Most readers of this blog are people who have great interests in improving themselves -- be it in health or personal development. When we wake up in the morning, we try to develop healthy and successful morning rituals, recite our self-affirmations and be conscious throughout the day to maximise our productivity in both life and work. But what about during our sleep? If the average night's sleep is eight hours, one sleeps for one third of one's life. If you live, say, 75 years, that's 25 years asleep, or 9,125 days! You spend more than 33% of your lifetime in bed, that's quite significant and a lot of time. Are you paying enough attention as to how you sleep? Sleeping is vital for learning, memory, productivity, health, safety and longevity. Therefore it's important to get adequate hours of sleep, and to sleep right. 

James B. Maas graciously explains the 'Four Golden Rules of Sleep' in his book, "Power Sleep".

1. Get an adequate amount of sleep every night.
2. Establish a regular sleep schedule.
3. Get continuous sleep.
4. Make up for lost sleep.

The four steps may be common sense, but they are very challenging to follow due to our busy lifestyles and poor habits. Nonetheless, everyone knows about the benefits of a good night's sleep, but do you know how to sleep correctly? More specifically, what position should you be sleeping in? 

As I mentioned in my previous article, the best posture is the next one. Our bodies are both structurally and genetically designed to move and not be sedentary. But this obviously cannot be applied during sleep. Below is an infographic from the Huffington Post showing the pros and cons of each sleeping positions (click to enlarge). 

 

 

Just Tell Me The Best Position

Sleeping on your back

Many doctors agree that sleeping on your back without a pillow is best. Sleeping on your back on a quality mattress allows optimal spinal health, as your spine is not forced into any unnatural contortions during sleep. If you sleep on your back without a pillow, the mattress will work to support the natural curves of the spine, hence greatly reducing the risks of developing sleeping-posture-related musculoskeletal conditions such as torticollis. 

The cons of sleeping on your back are that snoring and sleep apnea can be much more frequent when a person sleeps in a supine position. In fact, back sleeping is so closely linked to sleep apnea that doctors actually prescribe side sleeping as a treatment for the condition. Oftentimes it is said that the best sleeping posture is your favourite one. It makes no sense to force yourself into a single sleeping position, if it negatively affects the quality of sleep itself. Nonetheless, sleeping on your back has many health benefits, and to date, it is the single best position to sleep in.   

 

Sleeping on your sides

The vast majority of people report sleeping on their sides. Doctors encourage sleeping on the left side during pregnancy as it encourages blood flow to the heart which is beneficial for both the mother and the baby. Furthermore, sleeping on the left side can also ease symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux.

However, there are potential health risks implicated with sleeping on your sides. It ranges from simple things such as experiencing numbness in your limbs during sleep, to much more serious implications such as, adversely affecting your nerves, muscles and causing chronic asymmetrical constriction and spasming of muscles. 

 

Sleeping on your belly

Sleeping face down is the worst position for sleep. It can be a good idea to sleep face down, only if, you or your partner's sleep is negatively affected by snoring or sleep apnea --; but that's pretty much it. Sleeping on your tummy is generally regarded to be the worst sleeping posture due to its detrimental effects on the spine. The prone position itself and the effects of gravity alters the natural curves of your spine, leading to loss of normal spinal curves. This is proven to be harmful in many ways including its inclination towards the development of several musculoskeletal conditions. 
 

Seemingly Trivial Yet Harmful

Sleeping face down distorts our spinal alignments and can cause chronic pain? It's quite scary how even the most seemingly mundane activities in life can have so many health implications. The reality is, it's not just sleeping -- it's your life and the daily activities that you do, that can accumulate and result in spinal damage. Misalignments and its associated loss of natural spinal curvatures happen to all of us -- the way we sit, sleep or use our smartphones. This is one of the many reasons why you should check your spine. Chiropractors are renowned to be able to correct spinal misalignments without the use of drugs or surgery, and the results on x-rays are indeed remarkable. We all fine tune our cars time to time for optimal performance and safety, why won't you fine tune your body? Find out more on what a chiropractor can do for you and plan a visit to your nearest chiropractor. I'm sure it will be a life-saving decision for you and your family.