Ashwin Lewis
Sleeping in an elevated position, also known as inclined bed therapy, involves raising a person's head above their feet when lying down. This can be achieved by tilting the entire bed frame or creating an incline on the head side of the mattress. Sleeping in an elevated position has been shown to improve sleep quality, with some studies indicating that participants fell asleep faster, woke up less often, felt more rested, and experienced better sleep quality. Additionally, sleeping elevated can help curb snoring, improve circulation, ease symptoms of conditions like acid reflux, sleep apnea, and COPD, and promote better breathing.
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What You'll Learn
Improved breathing and reduced snoring
Sleeping with your head elevated can help curb snoring and promote better breathing. This sleeping posture helps take the pressure off your airway, making it easier to breathe. Elevating your head while sleeping can also help manage or prevent blocked noses and sinuses caused by colds or allergic reactions.
Doctors often recommend sleeping with your head elevated to help with snoring and heartburn. This technique has a medical term: inclined bed therapy. Sleeping in an elevated position can be beneficial for people with acid reflux, sleep apnea, and other health conditions. Sleep apnea occurs when fat restricts airflow to the lungs at night, and sleeping with your head elevated can help prevent this.
Gravity is a crucial factor in the benefits of sleeping with your head elevated. When the upper body is elevated, gravity pulls the stomach contents down, helping to manage symptoms that usually worsen when lying flat. For example, gravity helps to keep stomach acid down where it belongs, preventing it from travelling up into the oesophagus and reducing acid reflux. Similarly, gravity helps to keep the upper airway open wider, preventing throat muscles from collapsing and reducing snoring.
Research supports the benefits of sleeping with your head elevated. One study found that participants fell asleep faster, woke up less often, felt more rested in the morning, and experienced better sleep quality when sleeping in an inclined position compared to a flat position. Another study found that a 12-degree incline was sufficient to elevate the head while still being comfortable for sleep. Furthermore, a 2020 study found that a 7.5-degree incline helped reduce snoring, shallow breathing, and improve sleep efficiency in people who snored regularly.
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Reduced acid reflux and heartburn
Sleeping with your head elevated can help with acid reflux and heartburn. When lying flat, food and acid can travel up into the oesophagus, causing acid reflux and heartburn. Elevating your upper body uses gravity to prevent this from happening. It also helps to keep the upper airway open wider, which can be beneficial for people with sleep apnea.
Acid reflux and heartburn are common at night. When we lie down to sleep, gravity is no longer keeping stomach acid down where it belongs. By sleeping with your head elevated, you can harness gravity to work in your favour, keeping stomach acid from travelling up into your oesophagus. This can also help to prevent a nighttime cough caused by acid reflux.
Inclined bed therapy involves raising a person's head above their feet when lying down. This can be achieved using special beds, mattresses, bed risers, or pillows. A 2020 study found that tilting people 7.5 degrees in bed reduced the severity of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea by 31.8% on average. Another study found that a 12-degree incline was sufficient to elevate the head while still being comfortable for sleep.
Sleeping with your head elevated can also improve fluid drainage, especially around your sinuses and nasal passages. When lying flat, congestion in these areas can get worse, leading to a stuffy nose. By sleeping with your head raised, gravity helps to draw fluids down and away from your nasal area, improving drainage and reducing congestion.
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Improved lung function and oxygen saturation
Sleeping with your head elevated can improve lung function and oxygen saturation. This is because when the upper body is raised, gravity helps with the circulation and drainage of the body's fluids, such as blood, lymph, water, mucus, etc. This prevents fluid buildup, relieves pressure from the tissues, and minimizes swelling. As a result, the body can heal faster, and the lungs can function better.
Elevated sleeping is particularly beneficial for people with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA occurs when fat restricts airflow to the lungs at night, causing the person to stop breathing during sleep. By tilting the bed by 7.5 degrees, OSA severity can be reduced by 31.8% on average. This incline level also helps reduce shallow breathing and improve sleep efficiency.
Additionally, sleeping with an elevated head position can help with snoring and mild sleep apnea caused by collapsed throat muscles. When the head is raised, gravity prevents the relaxed tissues in the throat from sliding back and blocking the airway. This reduces vibrations in the throat, which can alleviate snoring. Furthermore, sleeping with an elevated head position can improve blood flow to the heart and enhance the efficiency of the circulatory system.
The ideal angle for sleeping with an elevated head position is mild, with a 12-degree incline being comfortable and effective for most people. Sleeping at a 20-degree angle has been shown to reduce snoring in 67% of participants, while angles of 30–45 degrees have been found to significantly improve lung function and oxygen saturation. However, it is important to consult a doctor before adopting new sleeping postures, especially if you have existing medical conditions.
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Improved sleep quality
Sleeping with your head elevated can improve sleep quality by reducing snoring and mild sleep apnea. This is because gravity prevents relaxed throat tissues from blocking your airway and helps with the circulation and drainage of fluids in your body. This can also help with acid reflux, as food and acid are pulled down by gravity, making it harder for them to travel up into the oesophagus.
Elevated sleeping can also improve lung function and oxygen saturation, as well as reduce shallow breathing. This can be especially beneficial for people with health conditions such as acid reflux, sleep apnea, and other respiratory issues. Additionally, sleeping with your head raised can improve blood pressure by increasing the stroke volume of the heart.
For people who experience shortness of breath while lying down flat, elevating the head of the bed can help improve breathing and reduce the chances of being awakened by difficulty breathing. This can be beneficial for people with heart issues, as well as those experiencing sinus congestion due to a cold, allergies, or humid weather.
Sleeping in a recliner or with an elevated upper body may also be more comfortable for people recovering from certain surgeries, such as shoulder surgery, as it can be painful to lie flat or roll over onto the side. However, it's important to consult a doctor or physical therapist before making any significant changes to your sleeping posture, especially if you have existing health conditions.
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Easier recovery from workouts
Sleep is essential for recovery from workouts. It gives your body time to recover, conserve energy, and repair and build up the muscles worked during exercise. During sleep, the body produces growth hormones that help repair muscle tissues damaged during exercise. The longer the period of sleep, the more time there is for muscle tissues to regenerate and grow.
Sleep also helps to consolidate our long- and short-term memories, boosts our immune system, and releases hormones for bone and muscle restoration. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.
Exercising too late in the day can interfere with how well some people rest at night. This is because exercise elevates body temperature, and cooling the body down becomes increasingly difficult when you are inadequately hydrated. Some level of dehydration is likely following long endurance events, and dehydration also leads to an elevated heart rate, even hours after your workout.
However, exercise can also help you sleep better. Moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow-wave sleep you get and can help you fall asleep more quickly. It also raises your core body temperature, which signals to your body clock that it is time to be awake, helping to maintain your body's internal clock.
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