Poses matter, be it your pictures, sex, or even sleep. It is your right sleeping position that helps you stop snoring while you sleep.
Snoring doesn’t only bother your partner but also affects your sleep quality.
Snoring can’t be seen as a problem if it happens once in a while but it can definitely be seen as obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when you stop breathing.
The sleep expert Kiera Pritchard has shared a simple trick to stop snoring.
This trick can possibly help you reduce the chances of having sleep apnea.
Having sleep apnea is linked to numerous health issues, such as acid reflux, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and asthma.
One of the easiest ways to stop snoring is to sleep on your side.
Kiera said: “Perhaps the biggest advantage to sleeping on your side instead of your back is that side sleeping can prevent snoring.
“Back sleeping can often lead to worsened snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Your jaw, tongue, and other soft tissues collapse in your throat when you lie on your back.
“The collapsed soft tissue narrows your airway and makes breathing more difficult, thus resulting in snoring.”
Sleeping on the stomach can lead to snoring and sleep apnea.
Kiera stated: “Those who sleep on their stomach often misalign their cervical spine due to having to twist their necks to the side to breathe.”
In addition, sleeping on your side can also lead to better digestion, because it prevents stomach acid from rising and “holds stomach contents in place”.
Kiera added: “When you lie flat on your front or back, your stomach’s acid can flow up your oesophagus, causing damage.
“However, lying on your side ensures gravity will keep your stomach acid from flowing upward. Digestive issues side sleeping can prevent or manage include heartburn and acid reflux.”
Your sleep position can also influence the effectiveness of the body’s waste system, known as the glymphatic system.
It is your system’s job to “clear out any waste in the brain and may also help deliver compounds such as glucose, lipids, amino acids, and neurotransmitters”.
Scientists suggest that “its waste disposal function may play a key role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases – for example, Alzheimer’s disease is linked to the pile-up of proteins in the brain”.
Kiera added: “Side sleeping has the potential to lead to bad posture as a result of twisting your body too far and shifting your spine from its natural alignment.
“To combat this, using extra pillows can help as a sleep aid. Knee pillows and body pillows are also useful to keep your body in place.”