Sleep position
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A sleep position is the body configuration assumed by a person during or prior to sleeping.
The topic of sleep position has been covered throughout history and has produced a variety of studies, research papers, books, etc. The general consensus is that depending on a multitude of factors such as age and physical as well as mental wellness, someone's sleep position can pose positive or negative effects. Extensive research has been done through tracking sleep clinically as well as surveying the general population. From the data, scientists have proposed several "optimal" and "sub-optimal" sleep positions depending on said persons mental or physical issues. The most researched and mentioned sleep positions are the fetal, supine, and prone positions as those positions come naturally trying to sleep.
Sleeping preferences
According to the Sleep Foundation, the most common sleep position is side sleeping, and it is estimated that 60% of adults choose it. The second most popular is the supine position (facing upward) and then followed by the prone position (facing downward) as the least popular.[1] There are other known sleep positions however these are the most common.
A Canadian survey found that 39% of respondents preferred to sleep in the "log" position (lying on one's side with the arms down the side) whilst 28% preferred to sleep on their side with their legs bent.[2]
A Travelodge survey found that 50% of heterosexual British couples prefer sleeping back-to-back, either not touching (27%) or touching (23%). Spooning was next, with the man on the outside 20% of the time compared to 8% with the woman on the outside. 10% favored the "lovers' knot" (facing each other with legs intertwined), though all but 2% separated before going to sleep. The "Hollywood pose" of the woman with her head and arm on the man's chest was chosen by 4%.[3]
Effects on health
In infants
In the 1958 edition of his best-selling book The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, pediatrician Dr Benjamin Spock warned against placing a baby on its back, writing, "if [an infant] vomits, he's more likely to choke on the vomitus." However, later studies have shown that placing a young baby in a face-down prone position increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A 2005 study concluded that "systematic review of preventable risk factors for SIDS from 1970 would have led to earlier recognition of the risks of sleeping on the front and might have prevented over 10,000 infant deaths in the UK and at least 50,000 in Europe, the USA, and Australasia."[4]
Sleep Apnea
A 2013 study placed Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) patients into groups: Positional and non-positional patients. Positional patients faced notable reduced effects of OSA when switching from a supine position to sleeping on their side, while non-positional patients' symptoms did not change. According to the article, 65-87% of patients were positional patients and had noticeable improvements.[5] Certain sleep positions are generally accepted to have links to OSA and snoring, especially the supine position and sleeping with the head elevated beyond natural spinal alignment. Snoring, which may be (but is not necessarily) an indicator of OSA, may also be alleviated by sleeping on one's side.[6][7]
Glymphatic system clearance
The brain's parenchyma rids itself of harmful proteins through the glymphatic system, especially during sleep.[8]
Gastroesophageal reflux
The right lateral sleeping position results in much more reflux in the night than the left lateral position and prone position.[9][10]
Sleep paralysis
Sleeping in the supine position has been linked to an increased occurrence of sleep paralysis.[11]