What is your sleeping position when you have acid reflux?
Dr. Daniel A. Barone, Associate Medical Director of the Weill Cornell Sleep Medicine Center (and a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medical Center NewYork – Presbyterian, New York City, USA) – said. : If you are struggling with acid reflux and heartburn, the side sleeping position is a good choice.
"People often say that lying on your back makes acid reflux worse, although that's not really clear," Mr. Barone confirms.
Mr. Barone cites a study showing that sleeping on the left side is associated with reduced heartburn, while sleeping on the right side can actually worsen acid reflux. Because it relaxes some muscles in the digestive system and creates more space for acids to move through.
However, there's no clear evidence that sleeping on your left side can relieve heartburn, so while it's worth a try, it may not solve the problem.
Dr. Barone advises that people with acid reflux should sleep in a sleeping position by raising the bed frame (like a hospital bed) or placing bricks at the foot of the bed to raise the head of the bed because that is a way to reduce acid reflux quite a bit. effective.
He also advises against placing too many pillows under your head as this can cause your head and neck to misalign and cause pain.
Does sleeping on your side really affect your heart health?
Many people worry and worry about their heart health by controlling their heart condition through their sleeping position. They believe that sleeping position can affect cardiovascular problems. However, Dr. Barone affirmed that there is no need to worry too much about this.
“If you've heard that sleeping on your right side is better for your heart, that idea comes from research that uses electrocardiography (ECG) and vectorcardiography (an imaging technique) to measure the electrical activity and position of the heart. heart when people sleep. In people who sleep on their left side, activity is slightly different from normal and the heart is slightly tilted; on the right side, there is no change compared to normal," the doctor said.
While this appears to cause some problems, there is no evidence that any of these effects have an effect on overall heart health.
“To my knowledge, sleeping position does not affect your cardiovascular health,” said Mr. Barone.
Who should avoid sleeping on both sides?
While sleeping on your side is probably the best position for most people, one thing to keep in mind is that it can cause and worsen shoulder pain.
"Traction pressure," said Charles A. Su, Ph.D., an orthopedic sports surgeon at the University of Virginia Health System and an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. stretching onto the shoulder due to lying on one's side can cause pain, stiffness or fatigue.
Although side sleeping can lead to shoulder pain for anyone, the risk is much greater for those with certain underlying medical conditions such as: rotator cuff injury, shoulder bursitis, biceps tendonitis head and shoulder osteoarthritis.
