This Is Why You Should Sleep on Your Left Side
Everyone knows how important sleep is for keeping in good physical and mental health.
However, how long you sleep is just as important as the way you sleep. The position you sleep
in can affect your health, help keep your skin looking young, and boost your digestive
health.
There are a few ways you can sleep- on your front, your back, your left side, and your
right side- and they all affect your health. Sleeping on the back can be harmful for people
with sleep apnea or asthma, because it can make it harder to breath.
Sleeping on the right side is likely to make digestive problems worse, while sleeping on
the left side may boost digestion.
Sleeping on the left side is believed to greatly boost health, and even save lives. In holistic
medicine, the left side of the body is the controlling lymphatic side, and while you’re
sleeping on this side, your body will have more time to filter toxins, lymph fluid, and
waste though the thoracic duct and the lymph nodes.
Here are six ways sleeping on your left side is good for your health.
1. It Bolsters the Lymphatic System
Ayurvedic medicine says that sleeping on your left side lets your body better filter lymph
fluid and waste through the lymph nodes. This is because the left side of our body is the
stronger lymphatic side. Western studies also found that sleeping on the left side can help
the body break down waste materials from the brain. However, sleeping on the right side
can lower the lymphatic system’s power.
2. It May Improve Digestion
When it comes to digestion, sleeping on the left side may be better than the right, because
of gravity. Lying on the left side lets food waste easily move from the large intestine
into the lower colon, meaning you’re more likely to have a bowel movement when you wake
up. Sleeping on the left side lets the stomach
and pancreas hang naturally because our stomach lies on the left side of the body. This can
make sure the body keeps creating pancreatic enzymes and will help other digestive processes.
3. It’s Good for Your Heart
Doctors advise that pregnant women sleep on their left side to boost circulation to the
heart. Even if you’re not pregnant, or a woman, sleeping on the left side may help
take some weight off the heart. Gravity can help lymph drainage toward the heart, and
aortic circulation away from the heart.
4. It’s Ideal for Pregnant Women
Sleeping on the left side doesn’t only boost pregnant women’s circulation. It can also
help ease weight on the back, keep the uterus from squeezing the liver, and raise blood
flow to the uterus, kidneys, and fetus. For this reason, doctors tell pregnant women to
spend as much of their sleep time as possible on their left sides.
5. It May Reduce Heartburn
A study written in The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that lying on the left
side can help lower acid reflux signs. This is because our stomach lies on the left side.
Lying on the right side may worsen these signs. The help comes very fast; if you’re feeling
heartburn after a meal, try lying down on your left side for ten minutes.
6. It May Relieve Back Pain
People with chronic back pain may feel a little better if they switch to sleeping on their
left side. That’s because sleeping on your side can ease weight on the spine. Feeling
more comfortable will raise your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
If you usually sleep on your back, your front, or your right side, you may wonder how to
break that habit and start sleeping on your left side.
It will take some time and practice, but you will be able to quickly train your body to
sleep in this position.
Here are some tips:
You can try lying on your left side and press a full-length body pillow up against your
back. The pillow will stop you from rolling over during the night.
Try switching the side of the bed you sleep on. This will make it easier for you to flip
to your other side and have the same great sleep.
Another trick is to keep a dim light lit on your right side. Because your body will naturally
want to turn away from the light while you sleep, it will make it easier for you to sleep
on your left side.
Try these small changes as soon as you can - they will make your sleep better and lead
you to better health.
It’s important to note that some people - like those with heart disease, sleep apnea,
glaucoma, and carpal tunnel syndrome - may not get help from sleeping on their left sides.
If you’re not sure about what sleep position would be best for you, it’s always a good
idea to ask a doctor.
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