Here’s Why Sleeping on Your Right Side Might Be Worse for Your Health
It happens at least once a month like clockwork: I wake up from a solid eight-hour sleep, only to realize I’ve pulled my back and I can’t lift my arm beyond shoulder height. Sure, it’s frustrating because the pain shoots through my body like a knife, but even more so because I know the issues are a result of me sleeping on my stomach — the only position I’m able to fall asleep in.
My sleep posture is far from ideal, since a large body of science concludes that sleeping on your stomach puts pressure on the respiratory system, nerves, ribcage, and spine, all while increasing heart rate — none of which are conducive to a good night’s sleep. Our sleep positions also affect our health and mood in more ways than many of us realize, and there’s actually an ideal sleep posture to aim for each night: sleeping on your side.
This position keeps your spine straight and aligned, since “it will help prevent stress points that may aggravate joints and connective tissue,” says Dr. Robert Hayden, Georgia-based chiropractor and American Chiropractic Association spokesperson. Additionally, side sleeping is crucial for those who snore or suffer from sleep apnea since it’s an effective way to keep your airways open, says Dr. Natalie Dautovich, assistant professor of counseling psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and environmental scholar at the National Sleep Foundation. If you’re pregnant, side-sleeping isn’t only a great way to relieve pressure off your belly. A 2012 study from BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth found that sleeping on your left side specifically can help promote oxygen flow to both the mother and fetus.
To facilitate — and maintain — the side sleeping position, Dr. Hayden recommends placing a body pillow under your torso to support your upper arm and knee. Dr. Dautovich also recommends placing another pillow in between your knees to relieve any pain and help keep your pelvis aligned. Also, your head on the pillow should remain level with the mattress (read: No funky double or triple stacks of pillows that can strain your neck and spine). It might feel more comfortable to rest your head on an incline when you’re reading a book or scrolling through Twitter before bed, but it’s not a great idea to fall asleep with your head on top of multiple pillows, says Dr. Kristina Petrocco-Napuli, Florida-based chiropractor, and president of the ACA Council on Women’s Health.
When you’re asleep, your muscle tone, which protects your joints when you’re not alert, becomes lax. According to Dr. Hayden, if your head, which weighs between 13 and 15 pounds, isn’t level with the mattress and you’re sleeping on your side, stress points develop along the joints in your neck. Your muscles would normally protect those joints from shifting too far in either direction, but while you’re asleep, your brain won’t send messages to your muscles to perform those protective functions. “Joints that are stressed will be eventually injured, and arthritic changes in the joint may manifest at some point,” Dr. Hayden explains.
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