Your sleeping position is entirely individual to you. While some people prefer to sleep on their backs, most people prefer to sleep on their sides, with various studies suggesting that about 50% of UK adults prefer this position.
Regardless of the position you choose to sleep in, it has both benefits and disadvantages, ranging from better posture and digestion to more aches and pains in the neck and back. The optimal and worst sleeping positions can have a significant impact on your sleep cycle, as well as your physical and mental health, so it's crucial to have the appropriate mattress and pillows for your individual sleeping position.
Recent research has shown that sleeping on your right side comes with several health benefits, including enhanced brain health, if you are a side sleeper or find your current sleeping habits uncomfortable. Sleeping on your side, specifically on your right side of the body, is the best position for brain health, according to neuroscientist Tara Swart, M.D., pHD. (opens in new tab), who has conducted extensive research on sleep hygiene.
This is so that your brain can flush out waste items overnight as you sleep on your right side, which is more effective for glymphatic cleansing. Research has found that this cleanup process is best helped when you sleep on your right side. You may maintain the health and functioning of your brain as you age by sleeping on your right side. This not only improves your days more productive but it could also assist safeguard you from future health issues.
((WHAT ADVANTAGES DO YOU GET FROM SLEEPING ON YOUR SIDE?))
We said that sleeping on your side can help with digestion, reduce acid reflux, minimise back pain, and combat snoring and sleep apnoea by keeping your airways open in our 5 recommendations for side sleepers(opens in new tab). While whatever side you sleep on doesn't significantly affect how well or how long you sleep, it can aid you at various ages and stages of your life.
For instance, sleeping on your right side is stated to help lower your chance of developing neurological diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's later in life in an article from the New York Post(opens in new tab). All of this is related to how sleeping on your side allows the brain to clear waste more quickly than it would if you were on your back or stomach.
Additionally, the Sleep Foundation(opens in new tab) has released research showing that sleeping on your right side is healthier for your heart and has urged persons with heart failure to pick this side over the left because the latter can be unpleasant.
However, lying on your left side is also beneficial for your health, especially for pregnant women. The mother and child's blood flow is aided by sleeping on the left side, which also relieves stress on internal organs by keeping the uterus away from the liver.
The best position for comfort, support, and health is to sleep on your side, as has been demonstrated time and time again.
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