Diagonal sleeping is a sleep position that helps alleviate back pain, align the spine, and relieve acid reflux. Most people experience back pain at some point in their lives.
For those of us with a desk job, it’s even more common. This can be excruciating if you suffer from chronic pain conditions like chronic lower back or joint pains.
What Is Diagonal Sleeping?
Diagonal sleeping is a type of sleep. In normal sleeping, one sleeps on the back of their side, and there is a view in front of the nose, which might be from the ceiling or a window.
In diagonal sleepers, one slants at a 45-degree angle to the bed with their head pointing to the nearest corner.
Why Do I Sleep Diagonally?
I am a diagonal sleeper. I sleep diagonally because I have back pain. I use two pillows while diagonally sleeping.
One lies underneath my neck and head, while the other is placed under my knees to reduce the pain caused by the pressure of my knees on my chest while lying on my side. This method seems to be working for me so far.
4 Advantages of Diagonal Sleeping
1) Helps Lower Blood Pressure:
Helps lower blood pressure as medic studies have shown that lying in an upright position can lessen blood pressure. A study by Dr. Hay et al. (2007) showed that sleeping at an angle of 45 to the mattress can lower blood pressure by 30% compared to people sleeping in a flat position.
2) Determines That The Spine Is Aligned:
The body needs to be in a certain position for sleep, and this is achieved by horizontal sleeping or diagonal sleepers who use their head or upper arm as a pillow.
3) Reduces Acid Reflux During Sleep Or Reduces Snoring:
When lying in a flat position, the contents of one’s stomach and esophagus aren’t properly aligned to keep the reflux under control. This sometimes leads to acid reflux, also called heartburn.
4) Relieves Back Pain Caused By Sleeping On Your Side Or Back:
The increasing curve of the spine when sleeping on your side causes the spine to be subjected to more pressure than it can handle. This can cause back pain and headache.
In diagonal sleepers, the spine’s curve is reduced, giving the body more space to relax and reducing pressure on the spine, and over time, you might find that your back pain decreases.
4 Disadvantages of Diagonal Sleeping
1) More Prone To Snoring:
When you lie in a diagonal position, it’s easier for your throat to collapse during sleep, thus allowing for louder snoring. This can be taxing on those around you at night who might hear the noise.
2) The Risk Of Developing Injuries From A Fall:
Because you need to sleep in an angled position, you are more prone to falling off the sides of the bed if you are lying on your back.
3) It’s Harder For The Arms To Move Freely During Sleep:
Most people find it hard to move their arms when they sleep, so diagonal sleeping can be harder when one needs to get up early or go to the bathroom at night.
4) Not The Best Choice For Pregnant Women:
Because it’s not good for the mother and child during pregnancy, you should seek help from your doctor before you consider diagonal sleeping.
Benefits Of Diagonal Sleepers
1) Alleviates pain:
Diagonal sleepers can move a lot more freely during sleep than those who are horizontal or on their side. Because of this, they often sleep through their pain quite easily.
During a study, Dr. Hay et al. (2007) found that people who slept in an angled position had less back pain during sleep and that this was the primary reason they continued to use the method.
2) Lowers Blood Pressure:
When you sleep on your side or back, you’re not lying in a relaxed position. This causes your body to tense up, increasing blood pressure, raising the heart rate, causing acid reflux, and causing snoring.
3) Slants The Body To Align The Spine:
Slanting at an angle, the body becomes more comfortable. The spine is no longer flat, and so when it’s lying in a diagonal position, the muscles in our back stretch out, and we feel relaxed.
4) Helps Prevent Snoring:
The slanting allows you to breathe more freely through your nose while sleeping and will therefore stop you from snoring as much.
5) Reduces stress:
When you’re more comfortable during sleep, you have a lower chance of stress, which can cause all sorts of health problems and make it harder to relax.
How To Stop Sleeping Diagonally?
You’ve switched to a healthier lifestyle and have managed to stop sleeping diagonally so that you can fully enjoy life!
That’s great, but it could come back until you figure out what has been causing the pain. So make sure that you keep a close eye on your health and keep up with all the new routines!
Methods:
1) Yoga:
Yoga increases flexibility and reduces stress. It would help if you tried to do yoga every day, at least 5-10 minutes a day. You can also try postures that increase the flexibility of your spines, such as cobra, cat, or tree.
2) Pelvic Tilting:
When you sleep diagonally, your spine is tilted at an angle. To get it back to normal and avoid pain, you should tilt your pelvis up slightly to lie on the right side of your body and pull your knee towards your chest. You can do this by placing a book under your knees. It would be best to do this two or three times a day.
3) Strengthening Muscles:
One of the reasons you may have started sleeping diagonally was to help with your back pain, and if there is no other cause than just that, then strengthening the back muscles will reduce pain on its own.
It would help strengthen all abdominal muscles (as in crunches) and gluteal and back muscles (such as leg lifts) to strengthen the back muscles.
4) Sleeping With A Pillow Under Your Knees:
Believe it or not, this is the easiest way to stop sleeping diagonally. Place a pillow under your knees every night before you sleep and make sure that it doesn’t move. This will help your spine stay straight while you sleep and give you more support.
5) Building Core Muscles:
Sleeping with a weak core can strain some of the back muscles since they support the lower parts of the body during sleep.
Is Sleeping Diagonally Bad?
In most cases, sleeping diagonally is not at all bad. As long as you do it in moderation, it won’t cause any health problems. Diagonal sleepers can also achieve total relaxation during sleep and wake up with a full-body feeling.
However, diagonal sleepers should take great care that they don’t fall off the side of the bed. This could result in injuries that can take a long time to heal.
People who are transitioning to their side should think about the movements mentioned above before trying to switch.
How Do I Feel When I Sleep Diagonally?
As this method is new to you, you may not know how you feel when you sleep diagonally. But don’t worry, this will soon become second nature, and you will soon be able to tell whether or not your body is comfortable or not in a matter of 5 minutes or less.
Conclusion
Diagonal sleeping might seem odd to some, but it’s perfectly fine and will not cause any problems for you if done properly.
For example, try not to sleep in a diagonal position every night of the week, as this might cause you to develop problems with your neck. Instead, allow yourself a stable position each night, and then on the others, use your diagonal method. This will help your body stay healthy and keep you feeling good.
Diagonal sleeping is great for back problems, but there are also some dangers associated with it that need to be considered first.
