Deans' stroke musings: Mayo Clinic Minute: What is the best sleeping position?

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Mayo Clinic Minute: What is the best sleeping position?

Has your doctor told you of this? NO? HOW INCOMPETENT IS YOUR DOCTOR?

Mayo Clinic Minute: What is the best sleeping position?

Most people spend a third of their lives either asleep or resting, according to the Sleep Foundation. During sleep, the body recharges and repairs itself. And a good night's sleep often can be determined by what position you are lying in bed.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:11) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Back-sleepers beware.

"I know many people find it to be comfortable, because they're not putting weight on their joints," says Dr. Lois Krahn, a Mayo Clinic sleep specialist.

But Mayo Clinic experts say sleeping on your back is actually the worst sleeping position, especially if you have sleep apnea.

"Sleeping on the back means that your tongue and jaw can fall down and crowd your airway. And many people snore more on their back," says Dr. Krahn.

Sleeping on your stomach helps keep the airway open, but it can put a strain on your spine and neck.

"There's a host of evidence overall suggesting that probably sleeping on the side is better," says Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist and director of the sleep facility within Mayo Clinic's Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

Side sleeping helps prevent the airway from collapsing and can reduce snoring.

"And so, all in all, sleeping on the side — perhaps with their head slightly elevated as long as that's comfortable — is a good way to sleep," says Dr. Krahn.

Side sleeping also is recommended during pregnancy, especially the last trimester. And sleeping on the left side is best because it keeps pressure off internal organs and promotes healthy blood flow.

"When you are in that third trimester of pregnancy and when you sleep on your back, the uterus is compressing your inferior vena cava. It's compressing the arterial system," says Dr. Somers.

Sleeping on your side also is considered by the Sleep Foundation as the best for people with neck and back pain, especially if you place a small pillow between your knees.

"Because if you don't have a pillow between your knees, that stress of sleeping on the side pulls on your hip and can cause some issues," says Dr. Somers.