Experts issue warning over sleeping on your stomach
Chiropractors are sending out warnings to all those who sleep on their front.
Doctors and sleep experts have forever been in agreement that sleeping on your stomach is not great for you, no matter how comfortable it may feel.
Surprisingly, according to News Medical, only around 7 per cent of adults choose this sleeping position, with the majority of people sleeping on their back.
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Which in our opinion, is illegal…seriously who sleeps on their back?!
Several parts of the body are affected negatively by sleeping face down, some being the neck, shoulders and back.
According to a study by Cleveland Clinic, “When a person sleeps on their stomach, they throw off their spine and risk throwing off their entire body.”
But it’s so comfortable!!
The study continued: “It puts added stress on your lower back—and that's a part of the body that most of us are already taxing in our day-to-day activities.”
Neck pain can also be developed after twisting your head to one side for the whole night, unless you take lying ‘face down’ to literal extremes, in which case you probably have a lot more to worry about than neck pain…like, breathing?!
Talking to Newsweek, Dr. Sarah Jane said that stomach sleeping can also bring shoulder pain risks, as humans naturally lift their arms while they rest.
Arms lifting in our sleep? We’re truly freaked out.
Experts agree that sleeping on your side or back is more preferable, but warn that sleeping on your back is not a great choice for people who have sleep apnea or snorers.
Diving deeper into sleeping positions, whilst sleeping on your side is recommended, which side you sleep on is also important.
According to AARP, sleeping on the right side is a much better choice for people with heart issues.
This is because it prevents the heart from being disturbed during sleep.
However for people with digestion issues, sleeping on the left side is preferable as it doesn’t add pressure on the stomach.
So basically, what we’re taking from this is, sleeping in any position can be damaging depending on how your body operates, but you should avoid your stomach.
Dr. Bang from Cleveland Clinic, does however have some advice for stomach-sleepers.
He says: “A few well-placed pillows can basically serve as bumpers that keep you from turning onto your stomach during the night.
"Over time, you can train your body to remain in the side or back position.”
I guess those of us who sleep on our stomachs are gonna have to make a few changes starting from tonight!
Mia Williams