly throughout your body, without putting strain on any specific area. But this position can worsen snoring as the muscles in your jaw and tongue are relaxed and the jaw and throat sag under gravity. When this happens, the throat produces air turbulence which leads to vibration and snoring. 

Sleep apnoea – a serious condition where the throat closes off completely and leads to sporadic breathing which lasts for 10 seconds or more – is also aggravated in this position. Sleeping on your side can help sleep apnoea sufferers but in more severe cases, medical treatment is needed. 

Experts say people who sleep on their backs also breathe faster than in any other sleeping position. Because the body’s tissues become de-oxygenated, sleeping in this position can amplify respiratory and circulatory problems such as asthma and heart disease.

What about the fetal position? During the day, our spines experience gravitational forces that put a lot of pressure on the pads of cushioning between the bones of the back. When we sleep there is no compression on the back and water in the body is attracted to the discs, which helps repair wear and tear. Sleeping in the fetal position is ideal as curling the body inwards opens up your back and reduces pressure on the disc, allowing repairs to take place.

Make sure your neck is aligned with the rest of your body and that your pillow is not too high or too low, as this can strain muscles and nerves in the neck, which can lead to head and neck pain or tension headaches in the morning. If you have lower back pain it’s especially important to make sure your neck and spine are in a straight line and that there is no twisting at the hips and pelvis.