Why You Can't Sleep On Your Stomach, Especially For Pregnant Women

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Truth or myth: why you can't sleep on your stomach

Many people like to sleep on their stomachs, but do not even realize that a long stay in this position can provoke unwanted consequences. Some experts believe that all fears are nothing more than a myth, but other scientists hold an absolutely different opinion.

Why you can't sleep on your stomach: reasons for the ban

The main reason why you should not sleep on your stomach is the increased risk of circulatory disorders, which is associated with compression of large arteries. In addition, with a constant stay in this position in the cervical region, spasm of muscles and blood vessels occurs. In a person, in this case, the likelihood of osteochondrosis and hypoxia of brain tissue increases.

Sleeping on your stomach provokes a clamping of the cervical vertebrae

If the first degenerative changes have already occurred in the cervical spine, then sleeping in the wrong position contributes to the progress of the pathology, increasing the pain syndrome. Blood circulation in the brain worsens, memory suffers, concentration of attention decreases. In this position, the respiratory and heart organs are also squeezed, which increases the load on these systems. This, in turn, is dangerous with the occurrence of arrhythmias, tachycardia and asthma.

The habit of sleeping on your stomach can cause poor blood circulation in the brain.

Frequent stay on the stomach is fraught with the appearance of malignant tumors of the mammary glands for women, which is explained by chest compression and the occurrence of tissue ischemia. The risk of developing diseases of the genital area increases several times, since the organs are in a cramped position and nutrients are not supplied with the blood stream. For men, this is a dangerous violation of the reproductive system, namely: problems with erection may occur, and the quality of sperm also suffers.

With constant stay in the position on the stomach, problems with erection may appear

This pose can also harm children. In addition to these reasons, sleeping on the stomach in infants can provoke a sudden cessation of breathing, since the chest in babies is compressed, and the lungs are under stress. In addition, being in this position is fraught with the emergence of a curvature of the spine in the child. The likelihood of having nightmares increases due to the deterioration of blood flow in the arteries of the brain.

It is not recommended to teach a child to sleep on his stomach.

Pregnant women, like everyone else, should not be led by this habit. This can be dangerous not only for the woman herself, but also for the unborn child, since in this position the fetus is compressed. This position is especially dangerous from the 5th month of pregnancy. During this period, the fetus begins to actively grow, and constant pressure can lead to a disruption in the development of vital organs and systems.

I love sleeping on my stomach, but recently I began to notice that if I stay in this position for a long time, the pains in my neck and lower back become more intense. At first I thought that with osteochondrosis, the position of the body is not particularly important, but, as it turned out, when you lie on your back, it becomes much easier. I gradually get rid of the habit.

Likely consequences

The consequences that may appear if you constantly sleep on your stomach:

• headaches;
• deterioration of vision;
• blood pressure surges;
• increased intraocular pressure;
• impotence;
• interruptions in the work of the heart;
• deterioration in general well-being;
• wrinkles.

An increase in intraocular pressure can occur if you constantly sleep in a position on your stomach

This pose can provoke the appearance of neuralgia, as well as muscle spasms, which subsequently lead to diseases of the spine. In people with osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, pain increases, while sleeping on the back relieves the condition and increases the mobility of the problem area. The most dangerous consequence can be infertility, which affects both men and women equally often.

Why is it harmful to stay in a position on the stomach - video

Summing up all the arguments of experts, we can conclude that sleeping on your stomach can provoke a number of health problems. In addition to the emergence of new diseases, there is an exacerbation of chronic ailments. At the same time, people of any age and gender are affected. In order to protect yourself from dangerous consequences, it is recommended to give up this habit in time.