A physiologist has reported the benefits of sleeping on your left side

Tatyana Krymtseva, associate professor of the Department of Fundamental Disciplines at the Medical Faculty of the State University of Education, physiologist, told Izvestia on December 1 about the correct and best sleeping posture and whether it is true that sleeping on the left side is undesirable for heart function.

"The most important condition for falling asleep quickly is a comfortable human posture. But scientists can not name a universal body position for sleep. According to them, everything depends on gender, age and physique. In general, experts consider it useful to sleep on the left side because of the location of internal organs. Falling asleep on the left side reduces the likelihood of gastric juice throwing into the esophagus because of the structure of the stomach. It is also recommended that pregnant women rest on their left side. The fact that sleeping on the left side is undesirable for the heart is a prejudice. At the same time, cardiac patients can be advised to choose a high pillow for sleeping," she said.

The position on the back is considered quite comfortable for the spine, especially if you are overweight, and some people even put small rollers under the neck and knees for better muscle relaxation, the doctor said. However, this increases the risk of snoring or apnea (temporary respiratory arrest).

At the same time, Krymtseva warned that the position on the stomach makes breathing difficult, leads to compression of internal organs and tension in the cervical spine.

"An important condition for a good night's rest and sound sleep is a comfortable bed. The mattress should be firm enough and support the spine to maintain a natural position. The sleeping place should not constrain a person during sleep, it is necessary that the sleeper has free space, as he makes many movements during the night and usually changes the position of his body several times," she concluded.

In early October, Alexandra Fileva, a medical expert at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia about whether sleeping with an animal is useful. According to her, it helps immunity and gets rid of depression. However, she warned that such pastime can threaten sleep disorders or aggravate asthma or allergies.