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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : January 20, 2020 11:28 AM IST
To sleep on your stomach, you may twist your neck, putting your head and spine out of alignment.© Shutterstock
Besides diet and exercise, getting enough quality sleep is also key to a good health. Researchers recommend getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Too much or too less sleep can increase your risk for serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease, mental health problems, infertility and more. Many have the habit of sleep on their stomach, which is bad for health. Sleeping on your stomach may help prevent sleep apnea and reduce snoring, but it can cause back and neck pain. Stomach sleepers! You should know these health effects of sleeping on your stomach.
When you sleep on your stomach, you are putting extra pressure on your back and spine. As most of your weight is in the middle of your body, this sleeping position makes it difficult to keep your spine in a neutral position. And strain on the spine may increase stress on other structures in the body. The spine is a pipeline for your nerves and therefore spinal stress can cause pain in other parts of your body. Plus, this position puts pressure on your muscles and joints, which can lead to numbness, tingling, aches, and irritated nerves.
To sleep on your stomach, you need to turn your head to the side. This means you are twisting your neck, putting your head and spine out of alignment. Over time, this sleep position can lead to development of neck problems.
When you're pregnant, having enough quality sleep is very important for yourself and your baby too. Sleeping on your stomach is out of question when you are in your third trimester of pregnancy, but you need to avoid it during your initial months too. The additional weight around the middle can increase the pressure on your spine. Also, sleeping on your stomach will force your baby to squeeze in between your spine and the mattress.
Researchers recommend pregnant women to sleep on their left side, because it can increase healthy blood flow and provide the optimum oxygen levels for both mom and the baby.
