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Here’s Why You Should Never Sleep On Your Stomach Ever Again
20 November 2018 IST
Here’s Why You Should Never Sleep On Your Stomach Ever Again

Did you know that sleep essentially jump-started human evolution? In case you did not know, the process started during the period that scientists call the Miocene epoch, in Spain. Pierolapithecus, now considered the great ancestor of all the four great apes and man, started this revolution. Given they lived in the safety of tall trees, these apes learned how to sleep for long hours. This gave their brains the necessary time to evolve and develop into what is now ours.

 
 

So much was the importance of sleep that the Ancient Greeks had a separate God of sleep: Hypnos, son of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night), and brother to Thanatos (Death).
 
In today’s competitive world, sleep is probably the only real respite people get in their lives. That too, given the amount of stress we put ourselves through, makes it a very scarce thing to indulge in.
 
Things get worse, when that very thing which you love, sleeping on your own bed on your terms, hurts you so much that you wake up with body aches and pains everywhere.
 
It is at this point that it is worth mentioning that sleeping is as important for your body as eating or drinking enough water. Sleeping gives your nerve endings time to develop better.
 
This is why it is highly recommended that children, especially toddlers whose brains aren’t done growing up fully yet, sleep as much as they can; and that they be left undisturbed at that.
 
So getting back to the aches and pains caused by sleeping in a bad posture, here are some positions common among people and how they affect your body.
 
1. On Your Tummy
As comfortable as your body’s cushion might be, your neck really takes a beating from this posture, because it is trapped between right and left position. Also, your atlas vertebra takes quite the thrashing, as it has to support your cranium in the weirdest of positions.
 
This can give you nasty backaches.
 
2. On Your Back
Sleeping on our back makes it easier for our head, neck, and spine to align and keep it in a neutral position. No extra pressure or curves are being added to the back. “You are in the best position as your spine stays in natural alignment all night long,” Dr. Hooman Melamed says.
 
3. Attention Posture
This is one of the rarer positions, but about 8% of the world’s population sleeps this way. This is also called the soldier position because it is like a soldier standing at attention.
 
This is psychologically a marker pointing towards an individual who has an insecure nature and a defensive attitude towards life.
 
 

 
 

4. Spooning With Someone You Love
Do it. This is an immediate oxytocin boost for the body. The act is also one of utmost intimacy and commitment, as it creates a fine divide between a hook-up and a relationship.
 
It makes you feel a lot safer and protected and your brain translates that into happiness and health, reducing hormones like adrenaline in the bloodstream. As far as oxytocin is concerned, it is literally called the “love hormone”, and like dopamine, instantly brightens up your mood and makes you feel a lot happier.
 
5. Sleeping on One Side
This is the nightmare of every sleep apnoea patient. People who sleep on their sides snore a lot more than people who don’t. This is because of the blood circulation in your nasal cavity.
 
So don’t do it, especially if you have a tendency to snore.
 
6. Starfish
Also called the “sleep as you like posture”. This is when you are free to move around and you do. This is what most people do, and surprisingly it is far healthier than you would think. For one, your shoulders, back and neck are free to do their thing and hence are essentially pain-free.
 
7. For Pregnant Women
The American Pregnancy Association found out that pregnant mothers should sleep on their left side; this essentially facilitates better transport of nutrients, oxygen and other important chemicals into the womb via the placenta.
 
So what do you do in case you have a back ache already?
 
Well, make sure your pillows are lined up under your head, under the curve of your back and under your knees.
 
This would help de-stress the affected areas and improve blood circulation.
 
Happy sleep!

 
 
 
 
 

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Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


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