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What s the Best Sleeping Position for Your Health

How you snooze can affect sleep quality plus brain heart and stomach health

Find Your Best Sleep Position You know how important sleep can be to your health — was recently deemed the ideal in one study. But it turns out that the position you sleep in — on your side, flat on your back or prone — can also make a difference in your health and well-being. Considering that you spend a third of each day in bed, that difference could be significant.
Although the experience of individuals varies, experts say some sleeping positions may improve or prevent certain health problems. Here are the preferred ways to sleep for specific concerns. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Sleep on your side to breathe better

You (or your partner) may have noticed that snoring is worse when you are lying on your back. “It can be significant if you have untreated ,” says neurologist Rachel Marie E. Salas, M.D., assistant medical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness in Baltimore. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the tissues at the back of the throat relax and close, briefly starving you of oxygen. This leads to multiple awakenings during the night as you sputter or gasp for air. The result: fragmented sleep and fatigue. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. .

Sleep on your back for back pain

If you’re one of the 80 percent of people in the U.S. who has battled , the position you sleep in can mean the difference between waking restored or so stiff you want to crawl back into bed. “Sleeping on your back in the neutral position is the gold standard,” says Shaleen Vira, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery and director of spine surgery research at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. A neutral stance means maintaining the natural curves and alignment of your spine. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > To do that, place a pillow roll or rolled towel under your knees, and choose the “just right” bed pillow. “Sleeping with too big of a pillow will put your neck in kyphosis, meaning it’s leaning forward and causing strain,” says Vira. “And sleeping without a pillow or too small of a pillow can cause you to be hyperextended,” causing other body stresses. Sleeping on your side — preferably with a pillow between your knees to align your back — is the next-best option, Vira says. But sleeping on your stomach, which requires you to turn your head to one side or the other to breathe, is the worst position for your spine because it flattens the natural curve of your back. It also stresses the back and neck to boot. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. (URMC) found that this waste clearance system works best when people sleep on their side, particularly the right side, says study coauthor Maiken Nedergaard, a professor of neuroscience and neurology at URMC, who discovered the brain’s cleaning system. The reason it’s beneficial for brain clearance is that the heart helps pump cerebrospinal fluid. “The pumping of blood initiates pulsations of the blood vessel walls that drive cerebrospinal fluid into the brain,” Nedergaard explains. This process works more efficiently when people lie on their sides, boosting the cleaning process.

Sleep on your right side to protect your heart

has shown that when people lie on their left side during sleep, the position of their heart shifts due to the pull of gravity. That causes changes in the heart’s electrical activity that show up on electrocardiograms (ECG). When they’re sleeping on the right side, however, tissues and structures between the lungs hold the heart in place and ECGs remain normal. Sleeping on the left side isn’t a problem if you don’t have . But for people with congestive heart failure and other heart issues, it can cause discomfort and even breathing difficulties. If that sounds familiar, try turning to your right when you hit the sheets.

Sleep on your left side for better digestion

The discomfort of heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux disease — officially known as (GERD) — can ruin a good night’s sleep. But “sleeping on your left side tends to make it a little better,” Salas says. “It takes some pressure off your stomach.” In fact, that not only do GERD sufferers who sleep on the right side experience more instances of heartburn than when on their left side, but these episodes also last longer. Slightly elevating the head of the bed or using a foam wedge to keep your head higher than your chest can also be helpful. “Although it’s not treating the reflux, it can reduce the symptoms,” Salas says. Beth Howard is a North Carolina-based health and lifestyle writer. She has written for U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Prevention, among dozens of other publications. More on health AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS