Is it harmful to sleep on your stomach? It is unlikely that those who are used to resting in this position think about it. They often say: “I sleep like this and feel great. This means that it is definitely not harmful to health.” It is not entirely correct to reason in this way.
Doctors of different profiles cannot unequivocally say that sleeping on the stomach is harmful. Indeed, despite the adverse effects of this pose on the body, it also has positive aspects. Let's consider what can lead to abuse of this body position during sleep, and when it is beneficial. It is also very interesting what it means from the point of view of religion and psychology.
Peculiarities
The quality of sleep largely depends on what position a person is in when resting. Body position determines how tense the muscles are, whether the body will receive the necessary volume of blood, whether breathing will be deep, and whether or not you will be able to get enough sleep in general.
Doctors call sleeping on the stomach the most dangerous. Although it is impossible to snore in this position, oxygen is supplied to the lungs - holding your breath is impossible. The risk is that in this position the spine does not receive the proper level of support.
An anatomically inconvenient rotation of the neck causes pain in the neck or back – a chronic process starts. It accelerates the formation of wrinkles and puffiness.
The internal reproductive systems are compressed, which negatively affects their functions. This is not recommended for women because of the effect on the mammary glands.
When answering the question whether sleeping on your stomach is harmful or not, doctors are inclined to the first option.
How to get out of the habit of sleeping in this position?
Since there are still more arguments “against”, the question of how to wean oneself from sleeping in this position becomes relevant. No one has come up with a universal method for getting rid of any habits, but some advice can be given.
- The most “radical” advice. Force yourself to fall asleep only on your back or side. Here a person must turn on willpower and control himself until he falls asleep. Gradually, the habit of sleeping like this is replaced by another.
- To find a comfortable position, you can use an additional or orthopedic pillow or special bolsters, placing them under your neck or knees.
- Some people may find it easier to sleep on their side by placing a folded blanket between their knees or a pillow that they can comfortably hug.
- You can try to master meditation techniques for falling asleep in any other acceptable position.
- A very tough option in every sense: sew several balls into your pajamas or into a special belt, placing them on your chest. When you try to lie down in your favorite position, they will create very obvious discomfort, gradually weaning you from turning over face down in your sleep.
Influence
Is it harmful to sleep on your stomach only sometimes - no, if there are no contraindications. A healthy person does not experience discomfort if he decides to rest in this position. However, constantly choosing it will lead to problems.
First of all, the spine is negatively affected. He feels uncomfortable being without support all day and all night. In a normal position, he will recover in 7-8 hours of sleep, but when choosing this position this will not happen.
It is often noted that after sleep the neck begins to hurt. This is due to the fact that involuntary movements occur at night, and the sleeper turns his head. The cushion prevents rotation at a normal angle.
If you do not unlearn the habit, unpleasant sensations will affect all organs and systems. Constant disruption of blood circulation will cause deterioration in mood and apathy, and a feeling of fatigue.
The pose is harmful, but it does not manifest itself immediately, but gradually, so it is better not to take risks and wean yourself from the addiction.
For women
Women rarely choose a position on their stomach, as their breasts interfere with them. But even if there is no discomfort, the effect will be negative - the mammary glands are constantly compressed, which interferes with the flow of blood to them. As a result, tumors appear.
For pregnant women, rest is contraindicated. The spine, which experiences tension due to rapid weight gain, does not rest at all. Squeezing threatens that oxygen will not reach the fetus.
The appearance also deteriorates. As a result of the choice of position, wrinkles from the pillow, swelling, and bruises under the eyes appear.
Dreams
Scientists have found that sleeping backwards causes erotic dreams. The fact is that when choosing this position of the body, breathing becomes difficult - just like during sexual activity. As a result, a signal is sent to the brain and the person begins to see erotic dreams.
Internal organs and spine
If you sleep on your stomach for a long time, the spine is in a curved state. This leads to a deterioration in health, especially in the presence of diseases. The supporting muscles do not rest and weaken.
Dangers are exposed to:
- stomach;
- pancreas;
- gallbladder ducts;
- liver;
- kidneys and spleen.
They are also in the wrong position, compressed and experiencing a lack of blood circulation.
Attention - on the neck
What positions are unfavorable for sleeping?
On the stomach . In this case, the person has to turn his head to the side. In this position, not only the airways are bent and twisted, but also the arteries and veins of the neck, which provide blood circulation to the brain. Therefore, this position is undesirable unless all others are contraindicated and do not cause pain. Let’s say that with arthrosis of the hip joint, a person cannot sleep on his side. Or if the ribs are broken - on the back. Under normal conditions, lying on your stomach should be avoided.
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This is a more favorable position. But not the best. When a person is with straightened arms and legs, this is not entirely physiological. When sleeping on your back, a relaxed tongue can move to the back of the throat and seriously impede breathing. On too soft, thin or very high pillow or without it. In the first case, the head is thrown back or to the side; accordingly, the venous vessels can be pinched on one side and stretched on the other. Therefore, after such sleep, headaches may occur the next morning because venous outflow slows down. If the pillow is high, then the head will rise above the level of the back, which also has an adverse effect on the blood vessels and impairs the outflow of blood from the brain. The density and height of the pillow should be such as to allow the cervical, lumbar, thoracic spine and head to be in the same plane.
On an orthopedic pillow . Those that have a bulge under the neck are not recommended. Such a pillow supports the cervical spine not due to a balanced load, but due to pressure on it. That is, the orthopedic bulge puts pressure primarily on the veins, and not on the vertebrae. For example, a person lies on his right side; blood flows from his head mainly through the veins of the right side. If you press them down with a pillow, the outflow of blood through them will slow down. And this can have a detrimental effect on physiological sleep standards. Some Chinese even sleep on a wooden block. And they place their head in such a way as to balance the head-neck complex. Then the neck remains free for venous outflow. If the block is placed closer to the crown, the neck will bend. Closer to the neck, the head will fall back.
On an orthopedic mattress that remembers the position of the body during sleep . There is an opinion that the mattress should be of optimal rigidity and follow all the curves of the spine. However, this advice is suitable for healthy people with normal posture. But there are almost no such people due to the fact that most of us are in a forced wrong position most of the day. If a person sits at a computer all day, moves incorrectly, or experiences unphysiological stress (for example, a hairdresser stands in a half-bent position all day), then he needs to straighten his spine at night. And not lie in such a way that the mattress repeats his forced and incorrect postures. Therefore, the mattress should be semi-rigid and orthopedic, not from the point of view of repeating the bends of incorrect spinal posture, but from the point of view of correction - to contribute to the optimal restoration of the normal position of the spine.
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Do you need to put pillows between your legs, under your feet, in your arms?
As a rule, if the patient has no health problems and no diseases of the musculoskeletal system, then additional sleep devices are not required. And even the pose is by and large not so critical. Our body is optimized for different positions without any aids. But if a person moves incorrectly, the reserve capacity is narrowed, leading to a problem that cannot be compensated for by sleep. Then the wrong posture aggravates the negativity accumulated due to insufficient and incorrect movements, forced postures during the day.
How to get rid
A set of measures has been developed to help you get rid of the nighttime habit. It is necessary to use a thin pillow or eliminate it altogether. The neck will be anatomically uncomfortable and the person will begin to roll over on his own.
You should choose firm mattresses. They do not sag, and the spine does not stretch or bend.
Daily stretching helps - there are complexes designed for people with sleep disorders. Yoga and massage have a positive effect.
On the right side
There are those who find it uncomfortable to lie on their left side; they prefer the right. Scientists argue that this situation also has its advantages, these are:
- Normalization of rest in summer. Doctors have confirmed that during hot periods it is better to sleep on the right side. This is how the body cools down naturally.
- Symptoms of gallstone disease are reduced. Sleeping on the right side of the body alleviates the condition.
- More vivid and positive dreams. Experts recommend that people with chronic stress choose the right side. This reduces anxiety.
But there are also disadvantages that should also be taken into account.
This position should not be chosen by people who have problems with acidity levels.
Also at this time, the lymphatic system is inhibited. The slowdown in its work is insignificant, but it still affects health.
How to sleep better for a drunk person
During intoxication, the central nervous system is inhibited, which causes relaxation of skeletal muscles and smooth muscles of internal organs.
Important! This can lead to tongue retraction and suffocation if a person sleeps on their back. In this case, intoxication can also be accompanied by vomiting; a person may not wake up and choke on vomit.
Therefore, it is important to monitor the sleep of a drunk person and try to turn him on his side. This will save you from sticking your tongue and getting vomit into your respiratory tract.
General recommendations
Doctors do not recommend choosing the fetal position for sleeping. This position is harmful to the spine, as it is constantly curved. In this position, many organs are compressed, and blood circulation is impaired. Sleeping in a curl is contraindicated for people who suffer from arthritis.
For comfortable sleep, the room temperature should not exceed 22°C. Be sure to ventilate the room. The mattress should be moderately hard and the pillow not too high. In the evening, under no circumstances should you overeat. This will cause heaviness and discomfort in the stomach, which will negatively affect the body as a whole.
Avoid excessive watching TV or playing computer games. It’s worth reading a book with a light plot an hour before falling asleep or spending time with your family. In this way, you can also tune your nervous system to rest.
You shouldn’t take unnecessary problems and worries with you to bed.
The room must be dark. In the absence of light, the hormone melatonin is produced, which helps you fall asleep faster.
Scientists recommend resting on the left side. To accustom yourself to this position, you need to adhere to the following simple rules.
- Lie on the correct side. To avoid the temptation to roll over, place a pillow.
- To form a habit faster, you should lie on the side of the bed opposite from your usual one.
- You can also leave the night light on on the right. Thus, the sleeper will involuntarily turn his back to the light.
You need to choose the right time to acquire a new habit. You should not do this during a cold or ARVI.
By developing the rule of sleeping on the left side of the body, you can notice an improvement in your well-being after just a few nights.
Why is your sleeping position so important?
This is important for both healthy and sick people. If a person sleeps in comfortable conditions, his whole body relaxes, blood circulation improves, the smooth muscles of the internal organs relax, and their functioning is restored.
A person intuitively selects the position in which he is comfortable sleeping, but if there are acquired diseases, they must be taken into account, our advice will help here (or consult a doctor) so as not to provoke undesirable development.
It is important to choose the right sleeping position for sick people; this can significantly improve or, conversely, worsen their condition. Sometimes it is necessary to change your usual position while sleeping, and this is not always pleasant. But the improvement in general condition with normalization of sleep indicates the correctness of the choice.
Proper sleep is part of a healthy lifestyle. It gives morning vigor, energy for the whole day to perform work and active recreation. Any disease is not so severe if you get good sleep in the right position.
Ideal sleeping position for pregnant women
Sleeping position during pregnancy depends on the period. In the first trimester (first 12 weeks), you can sleep in any position. It is better to give preference to falling asleep on the left side - this way the body is better supplied with oxygen. If a woman likes the tummy position, it will not harm the baby.
In the second trimester (13 – 24 weeks), you can sleep either on any comfortable side (preferably on the left, but you can change it) or on your back. During pregnancy, some women prefer the starfish position - on their back with their arms and legs spread wide. The position on the stomach should already be excluded.
In the third trimester (from 25 to 40 weeks), it is better to sleep on your left side, since during this period the uterus compresses large blood vessels and blood circulation may be impaired, including in the area of the placenta. The position on the left side prevents such violations.
Advice! Bending your knees may reduce back pain that is common during this period of pregnancy.
More details about sleep during pregnancy https://matrasium.ru/son/zdorove/na-kakom-boku-spat-pri-beremennosti/
Recommendations from experts
What position a person chooses for a night's rest depends on his psychological state and character traits. Observing a sleeping person makes it possible to find the right approach to him, which is important in a number of cases. Especially when it comes to children. If a 4-year-old child sleeps on his side, in the fetal position, it means he lacks independence, to which parents should immediately respond.
Psychologists say: people who prefer to sleep on their sides have an analytical mind, are calm and reliable. It is easy for them to adapt to a changed situation, they easily endure life's troubles. If an adult who was sleeping on his back begins to wake up curled up in a ball with his head covered with a blanket, you should think that he has taken on unbearable burdens in life.
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First you need to decide on your sleeping position. It is necessary to understand why you cannot sleep in one position or another, what position is most comfortable in this case. To avoid suffering from insomnia, you should follow the recommendations:
- Before going to bed, the room should be ventilated.
- A contrast shower will help your body relax.
- It is not recommended to have a heavy dinner in the evening. After eating, it is advisable to take a quiet walk.
- The soft mattress will provide better sleep.
- You need to choose a pillow that is not too hard and not too soft.
- The room should be cool.
