{"id":2454,"date":"2021-08-27T17:41:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T21:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/?p=2454"},"modified":"2021-09-02T17:41:51","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T21:41:51","slug":"benefits-of-sleeping-on-your-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/benefits-of-sleeping-on-your-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of Sleeping on Your Back"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you dislike sleeping on your back, you\u2019re not alone. One <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5677378\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2017 study<\/a> found that most people prefer to sleep on their sides as they approach adulthood, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6609073\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2019 review<\/a> found that 60% of European adults are side sleepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you should know that there are many <a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/sleep\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">benefits to sleeping<\/a> on your back. We\u2019ve compiled the research below, which may sway you to try back sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reduce Neck &amp; Back Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sleep-bed-back.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2456\" width=\"314\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sleep-bed-back.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sleep-bed-back-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 314px) 100vw, 314px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When you sleep on your back, the position mimics standing up straight. This helps maintain the natural curve of your spine, reducing pressure. In fact, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5468189\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2017 study<\/a>, sleeping on your back with your hands either at your side or on your chest is the best way to prevent pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, sleeping on your stomach compresses your spine, as your head is tilted back. When your head is tipped to one side, it can cause stiffness and soreness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevent Tension Headaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sleeping on your back can also take pressure off your head. Specifically, it can help prevent cervicogenic headaches, which originate in the cervical spine. Symptoms include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Throbbing pain in the side of the face or head<\/li><li>Pain near the eyes<\/li><li>Pain when coughing or sneezing<\/li><li>Sensitivity to light and noise<\/li><li>Stiff neck<\/li><li>Pinched nerves<\/li><li>Upset stomach<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Improve Breathing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you lie on your stomach or side, your diaphragm \u2013 the muscle responsible for controlling breathing \u2013 is compressed, making your breathing shallower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6361823\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Studies<\/a> show that taking slow, deep breaths increases melatonin production. This hormone promotes relaxation, induces sleep and increases parasympathetic nervous system activity. This means you can cut cost on melatonin gummies from <a href=\"https:\/\/healthtrailnaturalfoods.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Health Trail Natural Foods<\/a> simply by switching to back sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back sleeping can also improve breathing by relieving sinus buildup. Sleeping with your head elevated helps <a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/nose\/nasal-congestion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">relieve congestion<\/a> so you can breathe better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevent Breakouts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A common culprit for breakouts is your pillowcase, which absorbs oils from your skin and hair as well as product residue. These substances are then transferred to the face during sleep. Sleeping on your back can actually prevent blackheads, whiteheads, redness and irritation by keeping your face off your pillowcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the benefits of sleeping on your back or to schedule an appointment with a sleep expert, call Hampton Roads ENT today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/signs-you-should-talk-to-a-doctor-about-your-sleep\/\" class=\"related-post\">Signs You Should Talk to a Doctor About Your Sleep<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/what-to-expect-in-an-overnight-sleep-study\/\" class=\"related-post\">What to Expect in an Overnight Sleep Study<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/the-three-types-of-sleep-apnea-how-they-differ\/\" class=\"related-post\">The Three Types of Sleep Apnea &#038; How They Differ<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you dislike sleeping on your back, you\u2019re not alone. One 2017 study found that most people prefer to sleep on their sides as they approach adulthood, and a 2019 review found that 60% of European adults are side sleepers. However, you should know that there are many benefits to sleeping on your back. We\u2019ve&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"When you sleep on your back, the position mimics standing up straight. This helps maintain the natural curve of your spine, reducing pressure.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2460,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454\/revisions\/2460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamptonroadsent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}