![]() One study of 664 sleepers found, on average, that participants spent about 54% of their time in bed sleeping on their side, about 37% on their back, and about 7% on their front. In most cases, we tend to move around quite a lot during the night. Manage Preferencesįrom RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, behavioural neuroscientist Andrew Coogan from Maynooth University on how much sleep is enough Please review their details and accept them to load the content. We need your consent to load this rte-player content We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. This is good to hear, as those who lie on their backs are more likely to be poor sleepers or have breathing difficulties during the night. Most people prefer to sleep on their side. Even though sleep may be, as one researcher put it, "the only major behaviour in search of a function", it clearly does matter for our health and wellbeing.īut are we doing it right? What does the research say about sleeping position? Is there a correct position to sleep in? In the event of reflux, acid flows quickly back to the stomach because of gravity’s pull.Analysis: here's what decades of research into how we sleep has to say about these vital issuesīy Christian Moro, Bond University and Charlotte Phelps, Bond UniversityĪfter 50 years of research, eminent Stanford University sleep researcher William Dement reportedly said the only solid explanation he knows for why we sleep is "because we get sleepy". Studies show that this position helps ease heartburn as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) – the muscle ring/flap valve that controls the stomach’s intake of food from the esophagus – is kept above the level of gastric acid. Burping might be annoying, but it is also far less painful.Įlevating your head while sleeping on your left side can improve nighttime digestion. Lying on the right side tends to produce more liquid reflux while lying on your left side causes more gaseous reflux symptoms. Interestingly, there’s a difference in the type of acid reflux people experience depending on the side that they lie on. Several studies back up this claim, making left-side sleeping the most effective of all of the flat-sleeping positions. Should stomach acid escape, gravity will return it to your stomach faster than it would if you were lying on your right side or back. Sleeping on your left-hand-side, therefore, helps ease the effects of acid reflux and heartburn. Your stomach is positioned to the left below your esophagus. Here you want to choose a sleeping position that makes gravity work in your favor. Burning acid making its way up your esophagus is not pleasant. ![]() Sleep on your left side: Acid reflux can be incredibly painful. Bear in mind that you don’t have to remain in one position all night: rotation is fine. You may find that they make a difference in the overall quality of your sleep in the latter stages of pregnancy. While these suggestions might not sound entirely comfortable, especially if you usually sleep on your back or stomach, they are, nonetheless, worth a try. This position will help to open up the diaphragm and reduce pressure from the baby below. If you find yourself panting, try lying on your side or propped up with pillows. In late pregnancy, you may experience shortness of breath, even while you sleep. Adopting this position will allow you to take advantage of the force of gravity to fight against any acid reflux traveling up your esophagus. If you experience heartburn during the night, you may want to try propping up your upper body with pillows. If you find that you are having problems with back pain, use the “SOS” position and try placing a pillow under your abdomen as well. Try, if possible, to keep your legs and knees bent, and put a pillow between your legs. Lying on the left side, they argue, may help to reduce the pressure from the weight of your baby on your liver. Researchers believe that it can improve circulation, giving nutrient-packed blood an easier route from your heart to the placenta to nourish your baby.įurthermore, some experts think that sleeping on your left side may be even better than sleeping on your right. Sleep on your side: Experts recommend that pregnant women adopt the “SOS” (sleep on side) sleeping position.
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