🔋The Best Sleep Position for Your Brain (ATP#21)

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Now, onto today’s newsletter!

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I’m obsessed with sleep. Not only because I occasionally suffer from insomnia (and feel the consequences immediately), but also because neuroscience shows how essential sleep is. I wrote more about this in a previous issue of this newsletter.

In today’s issue, we’ll explore the most beneficial sleep position for your brain according to science.

What’s your preferred sleep position?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always been a side sleeper. It’s the most comfortable position for me, regardless of whether it’s on the right or left side.

Other people prefer a supine (lying on your back) or prone (lying on your stomach) sleeping position.

It’s normal to change positions during the night, but most people tend to spend more time in one position. While sleeping, we don’t know in which position we spend most of the night anyway. If you want certainty, you’ll need a sleep study or someone willing to observe you while you’re asleep.

What science says about sleep position

As I wrote in a previous edition of this newsletter, your brain cleans itself while you sleep. There’s a system called the glymphatic system, which helps clear your brain of toxic proteins and other waste products overnight. One position seems to support this system best: side sleeping.

A key study tested three sleep positions: supine, prone, and right lateral. The results suggested that the glymphatic system functioned most effectively in the right lateral position. This study was conducted in mice because the function of the glymphatic system cannot be directly tested in sleeping humans. The left lateral position wasn’t investigated.

Still, research in humans suggests a relationship between cognitive function and sleep position: sleeping in a supine position is associated with cognitive impairment and an increased risk of dementia. However, it’s unclear so far whether there’s any causal link.

While side sleeping may help the glymphatic system clear waste, back sleeping could increase the risk of toxin buildup and neurodegeneration.

Wrapping up: Which sleep position is best?

Although the science is still inconclusive and human studies are limited, side sleeping is generally recommended because it seems to best support the glymphatic system. And right-sided sleeping could have even greater benefits than lying on your left side.

So if you’re not a side sleeper yet, it may be worth training yourself to sleep on your side more. Your brain could benefit.

That’s it for today!

And now?

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Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com.

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