Here's why you should sleep on your left side more than the right.
Life in the modern age is no picnic. Sure, we have the convenience of a whole lot of technology to help us out, cars and planes to get us where we need to be, and are generally living longer thanks to advances in medical science. But what good is that prolonged life if the quality of it is sub-par? With all the demands on our time that modern adults face, a lot of us are guilty of making poor lifestyle choices like eating junk food or not getting enough exercise. Another modern-day dilemma? Too many of us aren't getting a good night's rest.
The average human spends nearly a third of his or her life asleep, so it's definitely important to get a good night's rest. Lack of adequate sleep can lead to serious issues like fatigue, loss of mental clarity, and a host of other health problems. Your body uses the time you're asleep to carry out a host of reparative functions that it can't get done in the daytime - kind of like how janitors wait to clean the building and empty out the waste baskets after everyone has left the office. While most of us are probably already well aware of the importance of sleep for your health, few of us (including myself) were probably aware of how much your sleeping position can affect your health too!
Generally speaking, people sleep in four basic positions: on their right side, on their left side, on their backs, or in a fetal position. Each position has its own health benefits and drawbacks, but most people tend to choose their position based only on individual comfort. For instance, did you know that sleeping on your back can be risky for people with asthma, as it increases the likelihood of breathing difficulties during the night? Similarly, sleeping on the right side can aggravate certain digestive issues.
By far, the one sleeping position with the most benefits and the least drawbacks is sleeping on your left side. There are many benefits associated with sleeping on the left side, touted by both holistic medicine and Western medical science.
1. Sleeping on the left side offers heartburn/acid reflux relief. This is especially true after a really rich or spicy meal.
2. If you're prone to sleep apnea and/or general snoring, try sleeping on your left side. Your partner will thank you in the morning.
3. Sleeping on your left side also works with gravity to help improve digestion by encouraging food to move on towards the intestinal tract.
4.
Sleeping on the left side can also provide additional drainage for the
lymphatic system via gravity, taking a little of the workload off your
heart and improving overall heart health.
5. The increased drainage thanks to gravity also assists your spleen, which is always nice.
6. The left side of the body is believed to be the dominant side for the lymphatic system (vital for immune function), and sleeping on the left side encourages better filtration and drainage of waste. If you haven't caught on by now, "drainage" is kind of a key word to this whole thing.
7. Sleeping on the left side has been found to improve circulation, thanks to reduced pressure on the vena cava (the largest vein in the body), which is located on the right side of your body.
8. The improved blood flow mentioned above is really great for pregnant women as well, since it improves blood flow to the fetus. Better supply of blood and nutrients = happy fetus.
To find out more about the benefits of sleeping on your left side, watch this incredibly informative video by Dr. John Douillard:
So, now that you're sold on why you need to sleep on your left side, how are you going to break years of habitual sleeping in other positions? One simple solution is to put a light on your right side. That way, you'll instinctively want to turn away from it when sleeping.
Another trick is to pin a tennis ball to the right side of your back. Now, if you try to turn around, the ball will be a natural obstruction. You can also get a similar effect from a large body pillow.
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