Sleeping on your stomach may help reduce snoring and sleep apnea, but it’s incredibly damaging for your spine. Stomach sleeping flattens out the natural curve of your spine, forcing it out of alignment with itself and leading to backache or other health problems.
Sleeping on your stomach twists your neck, potentially leading to chronic neck problems such as herniated disks. Here’s why sleeping this way should be avoided:
Pain
If you find yourself sleeping on your stomach, the position can place enormous strain on both your back and neck, leading to morning aches and pains due to misalignments of spine alignment; furthermore, pressure will also be placed upon shoulders, hips and neck resulting from sleeping this way.
Stomach sleeping involves turning your head to one side in order to breathe, which forces the neck to twist and can lead to long-term issues like rotator cuff problems and pressuring on wrinkles or fine lines on your face. Furthermore, pregnant women should avoid this sleeping position at all costs!
Stomach sleepers are especially susceptible to acid reflux, a condition caused when acid from their digestive tract escapes through the esophagus and into their throat. Acid reflux can be both uncomfortable and painful during sleep hours and worsen peptic ulcers which cause burning pains in their GI tracts.
Sleep Disruption
Sleeping on your stomach (commonly referred to as the prone position) puts undue strain on both your neck and spine, potentially resulting in long-term damage that compromises both health and quality of life.
Stomach sleeping may help some individuals reduce snoring and decrease sleep apnea; however, this position is not recommended due to potential neck or back strain and sleep disruption. Furthermore, stomach sleeping could leave you feeling fatigued and irritable throughout the day.
If you find it difficult to transition away from stomach sleeping, try propping your head up on a pillow for comfort. This may help alleviate joint and neck pain but is still less beneficial to your health than sleeping on either your side or back.
No doubt it may take some getting used to, but eventually sleeping on your back will pay dividends in the form of improved rest and reduced stillbirth risk. Pregnant women should sleep on their left side to reduce stillbirth risks; but for all others, becoming familiar with sleeping on either their backs or sides will help ensure a peaceful night’s rest!
Acid Reflux
Acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is a frequent and bothersome symptom that can disrupt sleep and cause discomfort. It occurs when stomach acids rise up into the food pipe from their original site in the stomach and irritate its lining, often leading to heartburn, throat tightness or coughing episodes that occur several times each week or more frequently depending on individual diet and lifestyle factors.
If stomach acid escapes your stomach while sleeping on your back, it may enter the esophagus and remain there, leading to acid reflux more frequently for those sleeping on their stomachs than other positions. When exposed regularly to acidic environments, esophagitis develops, leading to respiratory difficulties and sinus infections among other health complications.
Momeni suggests that lifestyle and dietary modifications may help those experiencing acid reflux on an ongoing basis. She advises eating smaller meals before bed and limiting your consumption of foods that trigger acid reflux such as chocolate, fried or spicy food, and sleeping with your head elevated by using pillows under your head or an adjustable bed frame can also reduce acid reflux symptoms, she notes. For additional relief medication may also help such as over-the-counter or prescription antacids and prokinetics which increase stomach sphincter activity to stop acid reflux from occurring.
Numbness or Tingling
Sleepers who rest their stomach often report awakening with an arm or hand experiencing tingling sensation. While this could be caused by compressing nerves during the position, once they change positions the sensation should subside. If it occurs frequently and for extended periods it should be discussed with your physician.
Sleeping on your stomach with your head tilted off-center or angled upward can lead to neck-related problems, including pressure being placed on the nerves in your neck and arms, leading to feelings of numbness in hands due to pressing on nerves running down arms. If this symptom arises for you, try sleeping in another position or using a neck pillow as support to ensure straight sleeping position and maintain optimal head alignment.
No matter its source, it’s always wise to visit a health care professional immediately in order to diagnose and treat any conditions that could be the source of numbness or tingling. Your physician will review your medical history, conduct a physical exam and ask about symptoms before ordering tests to identify potential sources – this might include lab work such as blood work and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) measurements to measure nerve function.
