Research shows that visual health can be harmed by sleeping position. Photo: composition/La Razón/distribution
Sleeping on your stomach is a pretty comfortable habit and it may seem harmless to our health, but the truth is that this activity, if it happens quite often in our sleep patterns, has a big negative impact on our vision. Various experts and medical studies agree that this resting position has a significant impact on our visual health. During the 2016 Congress of the American Society for Cataract and Retraction Surgery, Dr. Alevi presented a study showing that such sleep causes the popular dry eye syndrome.
Why is sleeping on the stomach dangerous for vision?
Those patients who slept on their right or left side had more symptoms of dry eyes and diseases of the meibomian glands, the sebaceous glands that synthesize and secrete lipids and proteins that are distributed along the edges of the eyelids, than those who rested on their back.
On the other hand, a recent Korean study of sleep in people with glaucoma, a progressive disease that causes vision loss, found that sleeping with the head elevated and the pillow positioned at a 20° and 30° reduces eye pressure compared to another group of glaucoma patients who rested without a pillow.
Research is shedding light on the strong link between eye health and sleep position. Photo: diffusion
Another important factor affecting the health of vision is the position of the body and head. Those patients with and without glaucoma who prefer to sleep upside down will see an increase in intraocular pressure of an average of 3 mmHg, with the highest readings recorded in this position.
Other health problems caused by sleeping on your stomach
problems with the cervix
The neck and cervical region are the two areas most affected by poor posture during sleep, as they are forced to stay in an unnatural position for hours.
Improving your sleeping position will take care of your neck and back. Photo: How to live.
Forced posture for the spine
This is related to the previous point. When the spine and neck are out of alignment, tension is caused by the weight of the body and can have long-term effects in areas of pressure and support in the body.
The spine of this back is curved. Photo: diffusion
Labored breathing
When we sleep on our stomach, because we often bury our face in the pillow, we tend to find it difficult to breathe due to overexertion. This problem, although not very serious, can be harmful for those who have recurring nightmares, who suffer from anxiety, or some kind of respiratory illness.