The average person will sleep approximately one-third of their life. Getting healthy sleep is essential to help you get through your day, rest and restart your brain, and stay healthy. If you’re not getting a good night’s sleep, it might be as simple as the way you’re sleeping. Side-sleeping can be a good way to get the rest you need so you can have a great day.
Benefits of Side-Sleeping
If you’re thinking of changing your sleeping position, chances are you need a reason to do it. Fortunately, there are good reasons to transition to sleeping on your side. Some of the benefits of side-sleeping include:
- Easier breathing at night due to the position of the airway
- Alleviation of acid reflux and heartburn
- Improved digestion
- Improved circulation
- Drainage of toxins from lymph nodes
- Filters out brain waste
Tips for Learning to Side-Sleep
Learning to side-sleep is all about making the transition from your current position to your side. Here are some tips that can help you make side-sleeping your go-to position each night.
Make sure you have the right pillow. When you sleep on your side, you need a pillow that will keep your neck straight by filling in the space between your neck and your mattress. If you don’t have the right pillow support, you can end up straining your neck.
Consider using a pillow between your knees. When you sleep on your side, you may experience pressure on your hips and knees, which can cause stiffness and pain. Putting a pillow between your knees will align your hips more naturally and ease the pressure on your joints.
Think about your mattress firmness. Side-sleeping is best with a softer mattress compared to a firmer one. That way, the mattress can contour to your body’s curves and further reduce pressure on your joints as you sleep.
Tools to Help with Side-Sleeping
If you’re trying to transition to sleeping on your side, there are some tools you can use to help keep you in position while you sleep.
Extra pillows. Using extra pillows between your knees and behind your back can give your body extra support and help keep you from rolling onto your back while you’re sleeping. This can help keep pressure off your joints, too.
Wearable belts. Some wearable belts make it uncomfortable to sleep on your back. By wearing them at night, you can train your brain to want to sleep on your side since it would be uncomfortable to sleep on your back with the belt on.
Technology devices. There are also wearable devices that track your position while you sleep and use technology, such as vibrations, to encourage you to stay on your side.
Whether you’re looking for a more comfortable sleeping position or trying to improve your sleep quality, sleeping on your side can be a good solution. Not only is it comfortable, but it’s good for your health! Transitioning your body to sleep on your side can make the difference between a good night’s sleep and another night tossing and turning.