Best Sleeping Position: Pros & Cons of each Position

A sound sleep is beneficial for our health and well-being. When you are sleeping, your body relaxes and works to rebuild itself. Your sleeping position will either be beneficial or obstruct the process. This depends on how it helps the natural curvature of your spine. There are chances that people wake up in the morning with some aches and pains. It may be due to improper sleeping position. We spend a good proportion of our time in sleeping. So, it is necessary to sleep in correct position that helps body to recover. Let’s understand the best sleeping position with the pros and cons of each position.

A correct sleeping position may help to reduce stress from your spine. An improper position may cause pain and stiffness in arm, back, and shoulders. This will give you a low-quality sleep. There are various benefits of different sleep positions. It depends from person to person and varies with the issues they are facing. You might have to change your sleep position according to your health issues. These issues may be acidity, back pain, pregnancy, and others. Miracles don’t happen, so is the truth that we can’t change our sleeping position. You will need some days to adopt a new sleep position.

Here are some sleeping positions Let’s understand how beneficial they are to live a healthy life:

1. Sleeping on your side ( Best sleeping position)

Sleeping on the side is an excellent position to sleep. A large amount of population prefers to sleep on side. The flexibility of our spine reduces as we grow older. This makes sleeping on side position more comfortable.

Sleeping on the side is beneficial for:

1. Persons suffering from back pain

Those who have back pain should sleep on their sides. They should keep a blanket or pillow between their knees. The thickness of your pillow should be in level with the space between your shoulder and neck. This is beneficial in reducing pressure on the spine. It helps to keep the body in natural alignment.

2. Pregnant women

It is advisable for pregnant women to sleep on their side with knees bent. Sleeping on the side reduces pressure on the growing belly. It helps the heart to pump in a proper manner. This also allows the blood flow in a smooth manner throughout the body. A pregnant women should relieve tension. She can do this by sleeping with pillows kept under the belly. You can also keep them between the legs.

3. Persons facing sleep apnea / Persons who snore while sleeping

Sleep apnea causes when tissues behind the throat relax and close. This may strive you from oxygen. Snoring occurs depending on the position of your head. When you turn the head on the sides there are less chances of snoring. This sleeping position supports in keeping your airways open and clear. This helps you to breathe in an easy manner and reduces snoring.

4. Persons suffering from acid reflux

Acid reflux is a problem where acid flows from the stomach back to esophagus. This will lead to physical discomfort and poor sleep. Sleeping on the side takes some pressure off your stomach. Gravity will work. The position of your stomach will be below your esophagus. This helps in reducing reflux.

Pros of side sleeping pose

Sleeping on the side provides many advantages on our health. They are:

• The position of your body determines about the health of the digestive system. Sleeping on side improves your gut health. You may get relief from issues like heartburn, constipation, and other gastrointestinal issues.
• Sleeping on your side helps to remove waste from your brain. This improves your brain health. The sleep position reduces the risk of neurological diseases.
• This sleeping position is good for your heart. Sleeping on side improves the blood flow and circulation in the body. It is beneficial for persons suffering from blood pressure. The position is also helpful for other circulatory disorders.

Cons of side sleeping position

• You may get more wrinkles than you would get sleeping on your back. Sleeping on the side puts pressure on your face. You may also get acne on your face due to the sweat and facial oil that accumulate on the pillow.
• Sleeping on side may be beneficial for your neck, shoulders, and spine. But it may create excess pressure on your lower back and hips. The blood circulation may reduce in areas of hips and arms that lie underneath your body.

2. Sleeping on your back position

Resting on the back is the second-best sleeping position. Your spine stays in alignment. There is an even distribution of your body weight when you sleep on your back. This helps to reduce pressure on your back and joints.

Sleeping on the back is beneficial for:

1.Persons having pain in their neck

Sleeping on back keeps the body in alignment. This helps to reduce your neck pain. When you rest on your back the pillow supports the neck as it allows the neck to go deeper. Pillows with divot or memory foam pillows are beneficial to reduce neck pain. Lying on your back helps to keep your arms in matching position. This keeps your spine in even position which is good for your neck.

2. Persons facing nasal congestion

If you are facing nasal congestion sleeping on the back will be useful. Lying straight on the pillows will help to keep your upper back in upright position. It will prevent blocking of nasal passage. This will help to keep the airways open and clean your nose if it is stuffy inside.

3. Reducing pimple and break-outs

We know that we should wash our face before going to sleep to prevent pimples. Your pillow may contain bacteria that may affect your skin and may cause pimples. So, sleeping on your back will reduce blackheads, pimples. It also helps to cure whiteheads and other such issues. Lying on your back will solve your problems like getting wrinkles and lines on your face.

4. Persons suffering from headaches

Sleeping on the back keeps your head in stable position. It reduces pressure from your head. This position reduces headaches caused due to rooted cervical spine. Lying on the back keeps the head, neck, and spine in a fair position to reduce pressure and avoid pain. It keeps the muscles relaxed and you get a good quality sleep.

Pros of sleeping on the back pose

• The muscles of the body get support and there is no strain on the neck. Lying on the back give support to your spine. This is useful for people suffering from arthritis. Sleeping on the back prevents shoulder stress.
• This sleep position helps to get rid of acid reflux. The stomach is lower than the esophagus. So, it does not allow the acid and food do not go up to the digestive tract while you are sleeping. Sleeping on the back also helps to reduce heart burn.
• Sleeping on the back scatters the weight of the body in an even manner. There is no extreme pressure on any part of the body. The body stays in a natural alignment. This position in combination of correct mattress and pillow will relax the body. It will also reduce pressure on the spine.
• There are less chances of getting wrinkles and lines on the face. As your face is upright, it does not come in contact with the bacteria on the pillow. People sleeping on sides or on the stomach may face this problem.

Cons of sleeping on the back position

• People who sleep on the back may face issues like sleep apnea or snoring. Sleep apnea causes due to any obstruction in your airways. It may be in part or in entire form of the process of breathing. This position obstructs the airways. It may disturb the breathing process.
• Many people don’t find it comfortable to sleep on the back. You may even get lower back pain when you sleep in this position for a longer time. The alignment of your shoulder and back may be proper, but you may have problems in your hips and spine.

3. Sleeping on the stomach position

Sleeping on the stomach is the last option for the popularity of sleeping options. Yet, it has some health benefits. The position puts extra strain on your joints and muscles. As a result of which you may get some pain and may wake up feeling tired.

Sleeping on stomach is beneficial for:

1. Persons facing sleep apnea / Persons who snore while sleeping

Sleeping on the stomach may reduce the issues like sleep apnea and snoring. This position keeps the airways open so there are less chances of snoring.

Pros of sleeping on the stomach pose

• Sleeping on the stomach helps in breathing. Keep your face position on the sides for best results.
• It is good for persons facing digestive issues. The issues may be heartburn, acidity, etc. You may sleep on the stomach. Keep your hands on a supportive pillow.

Cons of sleeping on the stomach position

• Sleeping on the stomach puts extra strain on the back, neck and shoulders. This may cause pain, bad sleep and discomfort throughout the day.
• Place the head on the side when you sleep on the stomach. This squeezes the arteries near the brain, and the blood flow is not proper. Oxygen may not reach the brain, and this is a serious issue.
• You cannot align the spine in this position. The weight of the body is at the middle, and the spine is not neutral to the body. This may cause joint pains.
• Pregnant women should not sleep on their stomach. As this position will not be comfortable when the belly grows. It may not be good for the baby.

4. Fetal sleeping position

        Fetal position is sleeping on the sides with legs bent and moved towards the body. You may curl the arm below the pillow to give support to your head. This posture is a copy of fetus in the womb. People of older age prefer this position.

Fetal sleeping position is beneficial for:

1. Persons suffering from back pain

Fetal position reduces back pain. The alignment of spine is correct, and there is less pressure on the neck. You can keep a pillow between the knees to protect the spine and keep it neutral. There are pillows designed for this position.

2. Pregnant women

Sleeping in fetal position is good for pregnant women, in later months of pregnancy. It reduces pressure on the heart. There are special pregnancy pillows available in the market. They can give support to the back and legs.

        Besides sleeping position, there are other aspects that supports healthy sleeping. They are:

A} The environment in which you sleep

The quality of your sleep depends on the noise and distractions. Lights in the room also affect your sleeping environment. It also depends on the sleeping schedule of persons who sleep with you.

B} Your daily diet

The food that you eat plays a major role in your quality of sleep. Foods have positive or negative impact on our sleep. The timing of having food should be at least 2-3 hours before going to bed.

C} The health of your mattress

The life, state and durability of the mattress should be proper. It plays an important role in providing good quality sleep. You should invest in a good mattress depending on your health needs. Keep your mattress clean and tidy.

D} Your exercise regime

The timing at which you exercise in the day affects the ability of your sleep. The best time to exercise is early in the morning. Try following some meditation and asanas of pranayama in yoga. It provides good quality sleep.

E} Pillows that you use

Pillows play an important role in quality of sleep. The right pillow helps you to sleep in a proper manner. Choosing wrong pillow may cause issues like pain in the neck and shoulders. There is a lifetime of pillow. We should change our pillow when required.

Conclusion

Your sleeping position should be such that it gives a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. You should feel fresh in the morning, having no aches or pain in the body. This helps you to stay healthy and perform your best. You should sleep in a position that keeps your spine in a neutral position. If you are getting such sleep, don’t try to change your sleeping position. But, if you feel that some other sleeping position may be better, go ahead and try it.