Have you ever eaten an extra-rich meal and instantly felt heartburn creep up? We’ve all been there, and we can all agree that trying to get to sleep while you’re battling indigestion is no fun. 

However, there are some sleeping positions that are better at easing discomfort and supporting the digestive process than others. Read on to learn more about the best sleeping positions for digestion and how else you can support healthy digestion.

How Does Digestion Work?

Many of us eat food without thinking about what happens next in the chain of digestive events. Everything after swallowing just kind of… happens. 

Digestion is one of those bodily processes that we don’t need to think about at all — the body just knows what to do. The more we learn about digestion, the more it becomes clear that the body is a deeply intricate machine.

The digestive system includes the following:

• Mouth: This is where you chew food to break it down into small, easily digestible bites. Saliva also contains digestive enzymes to start the digestion process.
• Stomach: Food goes down the esophagus and into the stomach, where stomach acid and digestive enzymes break down food even more.
• Small Intestine: The food enters the small intestine, which absorbs water and nutrients from the food and moves it further along the digestive tract.
• Large Intestine: Here, good bacteria help break down vitamins and electrolytes to absorb before removing the remaining water and compacting the indigestible food. This is the final step in digestion before waste is excreted. ,

What Is the Best Side To Lay on for Digestion?

So, with all of the moving parts involved in gut health, you might be wondering — what is the best side to lay on for digestion? Here’s a breakdown of all the sleeping positions and which ones are more likely to result in a good night’s sleep.

Back Sleeping

This sleep position is the second most popular sleep position among Americans, after side sleeping. Some people like it because it allows them to distribute their weight evenly, which can help with lower back and neck pain. It can also help with cold symptoms since it uses gravity to pull drainage out of the nasal passages.

That said, it can also exacerbate sleep apnea in people who are already prone to it. This can result in poor sleep, which we’ll talk about a little later on.

Stomach Sleeping

Is it really any surprise that stomach sleeping is not the best for indigestion? Think about it — your stomach is being squished and flattened, and there’s not much room for the movements your gut needs to make in order to move food through the digestive tract.

That being said, stomach sleepers aren’t totally out of luck. Stomach sleeping can be very helpful for those who struggle with sleep apnea and snoring since it uses gravity to keep the airway clear. This can help improve sleep quality for some people.

Left-Side Sleeping

Side sleepers, rejoice! This position is generally accepted to be the best sleep position to help digestion. 

Sleeping on your left side can also let gravity help move food through your digestive tract while you sleep. This can lead to better digestion and, ultimately, better sleep.

As a plus, left-side sleeping helps keep our spines in alignment, which means this position is the least likely to cause back pain. Just make sure you’re using a supportive pillow designed to support side sleeping and consider adding a pillow between your knees to keep your hips in a good position.

Right-Side Sleeping

You might be wondering what makes your left side so special. Beyond the unique effects of gravity, sleeping on your right side is also not recommended for anyone who experiences acid reflux.

Sleeping in this position can relax the muscles between your stomach and your esophagus. This can ultimately increase your risk of heartburn. It’s also worth noting that any side-lying position can cause shoulder pain if you don’t have the proper support.

What Are Signs of Indigestion?

When you have an upset stomach, you’ll probably know. You may experience constipation, bloating, stomach cramps, or heartburn.

These digestive issues can happen immediately after eating or show up a while afterward. It can sometimes take hours for a food to disagree with you.

There are plenty of things that can cause indigestion. These include:

• Eating fried foods
• Eating too quickly
• Laying down after eating
• Eating foods that disagree with you

If you regularly get indigestion, you may want to contact your healthcare provider for personalized medical advice. Chronic indigestion can be a sign of more serious health conditions, so it’s important to rule these out.

How Else Can You Support Healthy Digestion?

Of course, there’s more to supporting digestive health than just the position you sleep in. Here are a few more tips that can help aid digestion.

Eat Probiotic-Rich Foods

Probiotics are good bacteria that live in the small and large intestines. Beyond playing a big role in digestion, probiotics also help support mental health and the immune system. Most of the immune system is controlled by the gut, and almost all of the body’s serotonin is made in the gut as well.

Probiotics can be found naturally in fermented foods. These include:

• Kombucha
• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Miso
• Kefir

Get Plenty of Sleep

You might be surprised to learn that there’s a pretty significant connection between sleep and digestion. Lack of sleep has been linked to digestive inflammation and gastrointestinal diseases.

It’s important to note here that quality of sleep is just as important as quantity of sleep. Sleeping eight hours a night won’t do much for your health if you’re getting up multiple times in the middle of the night.

To support high-quality sleep, try sticking to a sleep routine. Do something relaxing before bed, like yoga or taking a bath, and make sure to avoid blue light and stimulants late in the day.

Try Mushroom Coffee

Mushroom coffee is more than just a fad — it’s a supplement that can support your overall health. We can’t speak for other brands and their formulas, but we don’t have to — the benefits of our proprietary formula speak for themselves.

Our Mushroom Coffee+ includes lion’s mane mushroom, which contains dietary fiber and prebiotics to help feed those good bacteria in your gut. It also features chaga mushroom. Together, they can support the immune system and encourage healthy digestion. 

Grass-fed bovine collagen also makes an appearance to encourage digestive health, while L-theanine and coffee extract help encourage focus and mental clarity. 

Drink Enough Water

Water is one of the most important parts of digestion. Without water, your food would remain hard and get stuck in your digestive tract. Your body also wouldn’t be able to absorb as many nutrients from the food.

Experts recommend drinking about 16 cups a day for men and 12 cups a day for women. If you’re having a hard time getting that much in, you can also try switching it up by brewing some herbal tea, making mushroom coffee, or infusing your water with fruit. These options can provide their own unique health benefits and also count toward your daily water intake!

Eat Plenty of Fiber

Fiber can help speed up digestion and also feed your good gut bacteria, keeping your gut microbiome nice and happy. If you’re worried about getting enough fiber, take a step back — you might be getting more than you think.

You can find fiber in pretty much any vegetable and in many fruits. Fiber is also found in whole grains like oats, brown rice, and whole wheat.

Get Your Body Moving

Last but not least, getting some exercise can help encourage digestion. Your intestines use muscle contractions to move food through your digestive tract, and exercising can make these contractions stronger. The end result is to make your digestion faster and more efficient.

Plus, exercise can have other health benefits, too. For instance, it can improve blood flow to your digestive organs, support heart health, and even improve mental health.

The Final Word

Indigestion can be inconvenient at its best and downright unbearable at its worst. If an upset stomach is keeping you awake, try sleeping on your left side — this position can help food move through your digestive tract, using gravity to provide some extra digestive support.

You can also try eating probiotic-rich foods, getting plenty of sleep, and drinking mushroom coffee. At Everyday Dose, we know how important gut health is — that’s why we include so many gut-friendly ingredients in our blend. Try it out for yourself with either our Mushroom Coffee+ or Mushroom Matcha+ Starter Kits.

Sources:

Sleep Dysfunction and Gastrointestinal Diseases | PMC

Water: How much should you drink every day? | Mayo Clinic

How Exercise Can Lead to a Healthy Gut | Cleveland Clinic

The best side to sleep on for digestion and other benefits | The OPA

Best Sleeping Positions | The Sleep Foundation