Is It Easier To Sleep On The Left Side?

If you sleep on the left side, you protect the health of various organs, as this makes it easier to carry out their functions. Among other things, it also improves blood circulation and digestion.

Which sleeping position do you feel most comfortable in? Lying on your side – left or right? Or even on your back? Experts recommend sleeping on your left side.

In this post we explain why.

5 benefits for those who sleep on their left side

A healthy sleeping position is important and can also bring various benefits. Sleeping on the left side  has long been recommended in oriental medicine .

In a recent study published in  The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology  , doctor John Doulliart found that this sleeping position had several benefits. We will summarize these briefly.

1. Better lymphatic drainage

John Doulliart notes that sleeping on the left is natural and that the lymphatic system dominates on that side.

This is where drainage takes place and the lymph transports important elements such as proteins, glucose, metabolites and other substances that are filtered through the lymph nodes  and have to be carried to the left side. That is why it is recommended to sleep on it.

2. For anatomical reasons

Both the stomach and pancreas are on the left side of the body. If we sleep on it, too, digestion is automatically promoted.

The digestive juices are better channeled and the enzymes of the pancreas are more easily secreted. So the whole process is slower, not in one fell swoop, as is the case with sleeping on your right.

3. Better for the heart

One study found that over 80% of the heart is on the left side of the body and sleeping on it  protects the health of that organ very easily and naturally.

Especially due to the lymphatic system, whose functions are facilitated. It should not be forgotten that the aorta is curved to the left and leads from the heart to the abdomen. So if you sleep on the left, the pumping function of the heart is made easier in a very simple way.

4. Do you take regular afternoon naps?

If you’re used to taking a nap after dinner, don’t forget to lie on your left side. This promotes digestion. You will get up more relaxed and you will not have any stomach ache. Just try it out for yourself!

5. For the health of the spleen

The spleen is also on the left side of the body. This organ forms an important part of the lymphatic system and is responsible for blood purification and for the proper functioning of the lymphatic system.

If you sleep on the left side of your body, gravity makes it easier for fluids to travel towards the spleen. Most of the lymphatic system performs its tasks on this side of the body.

So try to sleep on your left side for the sake of your health.