Ahh yes, the process of aging – shiny gray hair, wrinkles around eyes, neck and back pain. With the “arrival” of many new problems as we get older, we will have more difficulty and inconveniences when we sleep at night.
This, surprisingly, affect our sleep position! How is that possible?
The study
Human sleep has been studied extensively over the last 40 years. We found a study about how physiological changes to your body as your age could impact how you sleep.
It is found that children move much more frequently than adults during sleep and therefore are likely to change their sleep position more often due to their high level of energy.
They also found that poor sleepers not only woke up more frequently during the night but also changed positions more often (an average of 35 times per night) regardless of their age. Nevertheless, age plays an important role in how good your sleep is.
Reference:
De Koninck, J., Lorrain, D., & Gagnon, P. (1992). Sleep positions and position shifts in five age groups: an ontogenetic picture. Sleep, 15(2), 143-149.
Gordon, S., & Buettner, P. G. (2009). Age and lateral sleep position: a pilot study. Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 7(1), 13.
Other interesting findings
Children participants show the most interest in the back and side sleep position where the young adult prefers to sleep on their side at night.
The elder participants’ favorite sleep position is side. There is a near-complete disappearance of sleep on back position due to a lack of flexibility of their backbones and extra effort for breathing in this position.
How about you, Mimpi’s friend? Did this study relate to how you sleep?
What sleep position is the best for you?
-
If you have neck or back pain
If you experience this problem, sleep on your back could make it worse. The solution is to stack several pillows at an angle and lie back, so it distributes your weight evenly.
However, if you have lower back pain, sleep on your back is good for you. You can experiment with your pillows: put it on your feet or waist.
2. If you snore
Snoring can be both tiring and annoying and guess what? Sleep on your back could make it worse! Try to sleep on your side or stomach to reduce it.
The analysis of data in Gordon and Buettner’s study (2009) shows the participants aged 60 years and over prefer to sleep on their right side – it certainly correlates with how the majority of them are snorers.
3. If you have acid reflux or heartburn
Sleep on your right side is your worst enemy! To cool the burn of acid reflux, you can flip to your left side or on your back (with pillow-stacking).
Mimpi mattress and pillows can help you
No matter what sleep positions are you in, Mimpi products are designed to adapt dynamically and perfectly. We offer both amazing comfort and exceptional support for all sleeping positions: back, side, stomach. We believe that keeping your spine neutral is the key to getting a great night’s sleep.
Our latex mattresses have different firmness, so you can choose what suits you the best:
- Mimpi Ace: The most firm
- Mimpi Original: Medium-firm
- Mimpi Luxury: The least firm
All Mimpi mattresses offer the perfect level of firmness, sink, and bounce.
We also have four different types of latex pillows to choose:
- Mimpi Spagetti
- Mimpi Soap
- Mimpi Contour
- Mimpi Bolster
All of the pillows have a medium-firm feel and they each have their uniqueness thanks to specific designs.
Have a good night’s sleep, Mimpi’s friend!
