If your posture is wrong, you will get up and go back to sleep. Come and claim the correct sleeping position that suits you!

One third of our life is spent sleeping, and good sleep is related to our health. Among them, the correct sleeping posture is considered a key link in sleep health. Some people seem to be "living a peaceful life" on the surface, but in fact they have already "let themselves go" under the covers~

Weird sleeping positions

1. "No need to hold something" : Some people like to hold something when they sleep, such as a blanket, a doll or even a partner. Not only do they hold it with their hands, but they also subconsciously hold it with their legs - it's uncomfortable if they don't hold something.

2. "Self-surrender" : This type of people will unconsciously raise their arms and hands above their heads when they sleep - they can't sleep well without this

3. "Curled up": The legs are curled up, and then curled up into a ball - the classic sleeping position of cats

4. "Cross-legged" style : I like to cross my legs when sleeping - I also want to look stylish when sleeping

5. "Coffin position" : lying flat on your back, face up, with your hands on your stomach - like lying in a coffin

Some sleeping positions may make you more harmful to your health!

• The surrender sleeping position may cause numbness in the upper limbs due to poor blood circulation in the upper limbs, and may even cause diseases such as peripheral neuritis . In addition, the long-term stretching and stimulation of the upper limb muscles can easily induce periarthritis of the shoulder.

• Sleeping in a curled-up position can cause muscle stiffness or strain due to excessive back strain, which may lead to a hunchback posture . In addition, this sleeping position may restrict diaphragm activity, reduce chest space, and cause damage to the heart and lungs .

• Sleeping on your stomach in bed may cause back pain , because this posture will cause the lumbar spine to be lordotic, which will invisibly put too much pressure on the back muscles. The head will tend to tilt to one side when sleeping on your stomach, and the cervical and lumbar vertebrae will always be in a twisted state. Doing this for a long time may lead to spinal diseases .

What is the correct sleeping position?

First of all, we need to understand a principle: when sleeping, it is healthiest and most comfortable to keep the spine in a neutral position . At this time, the muscles and ligaments around the spine are in a relatively relaxed state, which not only improves the quality of sleep, but also helps to heal damaged tissues during the day and rejuvenate tired muscles.

So, how do you do this? For most people, supine and side sleeping are the two most recommended sleeping positions . When lying on your back, your spine is in a relatively straight state and is subjected to minimal pressure (only about 25% of your body weight).

However, according to statistics, 65% of people in China prefer to sleep on their side. There is a difficulty with sleeping on your side: due to the reduced contact surface and the increased center of gravity, this posture is easily unstable, and it is easy to fall asleep in a "side-lying + high-legged" posture . At this time, the position of the shoulder relative to the pelvis will have a rotation, and this posture will apply a torque to the spine, causing it to deviate from the neutral position, making our spine like twisting a knot. Maintaining this posture for a long time may lead to back pain, waist pain and other consequences .

How to solve this problem?

• When sleeping on your side, you can put a pillow between your legs to keep your sleeping position stable . When sleeping on your side, only part of your hips and shoulders touch the bed, which may cause your spine to bend sideways, causing pressure on the spine and ligaments. Simply put a pillow between your legs to stabilize the placement of your thighs, which will help your spine return to a neutral position and relax your muscles. After adding the pillow, the height should ensure that the upper thigh is parallel to the bed surface to prevent the pelvis and lumbar spine from twisting, thereby alleviating back pain.

• When lying flat, you can put a pillow under your legs to solve the problem of waist hanging in the air . Many people have a large gap between their waist and the bed, which causes waist discomfort. You can put a pillow under your thighs or knees to raise your thighs, tilt your pelvis slightly backward, and naturally fit your suspended waist to the mattress for support, which can reduce the tightness of the waist and back muscles and eliminate waist discomfort.

Is it better to lie on the left or the right when sleeping on your side?

For healthy people, sleeping on the left side or the right side is acceptable . It is best to choose a sleeping position that makes you feel comfortable.

For the following special groups of people, there is the most suitable sleeping position:

• For patients with heart disease, the right side lying position is better . It is recommended to raise the upper body by about 10 to 15 degrees and lower the lower limbs to help reduce the return of the inferior vena cava and help the heart rest. If heart failure has occurred, it is appropriate to adopt a semi-recumbent position to alleviate breathing difficulties. It should be noted that it is strictly forbidden to use the left side lying or prone position, which may compress the heart.

• Pregnant women are more suitable to sleep on their left side in the third trimester . This is because changing this position can return the right-rotated uterus to its normal position, thereby improving the fetal position and delivery abnormalities; it can also prevent the uterus from compressing the inferior vena cava, which is beneficial to the growth and development of the fetus.

• For those who suffer from digestive disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, it is recommended to sleep on the left side . Since the stomach is lower than the esophagus, it can effectively prevent the burning sensation caused by gastric acid reflux.

• For patients with varicose veins, raising your feet 10 cm when sleeping can help peripheral blood return.

• Patients with cervical spondylosis should try to sleep in a supine or side-lying position to avoid increasing the burden on the cervical spine. The head and neck should be kept straight with a pillow, and the height of the pillow should be adjusted properly so that it is as high as or slightly lower than your fist after compression to avoid neck discomfort. Everyone's physical condition and habits are different, so choosing a sleeping position that suits you is the most important thing. What is your sleeping position? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area~

References:

[1]Effects of sleeping position on back pain in physically active seniors: A controlled pilot study,Desouzart, Gustavoa,Matos, Ruia, Melo, Filipec,Filgueiras,Ernestod,2016.

[2]Spine alignment in men during lateral sleep position: experimental study and modeling

Karim Leilnahari,Nasser Fatouraee,Mahmoud Khodalotfi,Mohammad Amin Sadeghein,and Yekta Amin Kashani,2011.