What Is the Downside of Sleeping on Your Side?

Woman in Gray Tank Top sleeping on Bed

Sleeping on one’s side is one of the most popular and beneficial positions, though it may bring with it some negative aspects such as arm numbness or acid reflux.

Good news is that you can avoid these issues with the right mattress and pillows, including sleeping on your left side to aid digestion and reduce heartburn, bloating and constipation.

Neck Pain

Sleeping on your stomach strains your neck muscles, leading to stiffness when you wake up. This position has also been linked with chronic back pain and snoring; altering your sleeping position and using pillows that reduce pressure placed upon them while sleeping could be useful solutions.

If you prefer side sleeping, adding two pillows- one under your head and another between your knees- to ensure that your spine and neck remain in a neutral, extended position can help reduce neck and back pain as well as alleviate wrist stress relief, making this sleep position the top recommendation of the Sleep Foundation for people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.

Sleeping on one’s side is also recommended for those suffering from acid reflux, as it helps keep food and acid out of reentering the throat. Furthermore, sleeping this way may improve breathing while decreasing snoring; additionally it may even reduce facial wrinkles by not placing too much pressure on them.

Stomach sleepers tend to suffer more lower back problems, as their sleeping position overextends their spine out of its natural curve. Utilizing a neck support pillow or body pillow and mattress with good lumbar support may help mitigate this issue.

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain at night can be an annoying nuisance and prevent you from restful slumber. Muscular strain or inflammation is the usual source, while severe discomfort could indicate frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injury or bursitis as potential causes. To help manage night-time shoulder discomfort visit a medical professional as soon as possible to be assessed and treat accordingly.

Sleeping on one’s side places additional strain on the shoulder joint, leading to pain and stiffness over time. Furthermore, prolonged impingement of rotator cuff can lead to microscopic tears in shoulder tendons that only compound this problem further until you take steps to address them.

For maximum sore shoulder relief, switching up your sleeping position may help. Sleeping on your back can reduce pressure on shoulders and hips as well as improve posture; but if side sleeping remains your preference, make sure your mattress provides excellent spinal and shoulder support – the GhostBed 3D Matrix mattress was specifically created to relieve side sleepers of their discomfort – this financing option offers no interest and allows them to test out this mattress in their home for up to 101 nights before making a decision to purchase.

Sleep Apnea

If you prefer sleeping on your side, a quality mattress and pillows can help alleviate neck pain as well as symptoms associated with acid reflux and sleep apnea. However, if your chin is not supported when lying on it can lead to misalignments between shoulders causing your neck to bend in unnatural positions causing further neck discomfort in the morning. You might consider investing in a body pillow as it will keep both head and neck in natural positions while sleeping.

Sleeping on the right side is also highly recommended for individuals with heart failure as it alleviates pressure from heart muscles, creating more space in the chest cavity, and helping the brain work more efficiently by removing toxins that accumulate there according to a 2015 study.

Stomach sleepers may be vulnerable to back pain as this position places too much strain on the spine and overextends its curve, potentially overextending it further than it should. Snoring may become worse as collapsing of soft tissues in the throat causes airway blockages which in turn contributes to arrhythmias associated with snoring which can even become life-threatening; sleeping on their stomach may be difficult for stomach sleepers to change but trying using a body pillow or attaching something like a tennis ball to prevent them from rolling onto their stomach. To mitigate issues associated with sleeping on their stomach they could use something like attaching something like tennis balls to prevent them rolling back over onto their stomach when rolling over from rolling over onto their stomach during sleepwear prevents them from rolling over onto their stomach while sleeping on their stomach sleepwear to stop them rolling over onto their stomach sleepwear prevent them from rolling over onto their stomach sleepwear front for support instead.

 

To mitigate issues when sleeping on their stomach it is best avoided but difficult; to change this position is difficult but using something like attaching something like tennis ball to front of sleepwear to stop rolling over onto their stomach while sleeping on can help change this position more easily such as using body pillow or attaching something similar like attaching something like attaching something like tennis ball onto front of sleepwear as another device to stop rolling over onto it or try using something like body pillow attachment to stop rolling over onto it while sleeping on top of sleepwear preventing rolls over onto it before sleepwear could prevent that could help. To change it can try using body pillows can use body pillow or attaching something similar like attaching something like sleepwear with something such as tennis ball attached front of wearer garment like wearwear from rolling back on sleeping garment e.

Back Pain

Sleeping on your side puts pressure on your neck and shoulder area, leading to pain as well as misalignment over time. A pillow under the head and one or more pillows between knees may help alleviate these effects; alternatively, try sleeping with arms freely floating or against sides instead of being bent against pillow and bent against side.

Sleeping on your side can also increase your risk of lower back pain if the spine is misaligning, according to studies. Tucking the chin into a pillow and pushing it towards your chest may create an uneven pelvis tilt, causing the lumbar spine to curve out of alignment, potentially leading to disc herniations or other spinal issues according to research.

Log and yearner sleeping styles – in which arms are tucked tightly against your sides or at their sides — may lead to numbness in hands and fingers due to poor circulation, which may be solved with using a body pillow to support top arm while leaving shoulders loose and flexible.

Change can be hard, but changing your sleeping position could be worth the effort to ensure optimal health. If you find that changing is not helping or you are having difficulty sleeping due to pain every morning or something else underlying, please consult a healthcare provider as it could be cause of additional issues.