We all know how important a good night sleep is for mental and physical wellbeing, but not many people know that sleep position may be another significant factor in the quest for better health.
According to Ayurveda, a health and wellness website, sleeping on the left side is beneficial for good health and longer sleep.
Why is sleeping on the left side so beneficial:
It turns out this position is good for digestion, back, and even heart due to the positioning of different organs.
The following are the sic benefits for sleeping on your left side:
- It supports the lymphatic system.
According to this website, sleeping on your left side enables your body to better filter lymph fluid and waste through the lymph nodes as the dominant lymphatic side is the left side of our body. Western study has also found that sleeping on the left side can improve the body process waste elements from the brain. From another side, sleeping on the right side can reduce the lymphatic system’s efficiency.
- It helps to promote digestion.
When it comes to digestion, sleeping on your left side may be favoured to the right due to the physics of gravity. Precisely, lying on the left side supports food waste to smoothly move from the large intestine into the descending colon (which means that you’re more likely to have an easy bowel movement when you wake up in the morning). Sleeping on your left side also supports the stomach and pancreas to hang naturally (the stomach rests on the left side of our body), which can maintain the development of pancreatic enzymes and other digestive processes humming.
- It’s great for our heart.
According to doctors, sleeping on the left side is excellent for improving the circulation to the heart, especeally in pregnant women. Even if arent pregnant (or a woman), sleeping this way may serve to take some pressure off the heart, as gravity can help both lymph drainage to and aortic circulation away from the heart. Having said that, some people argue whether sleeping on the left or right side is best for heart health.
- It’s excellent for pregnant women.
Sleeping on the left side while pregnant doesn’t only improve your circulation, but it also serves to relieve pressure on the back, keeping the uterus from pressing the liver and increasing blood flow to the uterus, kidneys, and fetus. Hence, doctors usually suggest that pregnant women sleep much time as possible on their left sides.
- It may lessen heartburn.
According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, sleeping on the left side can help minimise acid reflux symptoms, because our stomach lies on the left side. As opposed to sleeping on your left side, resting on the right side may aggravate these symptoms. The effects are relatively immediate; if you’re fighting heartburn after eating, try taking a 10-minute rest on your left side.
- It may reduce back pain.
Anyone suffering from constant back pain may benefit from changing to left-side sleeping. That’s because sleeping this way can ease pressure on the spine. Feeling more relaxed, in turn, will increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
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