Unknown to many, your sleeping position greatly affects your health. Health expert Dr. John Douillard revealed that sleeping on your left side has several fantastic health benefits, The Little Things reports.
“Emphasizing the left side for rest and sleep offers some time-tested wisdom for very real health and longevity benefits,” says Dr. Douillard.
There are various techniques as to how you can train yourself to sleep on your left side. Putting a body pillow against your back will prevent you from rolling over while sleeping. Some people suggest the use of tennis ball. Sew this onto the back of your old pajamas so that every time you start to roll onto your back, the tennis ball will stop and force you to return to your left side.
Here are some of the surprising health benefits of sleeping on your left side.
1. It relieves heartburn.
Several studies, according to WebMD, suggest that sleeping on the right side makes heartburn worse, while snoozing on the left side actually relieves it.
2. It actually stops snoring.
If your are prone to snoring, then sleeping on your left side can probably provide an easy solution to your problem. Medical Daily reports that sleeping on the left side benefits individuals with obstructive sleep apnea.
3. It does wonder to your overall heart health.
Dr. Douillard explains that your lymph drainage toward the heart will be helped by gravity when you sleep on your left side. As a result, some of the heart’s workload are relieved as you sleep.
4. It improves digestion.
The food waste move more easily from the small intestine into the large intestine when you sleep on your left side.
5. It improves spleen health.
Switching over to sleeping on your left side actually facilitates drainage back to the spleen with the help of gravity.
6. It decreases varicose veins and helps the circulatory system.
Vein Clinic reports that sleeping on your left side helps improve circulation because it reduces the pressure on your body’s largest vein or vena cava, which is located on the right side of your body. This in turn will decrease varicose veins.
7. It helps the lymphatic system.
Sleeping on your left side, which is your body’s dominant lymphatic side, allows your body to have more time to filter waste, lymph fluid as well as toxins, Healthy Life Tricks reveals.
8. It improves blood flow to the fetus among pregnant women.
Pregnant women are advised to sleep on their left side as it improves circulation which is beneficial for them and the baby, according to WebMd.