Ever wondered if sleeping positions have anything to do with digestion? Currently, there’s not much information on the effect of sleeping positions on gut health, but there’s increasing information on how sleep can boost digestion. Medical experts have revealed that your sleeping position at night can affect your gut health, causing heartburn and constipation.
Sleep can affect digestion because usually, during sleep, it can take about 30 to 72 hours for food to digest (this varies by person). Digestion time also depends on your metabolism (how your body converts food into energy), what you drink, and the food you eat.
Digestion generally happens unnoticed except if the person has issues like heartburn and constipation which will make you feel uncomfortable and maybe bloated while digestion takes place. In such cases, sleeping on your left side can reduce the symptoms of indigestion and heartburn.
We have explained in this article the sleeping position that prevents digestion-related problems like heartburn. While some sleeping positions (e.g. left-side sleeping) can impact good health, others (e.g. right-side, back or stomach sleeping) leave a negative impact.
The sleeping position for digestion-related problems
Digestion issues are painful. The last thing you also want to wake up to is a heartburn, constipation, or other digestion-related problems.
Thus, to avoid all those problems, it is vital to know and learn the convenient sleeping position that will help you relax and prevent digestion issues. Here’s the ultimate sleeping position to help with digestion and reduce problems like heartburn;
Left-side sleeping
The most expert-backed method is to sleep on your left side. This way, the organ positioning is asymmetrical which influences how your digestive systems make and process waste.
One of the benefits of sleeping left-sided is to reduce heartburn. It happens because the stomach and its gastric juices stay lower than the oesophagus, reducing the risk of heartburn.
Two medical experts confirmed that sleeping on the left side to be a true prevention for heartburn. Dr Manira Dhasmana, an internal medicine expert, says, “Left-side sleeping easily transfers our digested food from our small intestine to the large intestine. It also prevents disorders like gastro-oesophageal reflux disease that causes belching and heartburn.“
While Dr Mahesh Gupta, a gastroenterology expert, added, “The stomach is on the left side of the body, below the oesophagus. When we sleep on our left side, it becomes difficult for stomach acid to rise up the digestive tract against gravity, which in turn keeps acid in the stomach, potentially lowering the risk of heartburn and symptoms of indigestion.“
Good to note
If you have digestive problems and want to know about the comfiest sleeping position for your situation, bring it up to the hearing of a doctor. They will assist you in discovering the root of your sleeping discomfort and may prescribe medication to help with conditions like heartburn.
The doctor will also be able to assist you in making lifestyle changes that can keep you away from these problems in the future.
