Inclined Bed Therapy: Tilt your bed for many health benefits.

[JGeropoulas]

I'd heard of raising the headboard end of a bed eliminated gastric reflux (GERD) but never knew this had many other benefits attributed to redirecting gravitational forces on the body while sleeping.

Inclined Bed Therapy: Tilt your bed for healthful sleep

Inclined Bed Therapy or IBT is the brain child of Andrew Fletcher, who discovered in the 1990's that gravity actually helps to drive circulation of the sap in trees. From there, it was a short step to ask whether this was also true for animals and humans. This posed the question "why on Earth do people sleep flat?"

Sleeping on a slightly inclined surface has been found to have positive effects on health and circulation, helping with many medical conditions including: Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Spinal cord injury, Ruptured vertebra, Varicose veins, CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency), Psoriasis, Arthritis, Insomnia, Sleep related problems, Osteoporosis, Sleep apnea, Nocturia, Circulatory problems, Cerebral palsy, Age related problems, Bed wetting, Poor immune system, Leg ulcer, Edema, Muscular atrophy, Respiratory problems, Hiatus hernia, Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, Deep vein thrombosis, Blood clots, Digestive problems and more. So Andrew suggests that people slightly raise the head end of their bed and see if any changes in their health are noticeable.

Inclined Bed Therapy: Tilt your bed for healthful sleep - Health Supreme

www.newmediaexplorer.org

Other such stories can be found on the Inclined Bed Therapy website here:

Home - Inclined Bed Therapy IBT - Restore & Support Your Health

Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture, by Andre

inclinedbedtherapy.com

 

[nature]

There was an article on sott about that, with a link to this website.

The bizarre social history of beds

Groucho Marx once joked, "Anything that can't be done in bed isn't worth doing at all." You might think he was referring to sleeping and sex. But humans, at one time or another, have done just about everything in bed. And yet, despite the fact...

www.sott.net

I'm currently trying to find materials (a good saw, etc) to make my own bed. Very curious to try it.

 

[wodasi]

i have been sleeping that way for a long time ..
( but i have congestive heart issues/excessive fluids ) sigh

 

[nature]

You have congestive heart issue before you began inclined bed? I wish you recovering as much as possible

 

[Chad]

I came across similar information about the incline of your bed recently too, so i put two 8cm(ish) pieces of wood at the head of the bed and have been sleeping that way for about a month or 2. I think i read that a 15cm (6 inches?) incline is ideal and so i've been meaning to add some more wood to see how that goes. Added: The suggestion is to work your way up to the maximum incline, which was why i started off low.

I can't say i've noticed any difference in my sleep, but then i have sleep issues (late sleep onset) so perhaps it's just me or that it'll take time? I haven't noticed anything negative either so i'll continue with, what is a relatively easy, experiment! Once i increase the incline and monitor any changes, i'll update here.

There also seems to be quite a bit of research at the moment about the brain cleansing activity that goes on whilst we sleep: Waves of fluid bathe the sleeping brain, perhaps to clear waste -- Sott.net

The article i read when i searched online a while back (also linked by Nature above) was by Dave Asprey, the Bulletproof coffee guy, i thought it was interesting:

Inclined Bed Therapy: Sleep on an Incline for A Better Night’s Sleep

Your whole body runs better after a good night’s sleep: you’re mentally quicker, your memory improves, you burn more fat, and your cells become better at making energy.

www.bulletproof.com

Inclined Bed Therapy: Sleep on an Incline for A Better Night’s Sleep



Deep sleep is an essential part of high performance. Your whole body runs better after a good night’s sleep: you’re mentally quicker, your memory improves, you burn more fat, and your cells become better at making energy. And with 80 percent of people facing at least occasional insomnia,[1] learning to hack your sleep has never been more valuable.

And now there’s a cool new sleep hack to add to your biohacking toolbox: inclined bed therapy. All you have to do is raise the top of your bed frame by a few inches. It’s simple, it’s free, and you can try it tonight.

Sleeping on an incline is a revolutionary sleep hack that I wrote about in my new book “Game Changers” — have you ordered your copy yet?

My kids and I have been doing this hack at home for a while now. Here’s why this hack will help you sleep better, and how you can do it at home.

Why an inclined bed helps you sleep better
As I explain in “Game Changers,” sleep psychologist, entrepreneur and author Dr. Günther W. Amann-Jennson noted that both wild animals and domestic livestock like to sleep on the ground with their heads slightly uphill. This observation led him to study the effects of gravity on sleep.

When you sleep, cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds and runs through your brain) works with special brain cells called glia to flush out debris that has built up in your brain during the day — basically, it’s spring cleaning for your brain. The process is called glymphatic drainage, and it’s one of the most important aspects of sleep.[2]

Inclined sleeping helps improve glymphatic drainage. Lying horizontally for 7-8 hours a night distributes cerebrospinal fluid more or less evenly across your brain, because you’re perfectly flat. That even distribution of fluid increases intracranial pressure (pressure inside your skull), decreasing your brain’s ability to clear cellular waste and recover while you sleep. Raising your bed height a few inches tips gravity in your favor, restoring your body’s natural orientation and promoting glymphatic drainage.

In addition to causing the brain to swell, sleeping horizontally also puts sustained pressure on the eyes, ears, face, sinuses, and even the gums. The entire head becomes overburdened due to the increased pressure in our skull.

Researchers in the field of space medicine have seen these effects firsthand. When astronauts are in space, they experience excess fluids in the brain, causing symptoms like migraines, glaucoma, Meniere’s disease, among others.

Medical anthropologist Dr. Sydney Ross Singer has tested the effects of inclined sleeping on people with migraines. One hundred patients slept with their heads elevated by 10% to 30%. The majority of them felt an improvement in their symptoms within just a few nights, and many experienced additional benefits, such as feeling better rested and having less sinus congestion.[3]

According to Gunther, inclined sleeping not only helps migraines, it can lower blood pressure, reduce water retention, improve varicose veins, and may even have the ability to help prevent Alzheimer’s, as some researchers believe the disease is due in part to excessive pressure in the head. It’s an intriguing theory, and an area of research that deserves more study.
People who try inclined sleep report:

• Deeper sleep
• Fewer headaches and migraines
• Improvements in memory
• Better cognition
• Faster mental turnover

There’s also good research on elevating the head of your bed to ease acid reflux.[4] Lying horizontally allows stomach acid to creep up your esophagus at night; keeping your head elevated prevents it from rising.

Sleep incline therapy works for me. I’ve been sleeping on an incline for years, and my sleep trackers have shown just how much better and deeper my sleep is because of it. I’ve seen a huge difference in my quality of sleep. And considering how simple it is to try, you don’t really have anything to lose.

Here’s exactly how to elevate your bed.



Inclined bed therapy: How to sleep on an incline for better sleep

To practice inclined bed therapy, you want to elevate the head of your bed between six and nine inches so that your head is 10% to 30% elevated. It may feel strange at first, and you want to be comfortable enough to get a good night’s sleep, so start with a six-inch rise and work your way up from there.

You can get six-inch bed risers like these for about $15 online or at your local hardware store. Traditionally they’re for all four bed posts; in this case you would just use them on the two bed posts near your head. Memory foam is another good option because it won’t slip and it will adjust to the perfect angle to support your bed posts. You can also use books, bricks, or wood pieces. Just be sure they’re secure.
If you’re new to Bulletproof and want to sleep deeper, start with the Bulletproof guide to sleep hacking. It has well-tested hacks to improve your sleep. If you’re already doing all them, this inclined bed biohack just might help you sleep even better. Give it a try and see how you feel.


References
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM...
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM...
[3] http://www.academia.edu/10739979/Rest_in_Pea...
[4] [A Systematic Review of the Literature Related to Elevating the Head of the Bed for Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Applications in ... - PubMed - NCBI

[A Systematic Review of the Literature Related to Elevating the Head of the Bed for Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Applications in ... - PubMed - NCBI

 

[JGeropoulas]

There was an article on sott about that, with a link to this website.

The bizarre social history of beds

Groucho Marx once joked, "Anything that can't be done in bed isn't worth doing at all." You might think he was referring to sleeping and sex. But humans, at one time or another, have done just about everything in bed. And yet, despite the fact...

www.sott.net

I'm currently trying to find materials (a good saw, etc) to make my own bed. Very curious to try it.

The easiest solution may be to simply put an unopened tin can under the legs at the head of the bed

 

[Chu]

Interesting... I think I may improvise something and give it a try.

 

[monotonic]

I have been doing it for several months and it does help to wake up feeling rested.

It's a bit more difficult if your bed is on rollers. I used old phone books and parts catalogs.

 

[Meanderthal]

I started using a brick height when I first read the article on sott a few months ago and noticed that I was awakening more easily around 6-7am. When I raised it to 2 then 3 bricks height after initially being perturbed whether I'd hold my head and body positions after a few days it normalised. As from memory the article suggested that less pressure on the brain and more utility in the lower body processes during sleep I feel it may have lent a helping hand in staving off any occasional signs of constipation. I did posit whether a little more swelling in the lower legs was occurring but after a few weeks that went and now see this as more of a filling out and a better muscle form in the lower legs. I like it though impossible to get my folks marginally interested, as usual. Maybe its helped with less waking during the middle of the night too.

 

[Yupo]

I was using 3" furniture risers under my bed legs to give more space under my bed for many years. I like to store stuff in the space. When I read about this concept some time ago, I removed the risers from the foot area. A few months later I stacked the extra risers under the head area for a 6" lift. Been like this for maybe 3 years. Don't know if it makes a difference or not. I generally sleep very well anyway.

 

[Courageous Inmate Sort]

I can't say i've noticed any difference in my sleep, but then i have sleep issues (late sleep onset) so perhaps it's just me or that it'll take time? I haven't noticed anything negative either so i'll continue with, what is a relatively easy, experiment! Once i increase the incline and monitor any changes, i'll update here.

FWIW, same here. I raised the head of the bed by about 10cm for a few months and didn't notice much difference apart from a weird feeling because of the inclination, which mostly goes away with time. I have lots of trouble regulating sleep, so that might be a factor.

The easiest solution may be to simply put an unopened tin can under the legs at the head of the bed

I used empty tobacco cans that I had laying around, upside down so the plastic lid goes on the floor and the metal bottom supports the bed's wooden leg. Not the most sturdy but sufficient for testing purposes and no unwanted scratches.

 

[Voyageur]

@ itellsya said:
I can't say i've noticed any difference in my sleep, but then i have sleep issues (late sleep onset) so perhaps it's just me or that it'll take time? I haven't noticed anything negative either so i'll continue with, what is a relatively easy, experiment! Once i increase the incline and monitor any changes, i'll update here.

FWIW, same here. I raised the head of the bed by about 10cm for a few months and didn't notice much difference apart from a weird feeling because of the inclination, which mostly goes away with time. I have lots of trouble regulating sleep, so that might be a factor.

Was surprised to read this in a funny sort of way, as it was just yesterday morning when my partner and I were pondering why it is our winter duvet and quilt keep sliding down - like our bed had some sort of an incline. Now I have to tell her, honey, it might get worse once some real incline is added.

Very interesting, thanks for posting this - will see how it works.

 

[monotonic]

I used cans and they were crushed, and I'm not even a heavy guy. Maybe it's not so bad if your bed is not on rollers. I suggest using something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Home-Adjus...1_2?keywords=bed+stands&qid=1574927656&sr=8-2

 

[Courageous Inmate Sort]

Was surprised to read this in a funny sort of way, as it was just yesterday morning when my partner and I were pondering why it is our winter duvet and quilt keep sliding down - like our bed had some sort of an incline. Now I have to tell her, honey, it might get worse once some real incline is added.

Oh, you're going to love the inclination + slippery sheets experience...

 

[hiker]

The suggestion is to work your way up to the maximum incline, which was why i started off low.

I also began low and slow. Initially I had two pieces of 2x4 timber, and began with raising the head of the bed first by 2 inches, then after a while moved to 4 inches and finally 6 inches.The benefits appear to begin in earnest when the bed is at a 5-degree incline, according to the host of the Inclined bed therapy -website, Andrew Fletcher:

Spinal Cord Injury. The Importance Of Gravity In Nerve Regeneration

I have been working with an angle of no less then five degrees to the horizontal, which I arrived at by observing the circulation of fluids within a loop of water filled tubing which I placed across the whole length of the bed. It was found that when coloured saline solution was injected at the top or head end of the loop at this angle or more, it generated a circulation, which occurred in the whole loop of tubing. Any lower and no overall circulation occurred, Just a two tear flow in one side of the tube, which was undesirable.
quote

The 5 degree angle could a bit tricky, as some beds are longer and the legs of the bed can be further apart or closer together.
Andrew recommends using an "Inclinometer" -app on your phone to measure the degree, by placing the phone on the upper horizontal frame of the bed:

How can I check the angle of my bed frame for inclined bed therapy?

As an example, my bed here at home has to actually have more than 6 inch (15,24cm) elevationunder the front legs of the bed (17cm) to reach 5 degrees, whereas at my childhood home (which I visit often) the bed requires only 12 cm.

I found these inclinometers to be quite good (they show the degree with decimals):

www.jrsoftworx.com/
Clinometer - Free Android app | AppBrain

However, the 5 degree angle is not "set in stone":

How can I check the angle of my bed frame for inclined bed therapy?

The range that IBT works well with is around 5 degrees, though this is an approximation / round up.

Your body however will tell you when you find the right angle for you. The higher the angle the more shear forces we introduce to our skin and the more we decompress the spine.

The trade off for a more acute angle is less comfort and increased chance of sliding down the bed.

The Egyptian beds were raised 6 inches / 15 cm higher at the head end. Guess they knew a thing or two about sleeping and circulation.

Pretty amazing thing is, how IBT appears to help spinal cord injury recovery and aid nerve cell regeneration. There are people who have had spinal cord injuries for decades without any notable improvements, but once they have started to sleep inclined, they have gained (some) function/ feeling in their limbs and control of their bladder/ bowels. It appears that the nerve cells are able to regenerate against gravity, and if you sleep horizontally, no major improvements are achieved, even though you do various physiotherapies during the day. The effect of gravity would be needed to be present for 24/7 to achieve that.

Spinal Cord Injury. The Importance Of Gravity In Nerve Regeneration
Based on the nerve regeneration in fish and frog, which took around four months, a newly injured spinal cord should significantly improve within the same time-scale. However if the SCI has been damaged for several years the progress will inevitably be much slower. This appears to be the same for multiple sclerosis, based on my pilot study results.
The fact of the matter is that this simple intervention has been shown to reverse a substantial amount of neurological damage in complete spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis.

It is indeed interesting to note, how inclined bed therapy was known to Egyptians during the pyramid building times. There is also a painting depicting a hospital in Constantinople (from the middle ages?), where inclined beds can be seen. Maybe it was common knowledge to the ancients, but has been forgotten since then for some reason (probably the knowledge was deliberately suppressed).