Rehabilitation and mechanical therapy specialist, Dr. Vladimir Bondarenko, has revealed the two most dangerous sleeping positions for humans. In an interview with Sputnik Radio, Bondarenko stated, "The body recovers only during sleep; if the sleeping position is incorrect, the person won't feel comfortable even after sleeping," noting the harms of sleeping in front of the television. He explained, "The head can be elevated, and the back can be curved on the couch or bed if there is a large pillow behind. This position disrupts blood supply and breathing, causing the person to feel chest (spine) pain upon waking from this position, along with tension in the neck area. They may also experience lower back pain due to the lack of relaxation in the spine's curves during sleep."
According to him, the second harmful position for the body is sleeping with the head tilted backward. He stated, "A person may use an 'unstable' pillow, and after falling asleep, their head tilts back. In this position, they begin to snore, and their breathing through the nose and throat becomes disturbed. Practically, it's impossible to restore the respiratory and cardiovascular systems while sleeping in this position. Of course, the heart continues to work at a normal rhythm, even though, during sleep, the rate should drop from 70-78 to 50-60 beats per minute. This means it operates as when awake, or even more actively."
He mentioned that it is beneficial to sleep on one side with the knees slightly bent, emphasizing the need to change positions from time to time. He added, "A person breathes during sleep through the diaphragm (abdominal breathing), which allows the upper part of the lungs to rest, and we breathe through the stomach. This process enables bowel movement, stimulates the gallbladder, liver, and spleen, and generally activates the digestive system. We can achieve this by lying on a low pillow, on one side, with the knees slightly bent. Sleeping on the back is also normal. It's also typical for a person to turn over more than ten times during sleep."
According to him, continually sleeping in the wrong position leads to chronic pain and various musculoskeletal disorders.
