Is Sleeping over Belly Unhealthy and Dangerous?

For most people, yes. Many people only take up this sleeping position because they lie on a mattress that is too hard and want to avoid back and shoulder pain. If you lie on mattresses that are too soft, you often lie in the hollow back and get back pain. The cervical spine is also not in an ideal position to relax. It is particularly unsuitable if the belly sleepers lie on a pillow under their head; and this will extremely twist the cervical vertebrae. So, the question is should we be sleeping over belly or not?

Is Sleeping over Belly Bad?

Belly sleeping should be avoided at all costs because of the impact of body weight on breathing and blood flow to the organs in the abdomen. Particularly heavy people do themselves no favours but harm as a belly sleeper. Breathing is heavier due to body weight and blood circulation is restricted in some places. The body has to perform a lot of functions during sleep like the repair activities in the body. For people sleeping on the belly, their body focuses more upon the tasks like breathing so as to maintain the flow of blood to the brain. The tasks like recovery of the muscles and other parts, become secondary and are usually unfulfilled.

Healthy people move more than twenty times in their sleep. Abdominal sleepers tend to become side sleepers. This is a good thing because movement during the night is good for the body; only if the muscles in the body also relax and the spine and joints can lie optimally. Too soft or too hard mattresses are also unsuitable for a good night’s sleep; they can lead to pain, lack of sleep and even permanent damage in the long term.

Why do people prefer to sleep on their Stomach ?

Sleeping on your face, however, gives you more security than lying on your side or on your back. A so-called side sleeper pillow could make stomach sleepers with unsuitable mattresses, side sleepers relatively easily. Belly sleepers should also check whether the mattress and slatted frame have been optimally selected in terms of size, body weight and sleeping habits. Mattresses that are used daily should not be older than ten years, because after this time the support properties are lost.

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Even infants have preferred sleeping positions. However, doctors advise laying babies on their side or back. On the one hand, the risk of sudden infant death is lower, and on the other, scientists found in a study that abdominal sleepers develop coughs, nose and ear problems much more often. It is believed that the warmer breathing air in the prone position favors the infections.