Note: Although generally healthy, left-side sleep may not be adequate in some cases, such as for those who have had heart problems in the past.
People all over the world love sleep. There is no denying that it is one of life’s sweetest pleasures.
It is also well known that sleep is important for one’s general health and well-being. One cannot expect to function normally and perform to one’s full potential without a good night’s sleep.
Yes, you may be able to manage for a while, but you’re likely to be mentally disoriented and low on energy until you can’t anymore.
Lack of sleep also causes a host of diseases and possibly fatal conditions. It’s one of the biggest factors associated with heart disease.
In addition to maintaining a proper sleep pattern, you can improve your health by sleeping in a certain position.
- Sleep better during pregnancy
In pregnant women, a sleep position on the left side can prevent the liver from putting pressure on the uterus and promote blood circulation in the uterus, along with improved blood flow to the fetus.
It can also help relieve back pain. Therefore, the left side sleep position can help a pregnant woman sleep well, which is undeniably a great challenge in pregnancy. - Better lymphatic drainage
The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that carry a fluid called lymph throughout the body. The lymphatic fluid performs the crucial tasks of transporting the infection-fighting white blood cells through the system and removing toxins and other harmful substances from the body.
The body’s lymphatic system is located predominantly on the left side, and the left side is where the body transports and drains most of the lymphatic fluid.
The traveling lymphatic fluid, which carries proteins, metabolites and toxins, is purified by the lymph nodes along the way, and eventually goes to the heart.
Although scientific evidence has not yet been obtained, alternative medicine systems such as Ayurveda believe that diseases that occur on the left side of the body are due to congestion of the lymphatic system.
The spleen is also found on the left side of the body. It is one of the main organs of the lymphatic system. However, it not only purifies the lymphatic fluid but also the blood.
When you sleep on your left side, gravity allows the drainage of blood and fluid through the spleen to be gradual and relaxed.
It is important to remember that the lymphatic system does not work in conjunction with the heart. It drains the body with the help of muscle contractions, and the heart’s pumping action has nothing to do with it.
Therefore, sleeping on the left allows you to help the drainage and proper functioning of the lymphatic system inadvertently with the help of gravity. - Better disposal of waste products
The body eliminates waste products through the intestines. The small intestine carries the waste products through the ileocecal valve (ICV) to the large intestine on the right side.
The large intestine then transports this waste material through the stomach on the right, to finally discharge it into the descending colon on the left side of the body.
When sleeping on the left side, gravitational forces facilitate the movement of food from the small intestine to the large intestine.
In addition, as the night progresses and one sleeps on the left side, waste from the large intestine is gradually and slowly dumped into the colon.
This allows the colon to be full and ready to eliminate waste in the form of stool properly and easily the next morning. - Better digestion
The stomach and pancreas produce your body’s digestive enzymes. When you assume the left side sleep position, the stomach and pancreas hang comfortably and have adequate space to carry out digestion.
Again, gravity allows food to move through the stomach gradually and pancreatic enzymes to be released gradually as needed.
However, when sleeping on the right side, these organs hang in a somewhat uncomfortable and awkward position that often causes food and enzymes to empty into the stomach all at once, causing discomfort and disruption of digestion.
- Reduction of stomach acidity
Sleeping on the left side can also help reduce acid reflux in your body and can help remove existing acid more quickly than if you lie on the right side.
Sleeping in the wrong position can cause stomach acid to enter the esophagus, causing heartburn and other discomfort. This, of course, occurs because your stomach is located on the left side of your body.
In fact, a 2000 study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that the right side sleeping position causes higher acid levels and a higher incidence of acid reflux compared to left side sleep.
In most cases, you may notice the beneficial effects of the left side sleep position when you suffer from frequent heartburn and acid reflux. If you experience heartburn after eating, you can even try lying on the left side for a good 10 minutes for relief.
- Back Pain Relief
This is only one of the benefits of sleeping on your side, either right or left, but with all the benefits of sleeping on the left, you may also assume a left position for your back pain.
People with chronic back pain should not, and probably cannot, comfortably sleep on their backs. Sleeping on your side releases pressure on the spine and reduces back pain.
- Relieves varicose veins
varicose veins
Sleeping on the left side is also beneficial for those suffering from varicose veins, especially in the lower limbs.
It helps relieve pressure on a large vein called the inferior vena cava, which is located on the right side of the body. This vein carries blood from the lower half of the body to the heart.
Resources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10445529?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8071510
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002927000019730