Is it true that sleeping on the left side is harmful to health?

It is common that the pose of lying on the left side is the most dangerous for sleep, since the heart and other internal organs work worse in this position. We decided to check if there is a scientific confirmation of such a concern.

Sleep is an important component of our lives. According to calculations scientistsBy the age of 78, a person spends for a dream as many as 25 years. Therefore, the issue of the most useful pose for sleeping is extremely relevant. He worries users services p questions And bloggers. Many media in search of an answer turn to doctors: in particular, expert explanations were published "Vesti.ru", TV channel "Star", "Gazeta.ru" And "Moscow 24". The harm of sleep on the left side Explain So: "When you lie on your left side, the heart experiences a load from compression of the mediastinum and light." However, there is no unanimity in this matter, and other experts, on the contrary, called The pluses of this posture: “When a person sleeps on his left side, a person activates the functions of the digestive system, which favorably affects health. In addition, metabolic processes are improving. ”

Sleep on the side - The most common Sleep pose. It is statistically more often than sleeping on the back or on her stomach. One of the earliest studies of various late late late late late late late poses were conducted in 1997. Scientists Used Electrocardiogram (ECG) for monitoring electrical activity of the heart. In total, 40 people took part in the study, of which 18 have diagnosed heart problems. It turned out that the situation on the left side led to the most significant deviations in the ECG for those who had heart disease. At the same time, the conclusions of scientists concerned only observation of various segments of the ECG itself, and not the long -term consequences for the health of the subjects.

In 2018, Chinese specialists Spent Similar research research. Nine healthy volunteers took part in it, and the ECG also starred throughout the eight -hour sleep. Scientists have noticed similar changes in the ECG schedule itself, most clearly manifested precisely in the lying position on the left side. In addition to the ECG, another observation method was used - vector cardiography. He showed that the heart was somewhat shifted relative to the usual position in the left side of the left side, while there was no displacement on the right side, since the body was supported by mediastinum (light, pleura, sternum and ribs). However, as in the first study, the conclusions did not concern either the short or long -term consequences of sleep on the left side for health. 

Also in 2018, another study, in which people with heart failure took participation. It showed that the subjects themselves prefer to sleep on the right side, and the pose on the left side is associated with the appearance of shortness of breath and other unpleasant symptoms. Scientists focused on subjective reports of subjects and data from echocardiography. Although patients considered it a more comfortable pose for lying on the right side, scientists could not explain the reasons for such a preference at the level of physiology. 

At the same time, our brain is able to choose the most suitable pose. Scientists Spent A polysography with the monitoring of the position of the body in the group of volunteers: 75 of them were diagnosed with chronic heart failure (CHF), while the other 75 had no problems with the heart. It turned out that patients with heart failure themselves unconsciously spend much less time on the left side than healthy people. Thus, apparently, the brain is able to understand what the most optimal pose is now, and give the body a signal to accept it. 

At the same time, sleep on the left side may have their advantages. So, sleep specialist Christopher Winter in an interview with CNN Notes: The situation in a dream on the left side “can contribute to the flow of blood to the heart”, which positively affects general well -being after awakening. Winter also focuses on the fact that left -handed sleep will be useful to pregnant women - this is how the fruit presses less on other organs, thereby not violating either her blood circulation or circulation of a woman.

Specialists from Johns Hopkins University (USA) too Consult To sleep on the left side of those who suffer from heartburn, as well as pregnant women who are faced with reflux disease. Having selected the left side as the main pose for sleep, they will be able to significantly reduce unpleasant sensations.

Side sleep on any side It is preferable For those who are prone to snoring, apnea (violation of breathing, in which a sleeping person stops breathing for short periods), and also experiences pain in the spine. Moreover, according to preliminary data, obtained as a result of an experiment on mice, a dream on the side compared to other postures reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other neurological diseases.

Thus, there is not a single study that would demonstrate that sleep on the left side leads to problems with the heart in healthy people or worsens the course of cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, large -scale cohort study, which included more than 60,000 people, showed that it can reliably increase the risk of coronary illness, the low quality of sleep, namely intermittent sleep or difficulties with falling asleep, as well as chronic lack of sleep.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that too much sleep is harmful?
2. Is it true that the human brain can remember information in a dream?