Table of Contents
The Right side Sleeping Position is best for a healthy heart. These opinions are based on what the medical researchers are recommending.
Are you experiencing chest discomfort and dyspnoea (shortness of breath) during sleep?
If you are suffering from heart disease, this article will be very useful.
There are also easy DIY tips for better sleep.
Sleep will directly or indirectly affect your heart health and also your health in general. Sleep plays an important role in our life.
The sleeping position decides your comfort level. It also impacts your health condition hugely.
After all, we spent 1/3rd of our daily time is spent sleeping. The position in which you sleep matters a lot. Along with it the quality and quantity (time/duration) of sleep also matters.
Sleeping Position for Healthy Heart
Most articles generally say that sleeping on the left side is better because it helps your lymphatic system. Now, this is true.
Should the lymphatic system be the priority while choosing a sleeping position?
Or, there are many more important things to take care of. Like the health of your heart.
Sleeping Positions
In general, we either chose one or a combination of these sleeping positions.
- Sleeping sideways
- Sleeping on back
- Sleeping on the stomach.
We all will have our own comfortable positions and there is nothing wrong with it. But these positions have their pros and cons.
Sleeping on the back is considered one of the healthy positions to sleep in. But, in some cases, there are some problems associated with sleeping on the back.
Normally when we sleep on our back, our sympathetic drive decreases. This results in less volume of blood being pumped out from our heart and the volume of gaseous exchange from the lungs also decreases.
This allows you to rejuvenate your body.
But if you are a patient with heart failure, then you might not experience the same degree of change in your autonomic nervous system activity.
In that case, sleeping on the back (the supine position) may place a strain on the respiratory system.
For a patient with heart failure or even for someone with symptoms of heart failure sleeping on their back is not a good option.
So, you should try a side sleeping position.
RIGHT Side Sleeping Position or LEFT Side Sleeping Position
Which side-sleeping position will be best for a healthy heart?
There are many articles on the web regarding this issue. But none of them properly address the concern.
I did thorough research on this topic. I have searched more than Medical 10 journals for information.
Most of them say the same thing. Their claims are backed by their research. I have attached some links so that you can also check for yourself.
So, let’s find out the
Best Sleeping position for a Healthy Heart.
We will talk about some of the diseases and find out what will be best for that particular health problem.
Congestive Heart Failure.
Are you suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF)? CHF is an abnormal enlargement of the heart (cardiomegaly).
Then you might experience some uneasiness while sleeping on the left side. This mainly happens because of the enlargement of the apex of the heart.
Researchers suggested the left side sleeping position is associated with an increased sympathetic nervous activity.
The research was conducted with 75 patients of CHF and 75 people with a healthy heart as control subjects.
They noticed that the patients with CHF get uncomfortable while sleeping on the left side. They automatically change their position while sleeping.
Coronary Artery Disease.
On contrary, some researchers suggest that sleeping on the right sight is helpful for people who are suffering from Coronary Artery Disease, which can progress to Myocardial Infarction.
Congestive heart failure and Coronary Artery disease are different kinds of diseases of the heart. Congestive heart failure takes time to develop, but CAD is seen in younger people, now a day.
This is due to the sedentary lifestyle and wrong choice of food habits.
So, a good healthy diet and exercise are important.
Medical institutions are more than capable enough to help you in this case, but some degree of self-commitment is also necessary.
Ventricular tachycardia is one of the more common complications of Myocardial Infarction (MI) and also is the most common and important cause of death related to MI.
A detailed medical study, suggest’s right side sleeping position stimulates the Vagus nerve. This can stop tachycardia (rapid heartbeat).
Based on the results of their study the researchers recommended CAD patients be advised to sleep on their right side.
“Sleep on your Right Side for a Healthier Heart.“
Sleep Duration
In our life, equilibrium matters. Things in excess or less do not give the desired results. This is true for everything.
Just imagine, you have a hectic schedule, suppose a 9-5 job. What will you crave the most? I am sure for a holiday, ok, except for the salary.
A holiday will give you much-needed time with your family and friends, which will help you to refresh your mind and relax.
But imagine, you have a long holiday. You will be bored without work.
Our daily life is the same. We need sleep for better health and relaxation. But if we overdo it then we will have headaches and the next day won’t be that good or productive.
Likewise, if we sleep for a lesser duration, it also has its side effects.
According to a study, sleeping for a shorter duration is associated with increased CHD (coronary heart disease) mortality and morbidity.
The researchers also suggest that sleep disturbances also play an important role.
This study was conducted in London, with 10,308 participants from 20 civil service departments. The age group of the participants was ranging from 35-55 years.
The researchers concluded that sleeping less than 6 hours can highly increase the rate of CHD if you have some sleep disturbances.
There are also several recent studies showing links between shortened sleep duration (defined as less than six hours of sleep) and increased risk of heart disease.
At this moment protecting your heart might not be one of the reasons to get a good night’s sleep, but maybe it should be.
So,
“Sleep for 6-7 hours at night to avoid Heart Diseases.”
You can consume Melatonin supplements for falling asleep faster.
But before you do so, do consult with your physician.
Sleep disorders and Heart
If you are not getting good quality sleep for some reason, then you are can develop heart disease in the future or if you have existing heart disease then your condition can worsen.
Two of the more common sleep disorders, insomnia and sleep apnea, can lead to other heart risks when left undiagnosed or untreated.
If you are suffering from Leg Pain then read our blog post on sleeping position.
Insomnia
Insomnia, in which you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night.
It is by far the most common sleep disorder with approximately half of all people having experienced symptoms occasionally, and about 10% of Americans reported suffering from chronic insomnia.
There can be multiple reasons for developing insomnia. If you are suffering from Insomnia, then you should consult a doctor.
Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is a sleeping disorder, where temporarily breathing stops and restarts while you are asleep. It has a tendency to become a very serious disorder.
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a more common form of Sleep Apnoea.
The throat muscles narrow and relaxes during sleep to obstruct the air pathway interrupting normal breathing.
Snoring is also associated with sleep apnoea.
Don’t take snoring lightly. If you snore or if your partner snore, then it is always recommended to get to know the cause.
- Also, read “The Best and worst positions for sleeping”.
Best Sleeping Tips For Comfortable Sleep for a Healthier Heart.
1. Symptoms are important.
• If you have difficulty going to sleep.
• If you wake up tired, even though you think you got a long night’s sleep.
• If you struggle to stay awake when driving or while sitting in a meeting.
• If you are not able to sleep properly because of your partners sleeping movements or snoring.
For the above-mentioned conditions, you need to consult a Doctor. He might recommend some tests or even recommend you to a specialist. It’s always better to diagnose a problem in the early stage.
2. Maintain proper Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene means that you need to follow a proper bedtime ritual. If you follow this ritual daily, then at one point it will turn into a habit. Your subconscious mind will tell you that it’s time to sleep.
Some of the Sleep Hygiene includes.
• Maintaining a proper sleep timetable.
• Make your bedroom environment (lighting, temperature, décor) favorable for sleep.
• Keep distractions like TV, smartphone and laptops away from your bed.
3. Proper Diet
Avoid eating heavy foods before bedtime. Avoid consumption of alcohol and caffeinated products before sleep.
This also will help you in maintaining a healthy heart.
4. Exercise for a healthy heart.
Exercise is important. This is necessary for a healthy heart. Freehand exercises, isometric exercises are helpful.
Exercising will also improve your sleep.
If you are suffering from Neck Ache then read our blog post on sleeping position.
If you are suffering from heart disease or some chronic conditions, then you might be taking some medications.
In that case, some medications might disturb your sleep. Don’t worry, consult with your physician.
Conclusion.
Sleep is important. Sleeping position and quality of sleep are integral parts of sleep. If you are suffering from heart disease or even if you are a young, healthy, and fit individual, sleep is very important.
But, if you are a woman and pregnant then you should be sleeping on the left side.
We are all human beings, none of us are droids. So we will be changing our position and getting comfortable while sleeping.
But if some things are better for your health then you should try to follow them.
Remember to, Sleep for seven to nine hours daily and try sleeping on the right side. Based on medical researches Right side sleeping is the best sleeping position for a healthy heart.
“Thank you” for reading this article. If you like the article Please Share it with your friends, family and loved ones. We will be hugely grateful and highly encouraged by your generosity.
4 thoughts on “4 Simple Tips and Best Sleeping Position for Healthy Heart.”
Comments are closed.