Hey guys. Marten here from Mattress Clarity. So we can all agree being sick
is the worst. Now, whether it's heartburn from too many spicy wings,
congestion from a cold, or a flu. It definitely makes it harder to
fall sleep. At the same time, you need more sleep to heal faster.
But we're here to talk about today the best sleep position for when
you're sick and the best ways to get sleep when you're sick.
Let's get started.
First up, if you want more information about sleep or how to get the best
sleep possible, head over to MattressClarity.com. There you're going to find some
great reviews on mattresses, bedding and pillows. Also, stick around to
the end of the video, I'll be answering frequently asked questions about how to
get the best sleep possible when you're sick. Let's start
off by talking about heartburn. Now, heartburn is a symptom
of acid reflux, and this occurs when acid from your stomach
moves up your esophagus, causing irritation and discomfort.
Now, I deal with this personally. That's because I like my
spicy food. I like my chicken wings. I also like pizza, which is
really bad for heartbreak. The first thing experts say you
should do is to avoid these types of foods. So you're
going to avoid your chicken wings. You're going to avoid your pizza, ice cream,
chocolate, even beer, all the good stuff. So avoiding
that can go a long way. And also, no matter what you eat,
stop eating two to 3 hours before going to bed.
Now, let's say you do all those things and you're still getting heartburn. What
can you do to get the best sleep possible when you have heartburn? Well,
first off, you can incline your head six to eight inches.
Gravity is going to help keep that stomach acid down in your stomach and
not up in your esophagus. Now if you do want to lie down,
you're going to lie down on your left side, not your right side.
That's because if you lie down on your right side, it relaxed the valve that
keeps that stomach acid in your stomach. Next up, we have
colds. Now, most of us know how hard it is to fall sleep and
stay asleep when you have a cold. Symptoms can be runny nose,
it can be coughing, sneezing, body aches, sore throat.
All of these make it so hard to fall sleep. But there are some
ways to make sure you fall sleep and stay asleep when you have a cold.
First off, you want to make sure you're clearing your airways because when you
have that congestion, it's much harder to breathe while you're sleeping, you get
stuffed up, you wake up in the middle of the night. First off,
you can use nasal spray to clear out those airways. You can use nasal
strips. You can also use a humidifier in your bedroom.
We have a great list of our best humidifiers. Make sure to check that out.
You can also elevate your head, so elevating it
a few inches can help keep the congestion out of your head down into
your best, making it a little bit easier to breathe.
Now, also, you can make your room a good sleep space.
Basically, practice good sleep hygiene. Make sure your room is dark
and cool and quiet. If you can go overboard here,
you can use a sleep mask, you can use blackout curtains, a white
noise machine. When you're sick, don't be afraid to treat yourself.
So we spoke about the best way to sleep when you have a cold.
If you have the flu, it's going to be a lot of the same steps
you want to take. But the stomach flu, it's going to be a little bit
different and it's a little bit gross here, but the main symptom of stomach flu
is going to be vomiting. So a couple of things you want to do if
you're dealing with stomach flu or you're worried about getting sick in the
middle of the night. First off, you're going to be worried about choking.
So sleep in an elevated position or on your side.
Also, keep a bucket next to your bed, just like your mom used to do
for you because you don't want to make a mess and no one has energy
for that type of cleanup. Last up I want to talk about sleeping when you're
pregnant. Now, this is not really being sick, but when you're pregnant,
your body goes through a number of changes, making it much more uncomfortable,
harder to fall asleep and to stay asleep. How most
experts say the best way to sleep when you are pregnant is on your left
side. This will increase the blood flow and nutrients that your child and the
placenta gets. I do want to say I know I'm a guy, I had never
been pregnant. I probably will never be pregnant. But Katie
and my fellow reviewer did a great video on the best state positions for
when you're pregnant. Make sure to check that out. Now, if you are pregnant,
you might be dealing with heartburn or with breathing issues. And if you are,
you can prop yourself up with some pillows. Now off of
that. It's a good idea to invest in a pregnancy pillow if you are pregnant.
This can make it much more comfortable to fall sleep and to stay asleep when
you're pregnant. Also, Katie made a list of the best pregnancy pillows.
Make sure to check that out. So why is all this important? Well, when you're
sick, you want to make sure you're getting the best sleep possible. So you boost
the immune system and heal much more quickly, especially if you're dealing with
a fever. Your body needs a lot of energy to deal with that
infection. Now. Also, you should be getting good sleep all
the time because if you're not getting proper sleep, you are more susceptible
to illness, more susceptible to infection so good proper sleep
is always a good idea.
Now I want to answer some frequently asked questions about how to sleep when
you're sick. The first question is can sleep help with the stomach flu?
The quick answer is yes, it can help with the stomach flu.
When you're sick you want to make sure you're boosting the immune system to
fight that bug or the infection and good sleep can definitely help with that.
The second question is how do you fall asleep when you're sick? It does depend
on what you're dealing with specifically. If you're dealing with heartburn you
might want to sleep on your left side or on an incline propped up with
a pillow. If you're dealing with a cold also propping yourself with a pillow.
It's a good idea to make sure the congestion drains out of your head.
Also in general, make sure your bedroom is a nice place to sleep so it's
cool, it's dark, it's quiet. The third question is
is it okay to sleep all day when you're sick? Now I've definitely done this
before when I'm ill, but if you're dealing with a certain illness of making you
have extra fatigue super tired all day long you definitely want to check
with the doctor. The last question is is it better to rest or be active
while you're sick? Now depends on your health record what you're dealing
with specifically but I do recommend checking with the doctor if you
want to be active while you're sick because if you're not getting the proper
amount of rest you're not going to heal too quickly. You might be sick for
a longer amount of time. At this point, you should have the best ways to
fall asleep and stay asleep if you're sick. But if you're still
a bit confused you have any personal questions? Leave a comment below.
I also recommend talking to adult doctor if you're having trouble falling asleep
and staying asleep when you're sick. But that's about it. If you're getting
started looking for a mattress, bedding, or pillows, head over mattressclarity.com
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