sleep position/blood pressure

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Sherry

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2002
Messages
1,449
Location
Southern Indiana
Hello, All. I just read this on my Netscape News (netscape.com) and found it interesting. I've never hear anything like this before.


Sleep on Your Tummy? Terrific Benefit

People who sleep on their stomachs have lower nighttime blood pressure than people who sleep in other positions, according to new research from Japan.

Speaking before a conference of the American Heart Association, researcher Yasuharu Tabara of Ehime University School of Medicine in Ehime, Japan, noted that high blood pressure during the night can increase the risk of a nighttime heart attack, reports Patient Health International.

The study: More than 270 healthy men ages 19 to 64 who were not taking blood pressure medication wore automatic blood pressure cuffs. They were first asked to lie down face up and later were told to turn over on their stomachs.

The results: In almost all the men, their overall blood pressure dropped significantly when they were face down. And 25 of the men experienced an even more dramatic decrease of more than 15 points when they just turned over onto their stomachs. In addition, systolic blood pressure, which is the force blood exerts on the artery walls when the heart beats, fell by as much as 15 mmHg in response to moving into the prone position, compared with the supine position, reports Patient Health International.

"These findings indicate that sleeping position could influence blood pressure," the researchers told the AHA conference in Chicago, Illinois. "Marked change in blood pressure during sleep by turning the position may need to be further studied as a possible cause of the cardiovascular events during the sleep."
 
I usually sleep either on my side or face down.

I'm generally more comfortable face down, on my tummy.

Part of why I had such a difficult time sleeping in the hospital after my surgery(s)

They NEVER let me sleep face down and only after I got most of my IV's removed was I able to sleep on my left side, where I'm most comfortable.


I don't snore as much if I'm on my tummy either... :rolleyes:
 
Although I do it sometimes, sleeping on my back is stressful to me.

I always think of when my son was a baby, and I'd pick him up when he was crying at night, even though sometimes I'd be too tired to walk straight. Most parents know what I mean. Others are just blocking...

I would sometimes lay him next to me on the bed, under my arm to comfort him. Once in a while, I would fall asleep, and then wake up terrified that I might have shifted or turned. Actually, I never moved a millimeter any of those times. There is some mechanism at work there, as I've heard similar things from others.

The point is, if I sleep on my back, to this day I often will wake up with a terrified start, thinking I may have rolled over on my tiny son.

By the way, my "tiny son" never wakes me up any more, as he lives in his own place. He is twenty years old and has a baby daughter of his own...

Best wishes,
 
Sherry,

Thanks for sharing that :).

I read somewhere a long time ago that sleeping on your right side helps put you to sleep quicker. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I read that, or exactly why that works. I've been sleeping on my side for a number of years now and always seem to get a better night's sleep that way.

*shrugs*

But, then again, sleeping face down makes sense, too.... A lower blood pressure will enhance sleep, etc.

And....

*chuckles*

Well, never mind ;).

*whistles and grins innocently*


Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 31swm/pig valve/pacemaker
'72/'6/'9/'81/'7, train/models = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
MC Guide = http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html
 
Gee, maybe I could freak my doctor out next time I get my BP read - I might be able to get it down to 75/40 - hee hee :D

A : )
 
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