should i sleep on my left side or my right side

Nighttime heartburn is a common occurrence for reflux patients, so much so that 75% of reflux patients report experiencing heartburn at night at least once a week. Waking up with heartburn in the middle of the nightįalling asleep soundly can be a feat for reflux patients. If you realize that your symptoms don’t get better even with different sleeping positions, consider making dietary and lifestyle modifications to reap long-term benefits. But if you’re one of the uncommon cases where reflux strikes worse when you’re lying on your left, consider experimenting with different sleeping positions to figure out which one will help soothe your symptoms. The general consensus among doctors and patients alike is that lying on your left side is more beneficial for heartburn patients. Doctors believe that lying on your right side is more likely to induce relaxation of the LES (lower esophageal sphincter), which is the muscle responsible for keeping stomach contents in, and preventing acid reflux. Although it’s unclear what mechanisms cause this, scientists believe that sleeping on the right side tends to trigger symptoms longer than lying on the left.Īnother study showed that lying on your right side prolongs the esophagus’ exposure to the acid. It turns out what side you’re lying on can in fact affect how your symptoms flare-up.Ī substantial amount of studies found that reflux patients tend to get worse heartburn when they’re lying on their right side. Sleeping on your side tends to worsen your heartburn symptoms, but you also notice that sleeping on a specific side makes it even worse. Here are just some of the top complaints when it comes to sleeping with acid reflux: 1. The bottomline stands: it’s difficult to get a good night’s sleep if you’re experiencing acid reflux at night. The onslaught of reflux symptoms while sleeping vary from one patient to another. Common Complaints From Acid Reflux Patients When in doubt, make sure your head is elevated to help your body keep stomach contents right where they belong. In fact, it’s more likely for the stomach contents to travel back up the esophagus, leading to acid reflux symptoms.Ĭompare that to sitting or standing where gravity pulls the stomach acids and digested food contents away from your esophagus.

When a person with acid reflux is lying down, the stomach contents don’t go down the stomach.

As a patient, have you ever noticed that some nights tend to be better than others? That’s because some sleeping positions worsen acid reflux symptoms.

What position you sleep in at night can also affect your reflux symptoms, studies suggest. But it’s not just these things that could exacerbate reflux symptoms during bedtime. Eating a high-fat diet, engaging in exercise before falling asleep, and being exposed to high levels of stress can result in wakefulness throughout the night. Sufferers of acid reflux know how difficult it can be to try and get a good night’s sleep. 1.8 Get the Best Sleep of Your Life Can Sleeping Positions Affect Acid Reflux?

Should i sleep on my left side or my right side