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| Sleeping on your left side diagram |
There are a few ways you can sleep- on your front, your back, your left side, and your right side- and they all affect your health. Sleeping on the back can be harmful for people with sleep apnea or asthma, because it can make it harder to breath. Sleeping on the right side is likely to make digestive problems worse, while sleeping on the left side may boost digestion. Sleeping on the left side is believed to greatly boost health, and even save lives.
In holistic medicine, the left side of the body is the controlling lymphatic side, and while you’re sleeping on this side, your body will have more time to filter toxins, lymph fluid, and waste though the thoracic duct and the lymph nodes. Here are six ways sleeping on your left side is good for your health.
1. It Bolsters the Lymphatic System Ayurvedic medicine says that sleeping on your left side lets your body better filter lymph fluid and waste through the lymph nodes. This is because the left side of our body is the stronger lymphatic side. Western studies also found that sleeping on the left side can help the body break down waste materials from the brain. However, sleeping on the right side can lower the lymphatic system’s power.
2. It May Improve Digestion When it comes to digestion, sleeping on the left side may be better than the right, because of gravity. Lying on the left side lets food waste easily move from the large intestine into the lower colon, meaning you’re more likely to have a bowel movement when you wake up. Sleeping on the left side lets the stomach and pancreas hang naturally because our stomach lies on the left side of the body. This can make sure the body keeps creating pancreatic enzymes and will help other digestive processes.
3. It’s Good for Your Heart Doctors advise that pregnant women sleep on their left side to boost circulation to the heart. Even if you’re not pregnant, or a woman, sleeping on the left side may help take some weight off the heart. Gravity can help lymph drainage toward the heart, and aortic circulation away from the heart.
4. It’s Ideal for Pregnant Women Sleeping on the left side doesn’t only boost pregnant women’s circulation. It can also help ease weight on the back, keep the uterus from squeezing the liver, and raise blood flow to the uterus, kidneys, and the fetus. For this reason, doctors tell pregnant women to spend as much of their sleep time as possible on their left sides.
5. It May Reduce Heartburn A study written in The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that lying on the left side can help lower acid reflux signs. This is because our stomach lies on the left side. Lying on the right side may worsen these signs. The help comes very fast; if you’re feeling heartburn after a meal, try lying down on your left side for ten minutes.
6. It May Relieve Back Pain People with chronic back pain may feel a little better if they switch to sleeping on their left side. That’s because sleeping on your side can ease weight on the spine. Feeling more comfortable will raise your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
If you usually sleep on your back, your front, or your right side, you may wonder how to break that habit and start sleeping on your left side. It will take some time and practice, but you will be able to quickly train your body to sleep in this position.
Source: YouTube by Natural Cures
