Key Points

• Sleeping on your side may help ease pain, lower your chance of snoring and sleep apnea, and improve your overall health.
• The best side to sleep depends on what you like and feel comfortable with.
• Your bed plays an important role. Choose a mattress and pillow that supports you.
• People who are pregnant or who suffer from acid reflux may feel better sleeping on their left side.
• People with heart problems may feel better sleeping on their right side.

Generally, it is believed that sleeping on your back is the best position, and it will help you sleep better at night without waking up in pain.

However, recent research has suggested that sleeping on your side has more health benefits. It has also been highlighted that older adults and people with heavier builds or higher BMIs are more likely to sleep comfortably on their sides.

However, to get the most benefits of side sleeping, you need to understand the correct way of sleeping on the side. In the article below, please find out about sleeping on your side, its benefits and drawbacks, which side is best, and other things related to side sleeping.

Why is Sleeping On Your Side Good for You?

An astonishing 65% of people prefer to sleep on their side. It is also the healthiest way to sleep for many. Following are some of the benefits of sleeping on your side;

·   Helpful for people who Snore and also who have sleep apnea

You are more likely to snore if you sleep on your back because your tongue is more likely to slip back into your throat. Sleeping on your side promotes better breathing because your mouth stays open, improving sleep quality.

That is why doctors suggest that people with sleep apnea, a dangerous breathing disorder that happens during sleep, sleep on their side to help ease their symptoms.

·   Good for gut health

Your gut health is widely affected by the way you sleep. Sleeping on your back prevents excess air in your body from escaping as quickly as when you lie on your side, thereby affecting your sleep.

People who frequently experience heartburn, constipation, bloating, or other stomach-related problems may feel better if they sleep on their side.

·   Beneficial for Back Pain

Many people have recurring pain in their lower back. Sleeping on the stomach can alleviate this pain since the spine may feel more pressure, which can cause pain.

However, sleeping on the sides can help in better pain management. Many people claim their back pain to disappear when sleeping on their side.

·   Better brain health

Unlike your body, your brain is constantly exposed to unwanted stimuli in terms of information, stress, etc., which it has to process throughout the day. This affects the brain's functioning, can cause mental fatigue, and requires healing. Brain cells often heal better while you sleep at night.

Recently, studies have been about the position in which you sleep and its effects on your brain health. The outcome suggests that sleeping on your side promotes faster healing than sleeping on your stomach or back.

·   Beneficial for Pregnancy Health

Pregnant women should sleep on their sides because it makes it easier for the heart to pump blood around the body. It also prevents putting too much pressure on the vein, bringing blood back from the leg to the heart.

Some studies show that sleeping on your back is linked to a higher chance of late stillbirth, so sleeping on your side is considered to be safer during pregnancy.

Even though sleeping on your side is good for you, you can only get those benefits if you sleep correctly. Incorrect position can cause back, neck, and joint pain, making sleeping on your side less helpful.

How to Sleep on Your Side?

If you want to sleep on your side, these tips may help you get the best sleep possible in this position.

Choose a pillow made for people who sleep on their sides.

• A good pillow for people who sleep on their sides is the one that helps keep the neck and back aligned.
• If you often sleep on your side and get neck pain, avoid soft pillows and choose a rubber/latex pillow.
• The loft of the pillow, also known as its height, should correspond with the distance from your neck to the edge of your shoulders.

You can make sleeping on your side more comfortable by adding more pillows. Placing a pillow in the right spot between your knees will keep your hips straight, ease the stress on your knee joints, and keep your lower back from hurting.

Choose a mattress that supports sleep on your side.

A good mattress lets you sleep well and feel rejuvenated when you wake up. Although bed preferences vary from soft to firm, side sleepers should use medium-firm mattresses.

A softer mattress can let your hips or shoulders sink farther into it than the rest of the body, making your spine stretch while you sleep, and you may feel pain and aches when you wake up.

On the other hand, the harder mattresses are too hard and don't provide enough support to the torso. This can create a gap between your waist and the mattress surface. Your stomach may sink in to fill this gap, which can cause pain and misalign your spine.

Medium-firm mattresses offer optimal support for side sleepers. They are soft enough to let your heavier body parts sink deeper into the mattress but firm enough to keep the rest from sinking too far and putting your spine out of balance.

Sleep in a symmetrical side sleep position.

It's better to sleep on your balanced side than your uneven side. If you pay attention to supporting the natural curve of your spine from your head to your hips to the toe, you won't have any aches and pains in the morning.

To achieve a symmetrical position -

• Place the pillow under your head and lie on your side.
• Shoulders should be straight, and hips should be in line with shoulders. Make sure your chin and neck are aligned with your shoulders.
• Don't let your chin drop to your neck or twist to the side. Instead, keep your head straight ahead.
• Your arms and hands should be straight and aligned. You can place them on your side or in front.
• You could put a small pillow between your knees to take the pressure off your hips and keep your knees from falling on top of each other.
• Many people who sleep on their sides tend to bend their legs and curl toward their chest. This pose may help your back feel better. But breathing can be more challenging if you curl up too much in this pose.
• Some pregnant women find that putting pillows under their belly and between their legs helps relieve extra pressure. Putting another hard pillow or a rolled-up blanket on the small of the back can help keep you from feeling any worse.

The Right Way to Sleep on Your Side

Whether you've been sleeping on your side for a long time or this is your first time, knowing how to do it right is essential. The following steps can help you sleep right;

• Lie on a medium-firm mattress and place a firm pillow under your head.
• First, move to your left side. Your shoulders should be in line with your ears, and your chin should be level. Do not keep your head down or pull your chin into your chest.
• Keep your hands and arms below your neck and face, ideally straight to the sides.
• Use a hard pillow between your knees if you suffer from low back pain. It will prevent your hip and knee joints from collapsing, which makes your spine more straight.
• To ease the strain on your back, lift your knees toward your chest a little.

In this way, you can get the most out of this sleeping position without being in pain or discomfort when you wake up.

Disadvantages of Sleeping on your Side

Although sleeping on your side has many advantages, there are a few disadvantages as well;

• Sleeping position is not fixed - Your body will not stay in one position overnight to prevent other body parts from swelling. Therefore, you'll sleep in one position but gradually change to different positions during your sleep, which requires space and can affect sleep quality.
• Correct pillow is required - The kind of pillow you use is vital. If the pillow's loft is lower or higher than needed, it will cause neck pain. Also, keep your head up on the pillow and pay attention to where your chin is placed. If you tuck your chin into your chest, it will hurt your neck.
• Possible Shoulder pain - One big problem with sleeping on your side is that it can make you more likely to get shoulder pain.

Whether you sleep on your left or right side, the corresponding shoulder can sink into the mattress and pull up toward your neck, causing inflammation and stiffness in the morning.

However, this risk will come down if you keep your head straight and in line with your neck and sleep on a firm mattress and pillow.

Which Side Should You Sleep On?

Although your body's condition will determine which side you should sleep on, the left side is recommended for most people.

For example, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) should sleep on their left side. Also, pregnant women should sleep on their left side from time to time to keep pressure off their liver and improve blood flow to their heart, ovaries, and kidneys.

However, people with heart failure may feel pain in their left side and would rather sleep on their right side. Doctors also suggest that instead of sleeping on your back, you should briefly switch to your right side if you feel uncomfortable.

When you should try a different Sleeping Position

If sleeping on your side doesn't feel good, try sleeping on your back instead. Sleeping on your back has many possible benefits, including less back pain, especially when combined with sleeping on the side.

Use a smaller pillow if you change your sleeping position from the side to the back. If you sleep on your side, use a higher loft pillow.

You should use a middle loft pillow if you sleep on your back, which is just high enough to support your neck without being too high, making your chin tilt forward into your chest.

Also, if you're worried about wrinkles, sleeping on your side can be an issue since your face gets pressed against the pillow, which can stretch and compress your skin, causing fine lines. If you sleep on your back, you can lower the pressure that causes wrinkles.

Since sleeping on your side puts more pressure on the shoulder, it can cause shoulder pain or worsen if you already have it. Switching between sides can help keep you from getting shoulder pain. A supportive mattress and pillow that doesn't let you sink too deeply into the mattress may also help. Make sure your head and neck are correctly aligned with both shoulders.

Some people sleep better when on their side, but not everyone can do this. Try sleeping in a different position if you're in pain or discomfort.

Talk to your doctor if you feel pain or discomfort after sleeping in this pose.