This is the best-sleeping position to improve digestion and minimize the chance of acid reflux or heartburn.
Your customary sleeping posture, be it on your belly or on your left flank, typically stems from habit and what feels coziest to you.
Yet, your nightly slumbering posture may have effects that reach further than just refueling your energy reserves.
Health and nutrition specialist, Ali Ramadan, used his TikTok platform to highlight the potential health impacts of our chosen sleep positions.
According to Ramadan whether “you sleep on the left side” or right side. Both have “benefits.”
If you find yourself frequently wrestling with digestive health issues like acid reflux, it might be beneficial to reassess your sleep posture.
The expert articulated: “Studies indicate that it is preferable for the digestive system to recline on the left side.
Ramadan pointed out, Studies show “it is better for digestive health to sleep on the left side.”
Sleeping on the left side ensures the stomach and its digestive juices stay lower than the oesophagus, hence reducing instances of heartburn and digestive discomfort, according to studies.
Moreover, Ramadan is not alone in highlighting the advantages and pitfalls of side-sleeping with respect to digestive health.
Martin Seeley, a renowned sleep analyst and the CEO of Mattressnextday, told Glamour, that resting on the right flank could augment the probability of stomach acid surging back into the esophagus.
This could potentially exacerbate conditions like heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Thankfully, a shift to left-side sleeping can offer some respite.
Seeley, in conversation with Glamour, asserted, “Sleeping on your left side can promote better digestion.”
This position uses gravity to expedite the transfer of food from the stomach to the small intestine, potentially improving digestion and minimizing the chance of acid reflux or heartburn.
“This position helps keep the stomach lower than the oesophagus, reducing the chances of stomach acid flowing back into the oesophagus.”
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