Sleeping on your side With countless options of mattresses available, it's difficult to know what's right for you. Understanding how mattress structure, firmness and filling materials should tailor to your sleeping position is important. Whether you sleep on your back, front or side, different mattresses can ensure a better quality sleep. As a side sleeper you are with the majority of the nation, as more than half of British adults sleep in the foetal position. Although this posture can sometimes result in a numb arm, side sleeping is great in easing discomfort for pregnant mums-to-be and those suffering from heartburn or acid reflux. To find which kind of mattress your sleeping position is best suited to, it helps if you're familiar with your pressure points. A pressure point is simply defined as an area, usually on the surface of the body, that is sensitive to pressure. Your pressure points change with your sleeping position and which parts press against the mattress.
A mattress which finds a happy medium between support and softness is the best bet to avoid any pain on your pressure points. Combination Mattress Combination mattresses' are great for side sleepers, providing the best of both worlds. They provide the traditional support and comfort of springs, with the added benefit of a pressure relieving top layer to give you optimum ease throughout the night and help you get the best night's rest. Advanced Mattress A gel mattress is also a good recommendation as it is made with a unique support layer that provides a soft but very durable feel. Its gel effect also gently cradles your individual shape. firmness medium or medium soft A medium, or medium soft mattress, is recommended as they allow plenty of give to contour to your body's natural curve and keep the spine aligned while providing maximum comfort. Due to your vulnerable pressure points, side sleepers are best suited to softer mattresses that give you more cushioning and allow your body to sink slightly into the mattress.
our top mattresses for sidesleepers Wakefield Pocket Sprung Mattress - Medium TheraPur Mellow 20 Mattress - Medium TheraPur Tranquility Mattress - Medium Soft TheraPur Bliss 22 Mattress - Medium Soft QUICK FIXES WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR NEW MATTRESS Temporarily ease any discomfort when side sleeping by using a thick enough pillow to stop your head from tilting down during sleep and placing strain on your neck. If your lower back hurts, add a pillow between your knees to alleviate pressure.Sleeping on the left side Is sleeping on our left side in any way harmful for the heart (or anything else)? Some people tell me we shouldn't do it and others tell me it's actually better than sleeping on our right side. Getting up on the “wrong side” of the bed may lead to a grumpy day, but sleeping on the “wrong side” of your body would probably have no negative consequences for a healthy adult. “The truth,” to answer your question, is that the safest position to sleep in really depends on your health status and needs.
As What position is best… for sleeping in the Go Ask Alice! archives explains, there’s not much reason to worry about your sleeping position as long as you’re comfortable, are able to get a good night’s rest, and aren’t waking up in pain. That said, there is some research out there that suggests that sleeping on the left side — or sleeping on your side in general — may not be ideal for some particular groups of people. Specifically, if you’ve got a history of heart disease or sleep apnea, have glaucoma, or have risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome, it might be worth thinking about alternatives to sleeping on your side. Heart disease: Studies have shown that people who’ve had heart troubles in the past (the physical kind, that is, not the emotional kind!) often report more chest pain and difficulty breathing when sleeping on their left. Naturally, many of them end up favoring their right side. This has led researchers to believe that patients’ bodies may be, on some level, trying to protect their weakened cardiovascular system by switching to right-side sleeping.
As such, some health care providers to recommend that heart disease patients who are experiencing chest discomfort at night give right-side sleeping a go. Stay tuned as scientists investigate exactly why right-side sleeping seems to be better. Sleep apnea: The key characteristics of this condition are when the muscles of the mouth and throat “collapse” during sleep and block off someone’s ability to breathe regularly. Sleep apnea is actually at its worst when a person sleeps on their back. While left-side sleeping is better than back-sleeping, studies have shown that right-side sleeping actually leads to the lowest number of symptomatic episodes overall — which means getting the max number of those precious Zzzs. Glaucoma: This condition occurs when the pressure in a person’s eyeball builds up, which can lead to blindness. When a person sleeps on their side, the pressure eye that’s closest to the pillow increases a bit. While this isn’t a big deal for people with healthy eyes, the increased pressure can actually worsen cases of glaucoma, which can then mean further vision loss.
So, people with glaucoma in the left eye might want to avoid sleeping on the left, and vice versa. Carpal tunnel syndrome: While researchers are still working to figure out all of the risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome (a nerve condition with pain and numbness in the wrist), one possibility that has been looked into is side-sleeping. This is because the nerves of the arm and wrist are often crushed into unnatural positions when someone falls into a deep slumber on their side (hello, tingly arm in the mornings). Over time, may lead to damage that is responsible for carpal tunnel. While side-sleeping might exacerbate these specific conditions (and possibly others, depending on a health care provider’s assessment of your needs), there’s probably no need for a healthy adult to boycott left-side sleeping or side-sleeping in general. In some cases, side sleeping is even recommended. It can take pressure off the spine for people with back pain. Left-side sleeping is also the best position for pregnant women, because it prevents the baby from squashing the veins near the mother’s heart (which can happen if a pregnant woman sleeps on her back) and from squashing her liver (which can happen if she sleeps on her right side).