What is the right posture to sleep?
Your sleeping posture will tell you about your health?
Your behaviors during the day and especially, before bedtime can have a major impact on your sleep. If you want to stay healthy and energetic, you need to get a good night sleep. Lack of sleep, or poor sleep, leads to several health problems like exhaustion, obesity, depression, higher stress levels and Alzheimer’s, among others.
Related : How to Get Better Sleep?
If your sleeping position is not right, chances are you will wake up with body ache and headache. And not just that, the way you sleep could lead to bigger health problems such as sleep apnea. Here are some common sleeping positions and how they affect your body.
Take a look at your sleeping posture:-
When you sleep on your Back-
When you sleep on your back, your whole body weight is properly balanced. It is the best position to sleep. The head, neck and spine are in a neutral position so you won’t wake up with back or neck pain. This position also keeps your internal organs aligned. Also, since your face is out in the air for whole night instead of being buried in the pillow, you will also get fewer wrinkles on your face.
Related : 8 benefits of sleeping naked!
Sleeping on your side
This position makes the natural curve of the spine. So, when you are lying in a fetal position, it reduces the stress on your back. Sleeping on your left side also brings down pain due to heartburn. This position also improves the air flow to the lungs and increases blood flow to the uterus in pregnant women. Keep alternating sides as you sleep so that you don’t strain any of the organs. But if you are used to keeping your arm under your head, it will affect your muscles and nerves, and it will cause numbness.
Sleeping on your stomach
This is not the ideal sleeping position. When you sleep on your stomach, your body doesn’t allow the natural curve of your spine, resulting in overarching. It gives pressure on the joints and the muscles and as a result, you’ll have to experience pain, numbness and tingling sensations across your body. Sleeping on your stomach causes your neck, which distorts the alignment of the spine and as a result it will give you the neck pain. It also affects your blood circulation of your body. However, it reduces snoring significantly.
Related : To have a better sleep, follow this!
Here are some ways to establish healthy sleep habits:
- Follow a consistent sleep schedule, even you are on weekends or during vacations, get up at the same time every day.
- Fix a schedule that is enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
- If you are not feeling sleepy, don’t go to bed. Go to sleep when you’re truly tired.
- If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes at bed, just get out of the bed.
- Always try to use your bed only for sleep and sex.
- Make your bedroom quite relaxing. Keep the room at a cool temperature andcomfortable sleep environment.
- Turn off your electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Don’t eat heavy meal before bedtime, if you feel hungry at night; eat a light and healthy snack.
- Do regularly exercise and maintain a healthy diet.
- Avoid consuming caffeine and alcohol in the evening or in the night,and other chemicals that interfere with sleep.
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