On average, human beings spend more than 1/3 of their lives in bed. Therefore, a good sleep is very important for human health, which is conducive to muscle relaxation and visceral blood circulation. Sleep is not only rest, but also about health; It is not only a realm, but also a science ... The so-called "Huashan Chu Shi, if you can see it, seek immortality before you sleep."
We generally divide sleeping positions into three types: supine, lateral and prone. The ancients summed it up with the phrase "Wolong Crouching Tiger Lying on His Back". The so-called "side dragon" means sleeping on your side. Speaking of dragons, we think of the supernatural sight of Long Zaitian flying in the air, calling for rain and flying scales. In fact, dragons also have dragons hidden in the depths, lying quietly, guarding themselves and ready to stand by. "Side dragon" means that when people sleep, they bend over and hover like dragons when they are lurking.
Sun Simiao, a doctor in the Tang Dynasty, admired lateral lying. He said in "A Thousand Daughters Must Be Determined": "Kneeling beside you is beneficial to human strength, so it is better to overcome vital qi and lie down." In vernacular Chinese, supine flexion is better than straight body. Many people adopt this sleeping position in their daily life. "Liver governs storing blood", which is equivalent to the "warehouse" of blood. Because the liver meridian is located on both sides of the human body, lying on the left side or the right side is conducive to nourishing liver qi and protecting the five internal organs. When lying on your side, blood can naturally converge to the liver meridian. As soon as the blood returns to the liver meridian, people can sleep quietly and start the function of hematopoiesis and detoxification for a day. When analyzing the pathogenic factors of human body, Chinese medicine often mentions a term called "blood does not return to the warehouse", and sleeping on the side can better solve this problem.
When lying on your side, bend your hips and knees, and your body is just half moon-shaped, which is what the ancients called "lying like a bow." This is in line with the classic teaching of the body posture and spiritual core of traditional practitioners in China, that is, "walk like the wind, stand like a pine, sit like a bell and lie like a bow". Further study, the body side is also pay attention to which direction. The ancients tended to lie on the right side, and even called this sleeping position "auspicious sleep", which was especially suitable for the elderly.
Modern medical research has also proved its scientific rationality, because from the empirical point of view of physiological anatomy, this sleeping method will make the heart position right, the liver right and the gastrointestinal opening right, which will help relieve the pressure on the heart. Especially for the fatter people, it is more suitable for sleeping on the side, which is very important for the heart, lungs and respiratory tract, the natural flow of air after sleep and the protection of the heart.
However, pay special attention to the height of the pillow when lying on your side. The advantage of lateral lying is that it can prevent waist and neck pain and reduce snoring of obese people, especially suitable for pregnant women. The disadvantage is that it is easy to grow wrinkles or cause sagging breasts. It is estimated that many young female friends don't like it.
"Crouching Tiger" means sleeping on your stomach like a tiger, that is, sleeping on your stomach. There is a word called Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The so-called "crouching tiger" means crouching tiger, hidden dragon. It is said that the tiger's bravery and strength have a lot to do with this sleeping position. Chinese medicine believes that the liver governs blood and the lung governs qi; Sleeping on your stomach like this can store lung qi and enhance lung function.
However, patients with cervical spondylosis or those with neck and back discomfort should not adopt this sleeping position. People who are prone to stomach problems will also put pressure on the muscles of the stomach. "If the stomach is not harmonious, it will be restless." In addition, sleeping on your stomach is likely to cause the sternocleidomastoid muscle, trapezius muscle and levator scapulae of the cervical spine to be in a state of high tension for a long time, leading to stiff neck; People with bad hearts should not lie down. But it has an immediate effect on people who are troubled by snoring.
"Lying on your back" means lying on your back in bed, that is, lying on your back, commonly known as "lying on a corpse". As far as the name is concerned, supine seems to be a very unpopular way to sleep. In fact, this kind of sleeping position is unrestrained, it is the healthiest and most natural sleeping position, and it is also the most comfortable and sleeping position. Yoga has the practice of "laying a corpse". Taoism, Buddhism and doctors all regard supine as the only way to rest, relax and practice.
The name of this seemingly unlucky sleeping position is largely attributed to Confucius. The Great Sage once said, "You can't sleep without a corpse, and you can't live without a guest", which means that you should not lie on your back like a corpse when sleeping, and don't be so formal when staying at home. In view of the great influence of Confucius and Confucianism on orthodox society, the ancients were more taboo in sleeping, and advocated sleeping and stretching (bending down as much as possible when sleeping and stretching as much as possible when waking up) and never getting tired.
When sleeping on your back, the Du meridian and bladder meridian on your back are in close contact with the bed surface, which makes the internal organs supported and suspended by Du meridian in a very calm, natural and relaxed state, which is similar to the state of "opening Du meridian and bladder meridian" often described in martial arts novels. At the same time, supine can also support the head, neck and back well, so it is actually a good and comfortable sleeping position. If we can further optimize the height and hardness of the pillow, we can minimize the pressure on the neck and relax the whole body to the maximum.
Supine is most suitable for people with lumbar disc herniation or other low back pain with sciatica symptoms. For young women who love beauty, because the five senses are not affected by sleeping posture when lying on their backs, the facial muscles of the human body will naturally droop slightly in all directions. After adequate sleep, it helps to eliminate wrinkles on your face. The more they sleep, the younger they are, which can be described as "beauty sleep".
However, overeating can easily lead to chest tightness and panic when abdominal pressure increases, so people who lie on their backs often put their hands on their chests intentionally or unintentionally, making their hearts and lungs under pressure and prone to nightmares. Sleepers may wake up from their sleep and find that their consciousness has been awake to a certain extent, but they are weak, disobedient to the command of consciousness, and accompanied by illusions and fears, commonly known as "ghosts pressing the bed." Lying on your back is not suitable for people with asthma and snoring, so people who are generally obese or have a loose palate should not choose to lie on your back.
It can be seen that the above sleeping positions have their own advantages and disadvantages, which vary from person to person. Experts believe that the scientific sleeping position should be lying on the right side with legs slightly bent. In this posture, the heart is in a relatively high position and is not oppressed; The liver is in a low position, and the blood flow is smooth, which is beneficial to metabolism; It is also beneficial for the food in the stomach to naturally advance to the duodenum under the action of gravity, which can promote digestion and absorption. At the same time, the whole body is in a relaxed state, breathing evenly, the heartbeat is slow, and the brain, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, muscles and bones are fully rested and nourished.
In fact, for a healthy person, you don't have to worry too much about your sleeping position. The best sleeping position is the one you feel most comfortable in. Many people usually stay in one sleeping position when they start to sleep, but they will change to other sleeping positions in the middle of the night. People often can't stay in a fixed position all night until dawn. Most people are constantly changing, so-called "tossing and turning", which is more conducive to relieving fatigue.