Having a good night’s sleep goes beyond just us feeling great, productive, and ready to seize that day. It improves our overall physical and mental health as well, and this is surely something you want to keep in mind once your sleeping habits change and the quality of sleep decreases.
When it comes to those who suffer from acid reflux, finding an adequate sleeping position that will keep the stomach contents away from the esophagus during the night is crucial. After all, the acid reflux symptoms worsen during the night since lying down lets the acid flow freely to the food pipe. Still, there are a few effective solutions that will make the gravity work in your favor yet still allow you to feel comfortable while sleeping.
If you are suffering from acid reflux and are looking for useful tips on how to finally get that night’s rest that you craved for so long, we advise you to stay with us. In the next lines, we will present you with the best sleeping positions for acid reflux and explain thoroughly why they worked for millions of people so far.
Sleeping On the Left Side Helps – But Why?
There is a great chance that you’ve already heard that sleeping on the left side if you have acid reflux can help you potentially eliminate the symptoms during the night. If you are eager to understand why this actually makes sense, simply keep on reading.
When we lay on our left side, the point where the stomach and esophagus meet remains higher which keeps the acid away from it. However, lying down on the left side may produce more gaseous symptoms which is still much better than liquid reflux which occurs when we lay on the right side and flat on our backs.
Another reason is related to the lower esophageal sphincter which is the muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach. The precise reason for many of those who suffer from acid reflux is the fact that this muscle doesn’t do its job and therefore is unable to stop the acid entering the esophagus and causing the acid reflux symptoms. When laying on the right side, it is reported that this muscle gets even more weakened which surely makes things even worse. Therefore, sleeping on the left certainly seems like a better option.
Still, if sleeping on your left side helps but not entirely, you can simply raise your head of the bed to reduce acid reflux symptoms and we will tell you more about the ways to do so in the next lines.
Lying Flat on the Back but At an Incline
One of the best ways to ensure the acidic stomach contents stay out of the esophagus is to sleep at an incline. If the torso remains at a certain angle during the night, there is a great chance that you’ll be able to avoid having any serious acid reflux symptoms. To ensure yourself the desired incline throughout the night, one of the effective solutions is a Reflux Guard under mattress bed wedge which maintains the same position from the moment you install it to the point when you decide to move it. We cannot guarantee the same for the pillows and short wedges as they can easily change position during the night and they don’t elevate the whole body, just the head. The same rule applies to the so-called “pillow mountain” as it is almost impossible to keep all the given pillows in place for 6 hours.
Sleeping on your back without the elevated incline is surely not a good option as the acid easily escapes the stomach and irritates the esophagus. However, with the help of the special under mattress bed wedge, you don’t need to give up on this position which is quite beneficial for our spine, neck, and shoulders.
Sleeping On Stomach – Yes, or No?
Besides the fact that sleeping on the stomach puts great pressure on the spine and neck, it doesn’t help acid reflux either for the same reasons why sleeping on the back is not recommended. Since gravity simply doesn’t work in our favor in both cases and contributes to acid pooling in our esophagus, you should avoid these two positions.
However, raising the head of the bed for acid reflux can surely make a difference, no matter on which side or position you sleep. If you’ve slept on your back or stomach the entire era before you begin to have problems with acid reflux, adjusting to another position can simply be too much for you. In that case, an under-mattress bed wedge can serve you as a lifesaver since you can sleep on it any way you like.
As we mentioned, it comes with a specific incline that can be adjusted to fit you the best way, it is utterly comfortable and easy to store. You can also take it on short and long trips since it comes (with additional cost) with the retention strap. The wedge cover is easy to wash and it lasts long, just like the wedge itself. Finally, our product comes with a 10-year warranty and a flat shipping cost.
What If the Acid Reflux Symptoms Relieve When You Are Lying Down?
Even though people who have acid reflux experience the same common symptoms that include heartburn, sore throat, bitter taste in the mouth, and others, it is possible that what comes as a relief for some is not working out for others. In case the acid reflux symptoms relieve when you are in the lying position, it could mean that you were extremely stressed out and need physical relaxation that naturally comes when you rest lying down. The same rule applies in case you just had a strenuous activity and lying down helps our muscles relax.
Whichever is your case, raising the head of the bed for acid reflux can potentially help you get the rest you need to restore your strength and improve your overall quality of life.
Important note:
This information is provided for informational purposes only. For diagnosis and treatment of your specific condition, always consult your doctor. Read the full disclaimer here.
