Is It Better To Sleep On Your Back Or On Your Side?

The only thing that comforts you after a long tiring day of work is a peaceful good night’s sleep. No one wants to compromise on their sleeping routines because it’s the one thing that takes away all your pain and exhaustion. But what if your sleeping routine is the actual culprit that’s causing you pain? Yes! Sleeping in the wrong position can cause you immense pain in different parts of your body like your neck, shoulders, back, even your legs or your hands.

 

Sleeping in a particular position every day is not your choice, but it can be maintained with some regular practice. If you usually sleep on your side, does it hurt when you sleep straight without converting to a particular side of yours? Nothing disturbs a slumber party more than a wrong sleeping position. Therefore, knowing what’s the best way of sleeping is better than feeling pain after every other night. 

Here in this article, we will help you figure out it is better to sleep on your back or your side?

Sleeping Straight On Your Back

Backside sleeping means to lie down in a straight position having your stomach prone to your backside. This type of sleeping is good for your spine alignment. The way you usually sleep helps to construct and maintain your body’s posture when you’re away and out about. When you stand up, you stand in an upright straight position because your body becomes habitual of the position.

Backside sleeping exerts a certain pressure across your body in an evenly distributed manner that bodes well for your body’s build-up. If you are suffering from any backache, then sleeping on your back can help you alleviate it easily without any medications. Just lie down straight with your knees placed over a pillow to elevate them from your normal position. This way, your lower back wouldn’t receive much pressure, and your pain will be gone.

Contraindications Of Back Sleeping

If you often suffer from acid reflux or sleep apnea, then back sleeping is not a good idea for you because it may heighten your suffering symptoms. You may also experience a few paralytic sleep conditions in some situations. Other medical complications are not much severe and are mostly confined to other disorders. If you want to treat your symptoms without changing your sleeping position, lift your upper body, and it will ease off the symptoms. You can use a pillow or an adjustable bed for this.

Sleeping On Your Either Side

Sleeping on your side is the most popular sleeping position. According to a study survey, it was found that about 74% of people like to sleep on either side. Side Sleeping is considered the best sleeping position because it comforts people and helps their minds relax better. It promotes draining your brains of all the stressful thoughts and prevents any severe neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Your breathing remains normal because gravity doesn’t push your air passage, so it remains clear, unlike back sleeping, but you may snore if you have sleep apnea.

Contraindications

Like any other position, sleeping on your side may cause you pain if your sleeping mattress isn’t comfortable. If you are weak, your shoulder on which you are sleeping might hurt in the morning due to your body weight. Although you can switch sides to avoid a painful morning, it would only disturb your sleep in the end. If you are habitual of curling up to one side while you are sleeping in a somewhat fetal position, you will wake up with severe back and joint pain and a disturbed posture. This is why it is not recommended to sleep on your sides, especially if you’re an arthritis patient.  

Which Is The Best Sleeping Position?

Keeping all contraindications in mind, you can choose the position that best comforts you for sleeping peacefully through the night. Sleeping straight on your back is good, and so is sleeping on either side. Just keep in mind that you must have a good mattress that distributes the pressure of your weight equally, or else you’ll always wake up with pain. You can also talk to your doctor and ask his advice about what sleeping position suits your health and vitals.

 

No matter what sleeping position you choose, it is important that you should feel comfortable with it. Make sure to relax your body and don’t curl yourself up in a ball. Relaxed body posture increases your blood circulation and helps your body to grow.