Treating Problems Caused By Stomach Sleeping
If you already suffer from the chronic pain associated with stomach sleeping then there are things you can do to reduce pain. Speak with your chiropractor about your symptoms. They can help diagnose the cause of your chronic neck and back pain. Chiropractic adjustments can also help realign the spine.
Many chiropractors also work with a physical therapist. Your chiropractor or physical therapist may recommend exercises to help strengthen your back and surrounding muscles. Strengthening these key support muscle groups helps enable your spine to better support your body.
You dont have to live with chronic back and neck pain. Your chiropractor wants to help reduce your pain and improve the health of your spine. Regular chiropractic appointments along with lifestyle changes can help you be rid of your chronic pain once and for all.
Call A Family Chiropractic Clinic today at 566-0000 for more information on how to break the habit of stomach sleeping.
Sleeping On Your Stomach May Cause Neck Pain Or Discomfort
Sleeping on your stomach may cause neck pain or discomfort. This is due to your head being placed under your pelvis. Neck pain can be caused by a range of factors including crooked spine, sleeping on your back for long periods of time, sleeping in a recliner or other head position that prevents proper spine alignment.
To alleviate any pain or discomfort you may be feeling, try sleeping on your back and raise your head to a more comfortable position. Sleeping on your stomach may increase chances of sinus infections or other issues with your nasal passages.
While sleeping on your stomach can help you fall asleep faster, it can also increase the chance of sinus infections. Sleeping on your stomach can put a strain on the nasal passages and can create some discomfort.
How To Deal With Anxiety And Heartburn
- Heartburn, and GERD , have several links with anxiety.
- Some people already have GERD that gets worse when they have anxiety.
- Symptoms of GERD can also trigger further anxiety, especially in those with panic attacks.
- There are at least 4 links between anxiety and heartburn.
- Treating heartburn independently can be effective, although anxiety treatment should still be prioritized.
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Affected Blood Flow To The Brain
When you are sleeping on your stomach, it is likely that you will have your head twisted on the side, causing a misalignment.
In one of the conducted studies back in 1977 with 60 children, the researchers found that sleeping on the stomach with the neck twisted hampers the blood flow to the brain.
This was a very small study and nothing new has been proposed to date. But, it is always better to be safe than sorry, right?
If you have high cholesterol levels, this is a factor that you need to pay even more close attention to. Sleeping on the stomach can often impact the level of oxygenation because of the reduced blood flow, enhancing the risks of strokes.
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What Happens To Your Digestive System During Sleep
Even when youre asleep, your digestive system continues to work. However, it does get to slow down quite a bit because when youre unconscious, youre not eating or drinking.
During this time, the tissues in this area also grow, repair, and rebuild themselves. The digestive system uses the glucose consumed during the day to fuel these processes.
However, if youve eaten a large meal immediately before going to bed, youre not giving the digestive system adequate time to rest, and your digestion continues while youre asleep. As a result, you may wake up with heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux, or other unpleasant, sleep-disrupting symptoms.
Aggravates Pains For Moms
During pregnancy, you are prone to experiencing back pain due to hormonal changes. The stomach sleeping position increases this pain. Its difficult to sleep on your stomach in the later stages of pregnancy but even in the earlier stages, its better to avoid this position. The extra weight around the abdomen region increases the pull on your spine, aggravating existing pain.
According to a2012 medical study,Verified SourceNational Library of Medicine Worlds largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View sourceturning to the left side is the best sleeping position for moms-to-be. It promotes blood flow, increasing oxygen levels both for mom and baby. Side sleeping also allows more room for your baby to grow.
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Problems Caused By Sleeping On Your Stomach
Stomach sleeping has only one advantage over back sleeping. Sleeping on your stomach can reduce the risk of snoring and sleep apnea, but its many drawbacks far outweigh this one benefit. Sleeping on your stomach disturbs your spines neutral position. It causes back, neck, joint, and shoulder pain. Stomach sleeping can exacerbate existing pain in those with lower back problems as well as pregnant womenits also important to mention that pregnant women should avoid sleeping on their stomach after the first trimester.
Can Insomnia And Sleep Apnea Cause Digestive Problems
Yes, both of these conditions can lead to digestive problems. When someone is sleep-deprived, as is often the case with insomnia and sleep apnea, the digestive system doesnt get allotted a proper amount of time to heal itself, grow, and repair damaged tissues. Therefore, not getting enough rest can exacerbate existing problems, and even cause new ones to emerge.
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So Is There A Sleep Position That’s Best
“There is no ‘best position,'”Sujay Kansagra, MD, Mattress Firm’s sleep health expert, says. “We all have different needs and pains while we sleep, so it is best to find whatever position makes you the most comfortable.”
Also, the position you doze off in isn’t the one you’ll stay in all night long. “It’s almost universal that people will turn throughout the night and change their position. In fact, during our light stages of sleep, we become restless and shift positions. Believe it or not, we are actually protecting ourselves, ensuring that circulation is not interrupted to any particular body part for the entire sleep period,” Kansagra explains. The more you knowâ¦
Is Sleeping On Your Stomach Bad For Your Face
Sleeping on your stomach can cause wrinkles and sagging skin, but apart from expediting the aging process, sleeping on the stomach doesnt affect your skin much. The best sleeping position to maintain your skins youthful appearance is back sleeping since your face is not pressed against the pillow while lying flat on your back.
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When To Talk To Your Doctor
Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended by most sleep experts, but there are actions you can take to make it more comfortable. If you have tried a few sleep positions and you are still not getting restful sleep, talk to your doctor. They can provide personalized guidance to improve your sleep, based on your personal medical history.
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Does Eating Before Bed Cause Nightmares
The answer is yes. We often get nightmares during Rapid Eye Movement sleep. Several studies have shown a link between eating at bedtime and nightmares.
Thats why many of us experience those horrible dreams after eating heavy meals late at night. But how can sleeping on a full stomach cause a nightmare?
A study by Harvard University found that waking up several times during the night increases the likelihood of having scary dreams. Since eating before bed has consistently caused sleep disturbances, this is evidence that sleeping late can cause nightmares.
Also, eating a large amount of carbohydrates a few hours before sleep is a leading cause of night sweats and other forms of malaise. This can eventually lead to significant sleep disturbances and nightmares.
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Risks Of Sleeping On Your Stomach While Pregnant
During the first trimester of pregnancy, you might sleep comfortably in your normal sleep position. As your stomach grows, however, sleeping on your stomach might become uncomfortable. This discomfort could interfere with sleep. Over time, lower-quality sleep can lead to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation during pregnancy can increase your risk of experiencing premature birth, longer and more painful labor, and postpartum depression.
Instead of stomach sleeping, healthcare providers recommend pregnant people sleep on their left side. This position keeps pressure off the liver as well as the vein that carries blood from the legs back to the heart. It also improves blood flow to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys. Using a pregnancy pillow to support the abdomen and cushion the legs can make side sleeping more comfortable.
Elevate Your Upper Body
Lying down can make heartburn worse. When it comes time for bed, adjust your sleeping surface to raise your upper body.
According to the Mayo Clinic, lifting your head with extra pillows isnt usually enough. Instead, the goal is to elevate your body from the waist up.
If you have an adjustable bed, set it at a suitable angle to provide relief. If your bed isnt adjustable, you can change the angle of your sleeping surface by using a wedge pillow.
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Sleeping When Full: 5 Reasons Why You Should Avoid It
Parents and teachers tell kids all the time that eating late is bad, from childhood. And yet we end up doing it anyway. It may be because you work late or your car breaks down on the way home from the office.
Eating dinner late is bad enough. Yet most of us go to sleep at the regular time because we still have to work in the morning.
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It Causes You To Move Around
Stomach sleepers are often the ones who move around the most throughout the night, too, Breus says. Sleeping facedown compresses the joints in your neck and back. And it can also cause your arms to go numb, considering they usually sit under the weight of your body.
Due to the discomfort this position can cause, stomach sleepers tend to shift or jolt around more often at night, causing sleep disruption. And a lack of quality sleep is linked to all kinds of negative health effects, like overweight and high blood pressure.
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Why Sleeping On Your Stomach May Be Bad For You
We know. Sleep is supposed to be your safe place. The time when you finally set down all your daytime worries for some hard-earned R& R not to mention some mending of the stress youve been putting on your bones and muscles throughout the day. And now researchers are saying your sacred sleep time might actually be hurting you? What gives?
The human body is a pretty complex thing, and its vast array of interconnections means that its pretty easy for something to go wrong. Sleep is so incredibly important to every aspect of our physical and mental health, but if its done incorrectly it can do as much harm as good. Lets look at what happens to our bodies when we sleep and why the right sleeping position is so essential.
How To Change Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy
People who find it uncomfortable to sleep on their side can try placing a firm, supportive pillow under the abdomen to reduce lower back stress.
Placing a firm pillow behind the back and legs can also make it more difficult to flip over during the night onto the back.
People who find it difficult to sleep propped up could try placing pillows behind their upper back to find a comfortable angle.
- using relaxation techniques, such as visualization, breathing exercises, or meditation
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How To Train Yourself To Sleep Better
Breaking a habit is never easy, and it becomes even harder when you dont even get to be awake for it. That being said, it is possible to train yourself to stop sleeping on your stomach and begin sleeping on your back or side instead.
Try using a pillow that keeps your head suspended a little higher, and see if you can get a long, full-body pillow or a rolled-up blanket to lay against your side. That way, once you fall asleep in your new favorite sleeping position, the obstruction will make it more difficult to turn over and roll back onto your stomach.
If youre still finding it uncomfortable to sleep any other way, the problem might be with your mattress. Many people with very stiff mattresses may find themselves turning onto their stomachs because the hard mattress surface digs into their back and shoulders. If you think this might be the case, try out a softer mattress and see if that helps. Many mattress companies have generous trial periods, so you can see if it helps your sleep position without making a quick commitment.
We all know that a good nights sleep is essential to maintaining our health in every area of our life. The position you sleep in can have a huge impact on the quality of your sleep and the health benefits you get out of it and the wrong position can even cause permanent damage. Fortunately, now you know a few tips and tricks to make sure you get the best possible benefits out of your sleep.
You Can Develop Problems In Your Neck
In addition to sore neck muscles as a result of spine damage, sleeping on your stomach can further damage this area due to the way youre holding your head when you sleep. Unless youre sleeping with your face straight down into your pillow , youre probably holding your neck at an unnaturally sharp angle. This can cause your neck and spine to shift out of alignment people who sleep on their stomachs often report increased difficulty in turning their head to one side as opposed to the other.
In extreme cases, this can even lead to whats called a herniated disk, which is when your vertebrae shift enough to rupture the gelatinous material in your neck. This causes serious problems and needs professional medical treatment.
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Which Sleep Position Is Best
So if sleeping on your stomach at night is bad news all around, which position is healthiest? Sleeping flat on your back is the best position for keeping your spine aligned it provides solid support for your back and helps maintain your spines natural shape.
This works best if you use a pillow that keeps your head aligned with your back as much as possible if your head is too low or raised up too high above your spine this can cause problems in your neck too. Most people who sleep on their backs naturally gravitate to pillows that keep their necks properly aligned as this is naturally the most comfortable back sleeping position.
The other option is sleeping on your side. This is definitely better for those of us with snoring or sleep apnea problems since it keeps those airways more open. Its not always the best for your spinal position, but its worlds better than the effects of sleeping on your stomach. As a bonus, sleeping on your side actually helps with supporting your digestive system.
If you experience any kind of gastro-reflux disease, however, you may find you experience some discomfort as a result of sleeping on the right side of your body. People with these conditions, as well as pregnant women, may prefer to sleep mostly on the left side. However, switching back and forth from one side to the other works well for most people.
The Problem With Sleeping On Your Stomach
While stomach sleeping can help with sleep apnea, its generally not recommended for the following reasons:
- It hurts your neck and spine. According to the Sleep Foundation, stomach sleeping provides the least amount of support for your back and puts a lot of pressure on your spine. When you sleep on your stomach, you have to turn your head to the side to breathe, which ends up twisting your neck and spine out of alignment.
- It gets in the way of a good nights rest. Most people cant stay in a stomach sleeping position for a long time not comfortably, anyway. Inevitably, youll find yourself tossing and turning all night to relieve the pain, which can lead to chronic sleep deprivation. Even worse, you may feel stiff and sore upon waking up in the morning.
- Its not ideal during pregnancy. Getting quality sleep during pregnancy can be a Herculean task, but its especially challenging when youre a stomach sleeper.At some point during your pregnancy, youll need to train yourself to sleep on your back orrun the risk of not getting quality shut-eye in the later stages of pregnancy.
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