Every person has a comfortable sleeping position. But not every position is good for health. Doctors of various profiles believe that sleeping on the stomach does not benefit an adult, and in some cases contributes to the development of many diseases.

Why you can’t sleep on your stomach is explained by vertebrologists and vascular surgeons. In this position, the back and neck are overloaded, the muscles do not relax. Spasms occur in muscle fibers, nerves are pinched, discomfort appears between the shoulder blades. In a sleeper, the natural curvature of the spine is disturbed, the load on the lumbar and thoracic regions increases. In the position of the head on the pillow to the right or to the left, the neck tenses, blood circulation worsens. Especially dangerous is sleeping on the stomach with cervical osteochondrosis. The patient expects not only dizziness and pain. Compression of the vertebral vessels provokes a spasm of the vertebral artery, disrupts the functioning of the cerebellum and the occipital lobes of the brain. In addition to temporary disturbances in blood supply, this situation can provoke a stroke. For this reason, sleeping on the stomach is contraindicated in the elderly and patients with atherosclerosis. People with weak and narrowed arteries are more likely to have impaired blood flow.

Ophthalmologists warn that intraocular pressure rises while sleeping face down in a pillow. Favorite posture can lead to eye fatigue, pain in the temples, optic nerve atrophy.

Why are stomach sleepers more likely to have disturbing dreams?

Somnologists attribute nightmares in those who sleep on their stomachs to a lack of oxygen. Against the background of impaired blood supply and malnutrition of the brain tissue, the heartbeat quickens, a feeling of fear appears. There are dreams with persecution, suffocation, falling into the abyss, plots reminiscent of horror films. There is a state of stiffness, suffocation, inability to move. The lack of oxygen disrupts the processing of information by the brain, stress hormones are produced, and blood pressure rises. After waking up, a person is agitated and cannot fall asleep for a long time. A frightening dream is experienced throughout the day. A person sleeping on his stomach does not realize that you just need to change your position to get rid of nightmares. Studies have shown that people who prefer to sleep on their right side see positive dreams.

The habit of sleeping on your stomach and the negative consequences

Why can't you sleep on your stomach? Experts make strong arguments that

forced to change position.

When lying on the stomach for a long time, the vessels are compressed. To increase blood flow, the heart muscle has to contract vigorously. Increased stress on the heart provokes an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, an increase in the heart muscle. People who constantly sleep on their stomachs can develop arrhythmia and hypertension.

A position that is convenient for many leads to impaired pelvic circulation and causes sexual disorders:

• in men, sperm quality deteriorates, prostatitis develops, libido decreases;
• in women, inflammatory foci are formed, sexual dysfunction, infertility occur.

For many, the prone position in the pillow has to pay with daytime sleepiness and fatigue. In this position, the chest is compressed, breathing becomes difficult. The organs receive less oxygen, the overall activity decreases.

During sleep on the stomach, the stomach, intestines, abdominal muscles are under pressure from the whole body, and digestive problems begin.

For good health and recuperation, doctors recommend resting on your back or side. And the question is whether it is possible to sleep on the stomach during feeding and pregnancy, they answer in the negative. The threat of placental abruption increases due to lack of oxygen, pressure on the liver and intestines.

Sleep on the stomach and appearance

In the face down position, the skin is deformed, swelling and wrinkles appear, some get up in the morning with bags under the eyes. Prolonged squeezing worsens the elasticity of the skin. On the face, pressed against the pillow, wrinkles are usually formed on the forehead and along the lines of the neck, folds between the eyebrows. A comfortable posture can visually add several years to your age. Unlike facial wrinkles, wrinkles that form during sleep are not eliminated with Botox and other procedures. In addition, in this position, the chest is squeezed, the skin is stretched and the mammary glands are tensed. Regular and prolonged pressure increases the risk of tumor formation.

Is it bad for everyone to sleep on their stomach? Sometimes this position saves from pain. The pose reduces discomfort with colic and flatulence, kidney diseases. During menstruation, the pain is reduced in the position of the tummy down. People who snore while sleeping face down in a pillow do not snore and risk stopping their breathing.

List of used literature:

• Zepelin H. Normal age related changes in sleep // Sleep Disorders: Basic and Clinical Research / ed. by M. Chase, E. D. Weitzman. - New York: SP Medical, 1983.
• Foldvary-Schaefer N., Grigg-Damberger M. Sleep and epilepsy: what we know, don't know, and need to know. // J Clin Neurophysiol. - 2006
• Poluektov M.G. (ed.) Somnology and sleep medicine. National leadership in memory of A.N. Wayne and Ya.I. Levina M.: "Medforum", 2016.