Don’t Close Your Eyes to the Best Sleeping Position for Your Brain

If you sleep on your side, you can put your mind at rest about protecting the health of your brain. According to recent research, side sleeping enhances your brain’s ability to eliminate the built-up waste that can lead to neurological diseases. While MD Now is well known for quality medical care, our experts are just as concerned with your quality of life and want to help you protect your health in every possible way. Discover how the way you sleep can help you wake with a healthier brain.

The Bright Side of the Best Sleeping Position

Research shows that a side-sleeping position improves the brain’s glymphatic system, which is the cleansing system that removes waste from the brain. This waste is believed to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. By sleeping on your side, this waste is eliminated more efficiently and effectively. As a result, side sleeping is the best way to sleep for your brain.

Research Resting on Sleep Science

According to research, the brain’s glymphatic system is almost completely dormant during the day and most active while you sleep. While a person sleeps, the canals that form their brain’s glymphatic system increase by around 60%. This allows the brain’s waste to be expelled at a faster and higher rate. As a result, a person’s sleep patterns have a direct affect on the amount of waste removed from their brain. And sleeping on your side can actually improve this cleaning process, which makes side sleeping the best sleeping position for future neurological health.

Wake Up to Natural Sleep Remedies

While it’s important to know the best way to sleep, it’s just important to get plenty of rest to allow the brain to be cleansed. Studies show that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep per night tend to have a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. But people with chronic insomnia must first focus on falling asleep. Knowing that sleep can help prevent some neurological diseases, people dealing with chronic insomnia have another reason to seek better sleep.

Rather than rely on sleep-inducing medications, doctors recommend using natural sleep remedies, such as these simple sleep suggestions:

• Stay away from caffeine in the evening, especially right before bed, because it can cause chronic insomnia.
• Establish a regular sleeping schedule to re-set your body’s sleep rhythms.
• Avoid alcohol before bed because it takes people out of a deep sleep.
• Turn off all of the lights since they can prevent or disrupt sleep.