The position you sleep in is important to your health and to your brain!
“During sleep, the space between brain cells expands, allowing fluid to rapidly flow through the brain and wash away toxins that have built up in the central nervous system during waking hours.”
The removal of waste products from the brain reduces your risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience investigated how sleeping positions affected the removal of toxins from the brain. The study found that “side sleeping was the most efficient way to cleanse the brain of waste”.
Other side sleeping benefits include:
- Aids with digestion
- Gravity moves waste through colon (left side sleeping)
- Reduces heartburn (left side sleeping)
- Boosts brain health
- Reduces snoring/sleep apnea
Sleeping on your back offers a number of health benefits as well because it allows your head, neck and spine to rest in a neutral position and “uses gravity to keep your body in even alignment over your spine”.
Sleeping on your stomach is the worst position for your health. It places an enormous amount of stress on your nervous system which can lead to a number of health issues. It also places stress on vertebral joints and muscles, which over time will lead to early degeneration, osteoarthritis, reduced flexibility, pain and more.
Poor sleep positions place significant stress on your brain and nervous system.
Chiropractors, through chiropractic adjustments, restore function to the spine reducing risk of spinal degeneration and osteoarthritis while improving flexibility but most importantly reducing stress on the brain and nervous system to help keep you healthy.
So, choose to sleep on your back or side (preferably left) and be sure to get adjusted.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/sleep-effects-digestion#side-sleeping
https://www.heysigmund.com/which-sleeping-position-is-best-for-brain-health/
Journal of Neuroscience 5 August 2015, 35 (31) 11034-11044; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1625-15.2015
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1625-15.2015
