does sleeping in a certain direction make a difference?

Tigersoap said:
On a related note :
Did you notice anything perticular if you were falling asleep in another position (I also sleep on my stomach most often) ?
Regardless of the direction of course.
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i generally can't fall asleep on my back unless i am completely and utterly exhausted and then it's a very light and restless sleep.
(i feel too 'naked' and 'unprotected' on my back)

sometimes i fall asleep on my side which usually wakes me up after a while because it is really uncomfortable.


SAO, i would love to sleep floating in an anti-gravity environment... or maybe very low gravity would be enough? ;)
i understand the problems you have sleeping on your stomach - the 90 degree angle of the head can be uncomfortable - that's why i use a very flat (and small) pillow like a wedge to kind of tilt the back of my head up a couple of degrees to take the pressure of the spine. maybe that could work for you too?
or maybe get one of those massage-tables with the hole in it? ;)


and i agree with the_hammer - when i started to play around with the various directions and dream recall, i could remember more than i do now after sleeping N->S for 1+ month. i guess i've gotten used to it and now i'm almost back to not remembering any details.
 
Well, the evidence is anecdotal...I subscribed to the sleeping with your head to the north for years. I was physically ill for years. Great dreams though. I got a couple of feng shui books, and it seems that some schools decide sleeping arrangements based upon year of birth. I thought about it for a minute, and I thought what the hey, and switched to sleeping to the west. My health got better, I was able to get pregnant and carry to term, and the sleeping position was entitled 'family' (in translation).

The translation for me sleeping to the north? Five Ghosts, supposed to bring physical illness and calamity. Hmmm...

My old Gurdjieffian teacher used to say that people below a certain level (the sound asleep) are unaffected by subtleties like astrology, feng shui, etc., and that people above a certain level are unaffected as well, although because they are awake, and able to alter their situation. It is the sad lot of the people in the middle to be subject to these things.
 
My grandmother always used to say "if you sleep on your back, you'll have nightmares". Well I can't say that I always have nightmares sleeping on my back, but I CAN say that I have much more vivid dreams, including vivid nightmares on occasion. I have a sister who gets sleep paralysis, or "old hag syndrome", a lot more frequently when she sleeps on her back. Many people dismiss this dreadful experience as nothing more than the body being asleep while the mind is awake, yet every time she or others have this experience, they SWEAR there is a less-than-benevolent presence in the room; sometimes rustling is heard nearby. Is this a form of psychic attack? Going by the descriptions I've heard, it certainly sounds like it might be.
 
Iconoclast said:
i generally can't fall asleep on my back unless i am completely and utterly exhausted and then it's a very light and restless sleep.(i feel too 'naked' and 'unprotected' on my back)
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Thanks, I also feel not too comfortable on the back if I fall asleep like that, I always wake up startled unless I am really tired like you said.
Which leads me to TDR post


Third_Density_Resident said:
My grandmother always used to say "if you sleep on your back, you'll have nightmares". Well I can't say that I always have nightmares sleeping on my back, but I CAN say that I have much more vivid dreams, including vivid nightmares on occasion. I have a sister who gets sleep paralysis, or "old hag syndrome", a lot more frequently when she sleeps on her back. Many people dismiss this dreadful experience as nothing more than the body being asleep while the mind is awake, yet every time she or others have this experience, they SWEAR there is a less-than-benevolent presence in the room; sometimes rustling is heard nearby. Is this a form of psychic attack? Going by the descriptions I've heard, it certainly sounds like it might be.
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From my experience, falling asleep on the back has the same consequences and on some very rare occasions on the side.
Not every time but sufficiently enough that avoid it unless I twist and turn so much in my sleep that I don't realize I am on my back.
I had nearly out of body experience, nigthmares, hearing things as well and feeling presence when on my back.

Which makes me wonder if the direction thing is that really important compared to the position you fall asleep into.
What makes sleeping on the back such an opportunity for weird things to happen ??
I suppose numerous people fall asleep on the back without these "problems".

I found this BBC article on sleep position ("Sleep position gives personality clue"):

_http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3112170.stm

Ok this article does not seem too serious.
 
Tigersoap said:
Which makes me wonder if the direction thing is that really important compared to the position you fall asleep into.
What makes sleeping on the back such an opportunity for weird things to happen ??
I suppose numerous people fall asleep on the back without these "problems".
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Thanks for bringing up this issue, because I also don't like to sleep on a back, and have a weird dreams if it does happen.

I had a thought that maybe it is somehow related to a brain fluid or blood circulation. If what we eat before going to sleep may affect the content of our dreams, it is probable that lack of oxygen or some blockage in circulation also may cause us to have weird dreams or nightmares. The brain translates this physical info into dream symbolism.

So this is what I found. The following articles talk about possible physical problems as a result of our sleep position. But it is possible that it may affect dreaming as well.


Is The Way You Are Sleeping Killing You?
_http://www.menopauseatoz.com/sleep-killing-you.shtml
These are some of the culturally defined issues that help determine how we sleep, all of which may have some potential impact on health. However, there is one cultural issue that tops the list of importance, and which may greatly determine your health status. It has to do with your sleep position. Are you sleeping on a firm, flat bed, face down, with your nose and eye compressed against the bed and pillow? Or are you on your back with your head slightly elevated, as is the case for many native cultures that use hammocks or other non-flat surfaces for sleep?

The reason we ask this last question is because the circulation to the head and brain is completely related to your body position when sleeping.
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Congestive heart failure and sleeping position
_http://www.revolutionhealth.com/blogs/stevepocetamd/congestive-heart-fail-8062

First, some background on sleep apnea and body position. We know that the supine position (lying on the back) increases the chances of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and it increases the severity of snoring and OSA in those who have it. See blog last week on CPAP masks and body position. The worsening of OSA is at least partly caused by the effect of gravity on the jaw and the tongue, which moves them backwards and thus narrows the passageway for the flow of air.
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Keit said:
So this is what I found. The following articles talk about possible physical problems as a result of our sleep position. But it is possible that it may affect dreaming as well.


Is The Way You Are Sleeping Killing You?
_http://www.menopauseatoz.com/sleep-killing-you.shtml
These are some of the culturally defined issues that help determine how we sleep, all of which may have some potential impact on health. However, there is one cultural issue that tops the list of importance, and which may greatly determine your health status. It has to do with your sleep position. Are you sleeping on a firm, flat bed, face down, with your nose and eye compressed against the bed and pillow? Or are you on your back with your head slightly elevated, as is the case for many native cultures that use hammocks or other non-flat surfaces for sleep?

The reason we ask this last question is because the circulation to the head and brain is completely related to your body position when sleeping.
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Interesting article Kiet, I've heard before that elevating the bed has positive effects. And there is a certain amount of common sense to it, more blood flowing to the brain etc. From your article:
We tested our theory by having about 100 volunteer migraineurs sleep with the heads of their beds elevated, from 10-30 degrees. Head elevation, we theorized, would improve the brain circulation by providing some gravity assistance to drainage. Interestingly, we found that Space Medicine researchers discovered that brain circulation (and heart pumping) is optimal at a 30-degree head of bed elevation.

To our amazement, we found that the majority of the migraineurs in our study experienced relief by this simple sleep position change! Many had no new migraines, after being migraine sufferers for 30 or more years! The results were very fast, within a few days. And there were very interesting side effects, too. Our volunteers woke up more alert. Morning sinus congestion was significantly reduced for most people. Some reported that they no longer had certain allergies. Could we have discovered the real purpose and cause of migraines?
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Keit said:
I had a thought that maybe it is somehow related to a brain fluid or blood circulation. If what we eat before going to sleep may affect the content of our dreams, it is probable that lack of oxygen or some blockage in circulation also may cause us to have weird dreams or nightmares. The brain translates this physical info into dream symbolism.
Click to expand...
Thanks Keit for linking it up with sleep apnea.
I can say that it some occasions, sleeping on the back made me uneasy breathing (not everytime though) and that's probably what startles me back to an awaken state because it is really disturbing.

There must be a link with how our physiology reacts when sleeping on the back but maybe there is something more as well.

I checked OBE methods and it seems that the favorite position to start one would "lying comfortably on your back" and bring yourself to some catatonic, deep relaxation state which could be associated to sleep as well.

The Guy from Astral dynamics / Robert Bruce says the contrary though, that sitting is the best way because there is less temptation to fall asleep.

So bringing yourself unconsciously to these apnea states could be the trigger for "weird" things to happen.
Just an idea of course.
 
we seem to have shifted from direction to sleeping position
FWIW,in Chinese medicine it is recomended to sleep on your left side so the "full" liver does not get squashed by the other organs but lies on top,your liver is more full at night because it "stores " the blood
my dream recall is pretty good no matter what direction,but I have noticed I feel more tired if I fall asleep or just lay on the couch with my head pointing south
trhose of you that have kids ,who because of their size can turn in their beds,see if
they try to take a diferent direction than the bed is facing .Some of my kids were real rotators,lol
RRR
 
In Western medicine it is recommended to sleep on the right hand side, if one has to choose, so that the heart doesn't get strained from the pressure of the lungs.
As for the liver getting squashed by other organs, when lying on the right hand side, one could reduce the pressure by not eating just before bedtime, since the main thing in that part of the body is the top of the intestines and the ventricle.
 
On at least two medical advice web sites (names of which I do not recall) I read that sleeping on the left side lowered one's blood pressure and was less likely to cause acid reflux. This appears to be true for me, and I have always found that sleeping with my head and shoulders elevated makes it easier for me to breathe and keeps head, sinuses, nose etc. all feeling open.
shellycheval
 
Re: Sleeping position

I sleep sideways with a pillow between my legs for nice support... :D
 
Re: Sleeping position

I usually need to me laying on my stomach to fall asleep. sounds strange but if I wake up on my back I have had a great nights sleep. I also need to rock alittle or shake my foot. ;)
 
Re: Sleeping position

There is also a discussion about sleep direction at the link below. :)

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,7949.msg56785.html#msg56785
 
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