No doubt, sleep is beneficial to human health. It not only rests
the body, it also refreshes and keeps us going.
Getting a good night’s sleep can make us feel ready to take on the
world any day.
In studies of humans and other animals, scientists have discovered
that sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory,
learning, and other vital functions.
Sleep specialist/assistant professor of psychiatry at the Harvard
Medical School, Dr. Robert Stickgold, whose work focuses on the nature and
function of sleep, notes that sleep plays an important role in memory, both
before and after learning a new task.
He says lack of adequate sleep affects mood, motivation, judgment, and
perception of events.
As important as sleep is, however, the positions we assume when we
sleep can affect our health in ways we don’t imagine.
Pregnant women
A study led by a researcher from the University of Michigan School
of Public Health and published in the International Journal of Gynaecology and
Obstetrics, reveals that pregnant women who slept on their back (supine sleep)
increased the risks of low birth weight by a factor of five, and that it was
the low birth weight that explained the high risk for stillbirth in the
affected women.
This suggests that there is a link between maternal supine sleep (lying
with the face up) and stillbirth.
A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Olabisi Onabanjo
University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Dr. Olusoji Jagun, says
usually, pregnant women are not expected to sleep on their back, especially in
their third trimester.
He explains, “When you lie on your back, the weight of the
pregnant uterus slows the return of blood to your heart, which reduces blood
flow to the foetus. That means the baby is getting less oxygen and fewer
nutrients.”
So, the recommended sleeping position for a pregnant woman,
experts say, is sleeping on the left side.
Family doctor, Akin Bajulaiye, says sleeping on your left side is
very beneficial for the baby in the womb.
He says, “It may benefit your baby by improving blood flow and, by
implication, providing nutrients to the placenta.
“It also helps the pregnant mum’s kidneys to efficiently eliminate
waste products and fluids from the body. This confers the advantage of reducing
the probability of swelling in the ankles, feet, and hands.”
For babies
For infants under one year of age, experts warn against placing a
child to sleep in “prone position.”
“By prone position, we mean putting a child to sleep on his stomach,”
explains paediatrician, Dr. Abimbola Ogunnusi.
Ogunnusi notes that though Sudden Infant Death Syndrome — an
unexpected, sudden death of an infant under one year of age — remains
unexplained even after an autopsy and thorough medical investigation,
“researches suggest that an infant who sleeps on his or her stomach and whose
head becomes covered by bedspreads may begin to overheat.
“And though the brain usually triggers the infant to wake up and
move to free his or her head, the overheating may inhibit the brain’s
protective wake-up signal, resulting in SIDS.”
She says that’s why global authorities such as the National
Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Paediatrics advise parents to
place babies on their backs to sleep.
“This is called back-to-sleep, and it has been known to reduce
cases of SIDS by over 50 per cent,” Ogunnusi counsels.
Spine, neck health
For the rest of the population, scientists say the best way to
sleep in order to maintain spine health is to sleep on the back, with the arms
secured by the sides. “This is good for the spine and the neck,” scientists
say.
Again, they say, this position prevents facial wrinkles because
nothing is pushing against your face.
The only downside here, they warn, is that the sleep position may
make you snore more than you are wont to if you took less stringent position.
Improve digestion
If you are looking for a way of improving digestion, experts say,
you can sleep on your stomach (face down). The only issue you may have to
contend with, they warn, is that it can put an enormous strain on the neck, as
you may have to face one particular direction.
Relieve heartburn
Author of Sleep Interrupted and Clinical Assistant Professor of
Otolaryngology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, Steven Park, advises
that side sleeping is also advantageous “because it helps keep your airways
open.”
Experts also note that sleeping on the left side can put a strain
on internal organs such as the liver, lungs, and the stomach, even when it
minimises acid reflux.
And if you are wondering why you sometimes wake up with back and
neck pain, especially after you may have slept soundly, experts say it may be
because you sleep curled up into a ball, with the knees drawn up and your chin
tilted down.
Called the ‘foetal position,’ physicians say it can restrict deep
breathing.
Use good mattress
In conclusion, physicians say it is absolutely impossible to
maintain a particular sleep position throughout the night, but that in order to
enjoy good quality sleep, you should mind the condition of your mattress.
“This will often dictate your sleep position. If you have an old,
worn-out mattress that sags in the middle, sleeping may become a nightmare,”
they conclude.
Source: .punchng
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