HomeHealthThe disadvantages of sleeping on your tummy

The disadvantages of sleeping on your tummy

What position do you sleep in? This is the unhealthiest one

It is not recommended that you sleep on your tummy as it can lead to backaches and to the disruption of the normal blood flow.

In principle, you spend a third of your life sleeping; undisturbed sleep is indispensable for the regeneration of the body. This is the reason why you should pay attention not only to have enough hours of sleep but also to your sleeping position, as it may affect your health.

Sleeping-on-your-stomach

Sleeping on the tummy is the unhealthiest

The most important factor in choosing a sleeping position is not to have any excessive weight pressing on the spinal cord, and blood circulation should not be affected, either. Unfortunately, sleeping on the tummy doesn’t fulfill either of these two criteria. The intestines are under a lot of pressure from your body weight in this position; also, metabolism slows down as blood circulation becomes worse in this area.

It leads to spinal cord pain

The neck part of the spinal cord receives a lot of pressure in this position, and the lower back arch takes too much pressure. No wonder you wake up with an aching lower back or neck in the morning if you sleep on your tummy.  If you still prefer this position, never use a big pillow, or even a small one, if you can manage it; using a pillow increases the pressure on the spinal cord.

What about babies?

For a long time it was believed that sleeping on the tummy is the best position to babies, as they won’t inhale liquid or solid material into their airways if they vomit. These days, however, sleeping on the tummy is not considered very healthy for the little ones either. The baby has access to less oxygen in this position, and she keeps her face on the pillow, thus making it easier for microorganisms to get into their respiratory organs.

How much sleep do you need?

Many people try to save time by sleeping one or two hours less. On long term, however, lack of sleep will damage the ability to concentrate, and it may lead to circulatory problems and diabetes. In addition, it increases the risk of obesity and psychiatric illnesses.

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