Kinkini Gupta
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Written By: Kinkini Gupta | Updated : November 22, 2022 10:30 AM IST
Can Sleeping Positions Impact Your Digestive Health?
Waking up in the middle of the night for various reasons is very common. But, as we start to cite the reasons why we might be experiencing this so frequently, a lot of reasons might come up and among them, one would be the position we are sleeping in. The position we sleep in, whether it is left, right, on our stomach or on our back has more impacts on our digestion process than we probably thought it did.
Firstly, there is a right position and a wrong position to sleep in. The right position stated by experts is the left side and the worst position is on our stomach. Sleeping in the wrong position can lead to bloating, heartburn, or abdominal soreness. There are several factors that can contribute to nighttime indigestion. These include your digestive health, what you had for dinner (or for your midnight snack), when you last ate, and last but not least, your sleep position.
The force of gravity has a great impact on our digestion process. Gravity helps move the food downwards into the intestines. It aids this process to go smoothly and prevent gastric issues that usually arise from the esophagus. According to several studies, moving around or walking around a little bit after having a meal also aids in better digestion. But, if we end up taking a nap, that could lead to gastric issues later.
Find out which sleeping position will aid in the digestion process.
Our organs are mostly located on one particular side of our body which is why sleeping on one side can compress an organ. On the other hand, sleeping on the right side can also aid in digestion and improve our sleep quality. It is recommended by experts that we sleep on our left side because of these particular reasons. The reason is that the force of gravity aids our organs in digesting the food faster than when we sleep in any other positions.
Sleeping on our back is a very common position and is not unhealthy. It helps keep the spinal cord in the correct alignment and our organs are also not compressed by any other organs which usually happens when we sleep on our right side. Sleeping on our back is the healthiest especially if we have back problems or neck pain. But, the only con in this position is that it might lead to acid reflux, especially if you sleep right after a big meal.
When we sleep on our right side, our stomach is above our spine and esophagus. This way our stomach will not be compressed, however, this position also has a higher risk of causing acid reflux as per studies conducted by JAMA Internal Medicine
This is one the least ideal positions recommended for our sleep health as well as our digestive health. Sleeping on your stomach means that you are putting extra pressure on your tummy. It could hinder the digestive process and aside from that, sleeping in this position could also lead to back pain, hip pain and neck pain.
