Sleep on left side too???

Gonna start sleeping standing up...lying down is too dangerous *smile*. Works for horses, after all...

SewTired wrote:It's mostly nonsense. This position is recommended for pregnant women who are on bedrest, or have certain complications. Not necessary for anybody else. It's like applying a bandaid to everybody because one person's thumbnail bleeds when they bang it.

RogerSC wrote:Gonna start sleeping standing up...lying down is too dangerous *smile*. Works for horses, after all...

I like these two posts. Plenty of alarmists here. Good to shoot back at them.

purple wrote:I had severe tendonitis in my right arm, so I had to sleep on my left.

For goodness sakes, irrespective of tendonitis, no one should sleep with their arm underneath their body.

If I am sleeping on my side where should my shoulder and shoulder blade?

SewTired wrote:It's like applying a bandaid to everybody because one person's thumbnail bleeds when they bang it.

i've only had my thumbnail bleed once... MAN did that hurt.

wise friend of mine drilled a hole in it to relieve the pressure.

kteague wrote: Can't say I found anything profound or surprising, but here's a few things I read.

There is no doubt that position can help with a variety of serious ills, but that's just it - something isn't working. I'll bet none of those articles tell you that laying on one side all the time can cause a bunch of other problems such as increased eye pressure, joint inflammation, tendinitis (ask me how I got that...just ask me!) and other stuff.

The reason why they recommend laying on left side for pregnant women on bedrest and with multiples is that studies have shown that it improves oxygen rates to the fetus. It is not for the benefit of the mother. And you don't go on bedrest if you are pregnant unless there is a problem because, in the long run, it's not very healthy for the mom.

Oh, and yes, sometimes I sleep on my arm when sleeping on my side. I wake up like that. It's weird.

Sleeping on your left helps in pregnancy (Because someone is kicking it from the bottom) and with GERD - sometimes. I sleep on both because the left side helps with GERD but causes my right hip and left shoulder to complain so middle of the night I kick the dog out of the way and fight to lay on my right side.

For pregnant women, there are two things:

1) The weight of the uterus can put pressure on the blood vessels that carry circulation to the baby when you lie flat on your back. Thus, lying on EITHER side is preferable.

2) As pointed out above, with the shape of the stomach, there's less pressure on the upper sphincter when lying on the left side, so that reduces acid reflux.

I am a dedicated right side sleeper and I slept on my right side through both of my pregnancies. I used to have to "fight" with my youngest in utero--she seemed to like to lie on my right side, too and didn't like it when I lay on my right side because she'd get squished--she let me know with lots of kicks. I would roll over to the left, let her "float" over to that side, then quickly roll back to the right. Score one for Mama! I kind of expected her to be argumentative and stubborn, but she is sweet and reasonable--even now as a teen. And she still knows how to let Mama win.

SewTired wrote:

kteague wrote: Can't say I found anything profound or surprising, but here's a few things I read.

There is no doubt that position can help with a variety of serious ills, but that's just it - something isn't working. I'll bet none of those articles tell you that laying on one side all the time can cause a bunch of other problems such as increased eye pressure, joint inflammation, tendinitis (ask me how I got that...just ask me!) and other stuff.

The reason why they recommend laying on left side for pregnant women on bedrest and with multiples is that studies have shown that it improves oxygen rates to the fetus. It is not for the benefit of the mother. And you don't go on bedrest if you are pregnant unless there is a problem because, in the long run, it's not very healthy for the mom.

Oh, and yes, sometimes I sleep on my arm when sleeping on my side. I wake up like that. It's weird.

I did read a couple articles about eye pressures just didn't post the link. Reasons to not always sleep in one position abound. I have a family member who is prone to kidney stones and was told by their doc to switch it up because he has sediment in one kidney - on the side he used to always sleep on. One thing I did notice in several articles was trying to prove/disprove if natural inclinations have a medical explanation. We often accommodate those things we have issues with, maybe even subconsciously. Some things are more overt. If it causes a noticeable hindrance to blood flow, don't do it. Don't put joints and connective tissues in a position of stress for extended periods. What a healthy body can tolerate is different from what one with issues can tolerate, particularly where joint issues are involved. Some things our bodies tell us, others we learn through gathering knowledge. I spend my nights shifting positions due to this pain or that pain, I sure hope I don't develop a medical issue to add doctor's orders to that mix.

Remind me again, which side do we put drunks? I cant remember from when I wake up.

Left side - right side? I say just pick whatever is most comfortable for you. IMO, you are always better off with a night of decent sleep than a night of crappy sleep.

I'm happy if I can sleep.. left side, right side. Either one. Just not on the back, then my mouth drops open

Festerann wrote:I'm happy if I can sleep.. left side, right side. Either one. Just not on the back, then my mouth drops open

inversion table? that should help with the jaw thing.

Am I imagining it or do most cpap mask ads show the person in bed on their backs?