Feel groggy after eight hours shut eye? Try sleeping on your back

People who feel groggy despite having a solid eight hours shut eye may benefit from changing their sleeping position, an expert claims.

Those who lie on their backs are more likely to wake feeling rested due to the position reducing their risk of aches and pains, as well as heartburn, according to sleep expert Professor Shelby Harris from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

Despite this position’s benefits, only eight percent of people sleep facing up, with most opting to lie on their sides, which can worsen shoulder and hip pain, as well as causing acid reflux, Professor Harris adds.

Lying on your front, which only seven percent of people do, is the worst sleeping position due to it putting pressure on the entire body, which can cause numbness, tingling, and muscle and joint pain.

Despite her recommendations, Professor Harris added: ‘Although it is commonly recommended that sleeping on your back is the best position to sleep in, comfort is key.’ 

Around 10 percent of people in the US suffer from chronic insomnia, which occurs for at least three days a week for as many months. 

People who feel groggy despite having a solid eight hours shut eye may benefit from changing their sleeping position. Lying on your front increases the risk of muscle pain (stock)

CAN INSOMNIA BE PSYCHOLOGICAL?

Insomnia may be psychological, research suggested in May 2017. 

Sufferers who take placebo pills feel more rested than those who get no treatment at all, according to a review of 13 studies.

According to the researchers, the simple act of taking a pill may ease the anxiety that makes it harder for some insomnia sufferers to fall asleep.

Dr Patrick Finan from Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the study, said: ‘Insomnia is shaped by expectation and perception, so it is not surprising that placebos, which implicitly alter expectation, are effective in improving perceptions of sleep.’

The researchers, from the University of Sydney, examined data from a total of 566 insomnia sufferers who were assigned to either receive a placebo that they believed was an active treatment or no pills at all.

Placebo patients reported greater improvements in their ability to fall asleep, the total amount of rest they got and their sleep quality.

Comparing placebo against recognised insomnia therapies can give inaccurate results as simply believing you are receiving a sleep-inducing treatment can ease the condition.

Study author Dr Ben Colagiuri, said: ‘The comparison with no treatment means that we can be sure that the improvement we observed was due to a genuine placebo effect, rather than being an artifact of simply taking part in a trial.’

Insomnia may be considered a condition of the mind due to one person averaging four hours sleep a night and feeling sufficiently rested, while another may get seven hours and feel the amount or quality of their shut eye is inadequate, Dr Finan explained.

Why should people sleep on their backs? 

Sleeping on your side is thought to increase people’s risk of heartburn due to it causing their food pipes to loosen.

This can result in acid creeping up the oseophagus, leaving a burning sensation.

Lying on the left side eases heartburn due to it closing a muscle that prevents acid entering the gullet. 

If people insist on sleeping on their sides, Professor Harris recommends they use a thick pillow to support their heads, as well as tucking one under their knees to ease pressure on their lower backs.

A flat pillow can reduce neck strain in those who prefer to lie on their front.

For those struggling to switch their sleeping positions, Professor Harris advises they sew a tennis ball into the lining of their pyjamas, which creates discomfort if they lie a certain way.

Less than eight hours sleep is linked to depression and anxiety  

This comes after research released in January this year suggested less than eight hours sleep is linked to anxiety and depression.

Insomniacs are less able to overcome negative thoughts than those who get sufficient shut eye, a study found.

Being unable to nod off also reduces people’s ability to disengage from negative emotions, the research adds.

Study author Professor Meredith Coles, from Binghamton University, said: ‘We found that people in this study have some tendencies to have thoughts get stuck in their heads, and their elevated negative thinking makes it difficult for them to disengage with the negative stimuli that we exposed them to.

‘We realized over time that this might be important – this repetitive negative thinking is relevant to several different disorders like anxiety, depression and many other things.’  



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk