Side Effects and Benefits of Sleeping On Right Side

Side Effects and Benefits of Sleeping On Right Side

Side effects and benefits of sleeping on right side


There are several sleeping styles while one is lying down to rest their bodies which have their benefits and effects on the body system of the person. In this case, we are specifically going to focus on the benefits of sleeping on the right-hand side.


The position a person gets to sleep in can affect the quality of their sleep, this also comes with additional health effects from the position they tend to sleep in. Each sleeping position a person chooses every time they sleep has its own pros and cons. There is a big need for a person to focus on these benefits and effects of that position especially if they get trouble to fall asleep or if at all they get any pain in their body systems ever from this.


Benefits of Sleeping On The Right Side

The common sleeping positions include sleeping on the stomach, on the right hand side, the left hand side of the body, and on the back. Some of the known benefits of sleeping on the right hand side include

  • It has benefits for people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea for it helps in a mechanical way to open up a blocked oropharynx.
  • Sleeping on the right-hand side improves the general health of the brain in that it assists in the elimination of the waste found in the brain known in another name as interstitial brain waste. When this waste is cleared from the brain it minimizes the chances of a person suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and any other ailments that basically affect the brain.
  • For people who snore generally while asleep, it assists in the same way, to open up the respiratory system and minimize the chances of snoring. Sleeping on the right-hand side prevents the tongue from blocking the throat and partially obstructing the wind path.
  • For those who suffer from neck and back pains, it assists hugely in the easing of the pain felt while sleeping on the right side rather than on their backs.
  • The heart falls on the right side instead of the left side where it is normally located by sleeping on the right-hand side, this helps in improving the functionality of the heart.
  • It is highly medically recommended normally, this is due to the fact that, sleeping on the right-hand side exerts minimal pressure on the heart and the stomach too while enabling digestion to take place smoothly, elimination and the flow of Qi.
  • Sleeping on the right-hand side is beneficial in that, for people who have conditions such as heart ailments, stones of the bladder, or digestive issues affecting them is the much-needed home therapy to minimize the effects of these conditions for a person while asleep.
  • For people who suffer from hypertension, sleeping on their right-hand side is medically advised especially with their heads on a raised position like a pillow or headrest; this is a remedy to ensure the blood pressure does not rise up while asleep.
  • The position assists in ensuring that for people who suffer from backaches the spinal cord is kept in a straight position and it is well aligned to minimize the pain felt while sleeping on the back.
  • Boosts digestion, the small intestines move waste products from digestion to the colon via the ileocecal valve, which is located in the right-hand side of the abdomen. If the valve is working properly sleeping in this position ensures digestion process is completed fully without the valve being subjected to intestinal ailments


Effects of Sleeping On The Right Side

From several studies that have already been carried out, sleeping on their right-hand side especially in the last stages of the pregnancy for pregnant women is harmful to the unborn baby in that it may lead to increasing the chances of having a stillbirth or in other terms giving birth to a dead baby.


The need to ensure that any pregnant woman sleeps on their left-hand side is supported by the fact that whenever they sleep on their left-hand position there is a reduced amount of pressure which is exerted on their blood arteries and it makes sure that the proper and required amount of blood flow to the uterus is maintained.


On the other hand, studies have shown that sleeping on one’s left side highly assists in the perfect digestion of the ingested food. Apart from boosting the perfect digestion of the food, sleeping on the left-side too boosts the elimination of waste from the food a person has eaten. Modern research has highly supported this.


The position is highly recommended rather than sleeping on the right-hand side, due to the fact that, from the study cases lying down on the right-hand position increased chances of a person suffering from heartburn which is a condition also known as GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux. This condition tends to keep a person from falling asleep in a whole night, it is not also a good condition for the esophagus, which may be affected by cancer at the end which has more muscles than the rest of it and is connected to the stomach.


There are notable theories that support the sleeping on the left-hand side to aid in digestion because while in this position the gut and the digestive juices are found in a lower position while laying down to sleep. It is a well-known fact that the heart is found on the right side instead of the left side where it is normally located by sleeping on the right-hand side, this helps in improving the functionality of the heart. When a person sleeps on their left-hand side pressure is exerted on the heart and may hinder its proper functionality.


Conclusion

Sleeping on the right hand side too comes with its effects such as, suffering from shoulder pains, having jaw discomfort especially if the jaw turns to become tight due to the process of exerting pressure on it while asleep which may make it painful especially in the morning when a person wakes up. Therefore, due to this people should be encouraged to sleep on the right side because of its many benefits.

Reviewed By:

Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)

Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad