AS if there were not already enough things us humans need to be mindful of when it comes to maintaining our health, now we also need to worry about our sleeping positions.
Dr Deborah Lee, a health specialist and sleep expert at Dr Fox Online Pharmacy in the UK, has declared the 'T-Rex position' - as it has now been dubbed on social media - as the worst position in which to fall asleep.
The term describes sleeping on your side with bent arms curled close to your chest, which according to Dr Lee, makes it more likely to experience of night-time paraesthesias - a tingling or prickling sensation due to blood circulation being cut off, with the risk of lasting nerve damage.
"We should also sleep without putting undue pressure on our joints and muscles," she said, revealing that laying on your side or back is preferable to sleeping on your front, which can inhibit breathing and cause irregular curvature of the spine.
"Your sleeping position can also affect medical conditions such as acid reflux/indigestion, sleep apnoea and pain."
T-Rex sleepers can do their bodies a favour by making slight adjustments to their position - either putting their arms down by the sides (this becomes the 'pencil' position) or by curling the knees up towards the chest (the 'foetal' position).
Dr Lee said side sleepers can also place a small pillow between their knees to maintain proper hip and spine alignment.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 16 Dec 25
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