Does sleeping on your stomach affect your balance or coordination?
The notion of sleeping on your stomach is one that has been hotly debated in the past. While the position may offer some comfort, is it really affecting your physical ability and balance or coordination? In this article, we will take a deep dive into the pros and cons of sleeping on your stomach, looking at how it might affect balance and coordination, as well as the potential risks and benefits. We will also discuss how to sleep comfortably on your stomach, the alternatives to doing this, and give some tips for improving balance and coordination while sleeping on your stomach.
The Pros and Cons of Sleeping on Your Stomach
Sleeping on your stomach comes with both benefits and drawbacks. The primary benefit of doing so is that it can to provide a significant increase in comfort over other sleeping positions. By shifting onto their belly, some individuals find that their lower body is more relaxed and their spine is better aligned, resulting in greater overall comfort. Secondly, sleeping face-down can help patients that suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as it helps promote mouth breathing and opens up the airways.
On the flip-side, there can be a number of adverse implications to sleeping on your stomach. These include flattening of the face, leading to wrinkles, causing back or neck pain due to inadequate support, digestive problems, and increased risk of acid reflux due to the pressure the stomach faces.
How Sleeping on Your Stomach Impacts Balance and Coordination
The primary way in which sleeping on your stomach impacts balance and coordination is that it can lead to restricted breathing. Since the face is pressed face-down onto the mattress during the night, carbon dioxide remains in the body as it is unable to be breathed out efficiently. This, in turn, reduces the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the brain, resulting in a decrease in physical faculties such as coordination and balance.
What Are the Potential Risks of Sleeping on Your Stomach?
The main risks associated with sleeping on your stomach include restricted breathing, neck and back pain, discomfort, and digestive issues. Additionally, if you sleep face-down for prolonged periods of time, you may experience a flattening of the face, leading to wrinkles and premature aging. You may also be at risk of suffering from a condition known as stomach sleeper’s hip pain.
The Benefits of Sleeping on Your Stomach
Despite all the potential drawbacks associated with sleeping on your stomach, there are number of benefits that this position can offer. Firstly, many people report feeling more comfortable when sleeping on their stomach. Because your body weight is spread evenly, you don’t experience any pressure points and can feel free to relax into the mattress while sleeping. Additionally, as previously mentioned, this position can be beneficial for people suffering from OSA.
Tips for Improving Balance and Coordination While Sleeping on Your Stomach
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure that sleeping on your stomach does not have a negative effect on your physical abilities and balance or coordination. Firstly, you should ensure that you have adequate support for your hips, neck and back. Using a pillow beneath your abdomen may help to prevent any pain from occurring in those areas. Additionally, using a thicker pillow can help to reduce any possibility of breathing problems or discomfort.
How to Sleep Comfortably on Your Stomach
In order to ensure that you are comfortable when sleeping on your stomach, it is important that you find a pillow that is suitable for your height and size. A flat pillow or no pillow at all is generally recommended, as it prevents the pressure from being placed too heavily on your spine or neck. You should also make sure that you wear loose fitting clothing where possible so as not to hinder any movement during sleep. It can also help if you replace your mattress with one designed for stomach sleepers.
What Alternatives Are There to Sleeping on Your Stomach?
If sleeping on your stomach is causing ill effects such as poor balance and coordination (or even abdominal discomfort), there are a number of alternatives that you can turn to. One popular alternative is side sleeping. This involves lying on your side with your arms folded in front of your chest or slightly across your stomach. This position provides superior support for your neck and spine, as well as preventing oxygen deprivation.
Conclusion
Sleeping on your stomach may provide comfort to some individuals, but at the same time carries with it certain risks. These include being prone to weakened balance and coordination due to oxygen deprivation as well as neck and back pain due to inadequate support. However, there are steps that can be taken to minimize these effects while still enjoying the comfort that stomach-sleeping provides. Alternatives such as side sleeping give people another option if they decide that sleeping on their stomach isn’t suitable for them.
