Your competent? doctor informed you of this years ago, right? Oh NO, you DON'T have a functioning stroke doctor, do you? And your doctor warned you of side sleeping also, right?
- side sleeping
(10 posts to February 2017)
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation suggests that side sleeping may increase risk of stroke
The latest here:
If You Sleep in This Position, You Might Have Better Brain Health, Says Research
Discover how your brain "cleans" itself at night, and why researchers say sleeping a certain way could play a role.
Certified neurology nurse Kiara DeWitt, RN, didn’t initially set out to overhaul how she sleeps. But after digging into medical studies on how the brain clears waste overnight, she made one small shift: She started sleeping in a different position.
That change was inspired by a growing body of research on the brain’s glymphatic system, a network that helps clear metabolic waste during sleep. Some early findings suggest that body position may support that process, though experts say it’s far from the most important factor and won’t make up for certain sleep habits.
Ahead, learn more about the sleep position that may give your brain a boost, along with other tips for better rest.
How sleep “cleans” your brain
Sleep isn’t just about giving your body a break; it’s actually when your brain does some of its most important maintenance work. Over the past decade, researchers have come to this conclusion by identifying what’s known as the glymphatic system. At its core, this system works like a cleanup crew during deep sleep, clearing out brain waste that builds up from normal activity.
“When your neurons fire throughout the day, creating thoughts, memories, or decisions, they create metabolic waste,” DeWitt explains. This debris can include amyloid-beta and tau, proteins strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease when they build up over time.
During waking hours, the glymphatic system remains relatively quiet, explains Jordan Weiss, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Precision Medicine and Optimal Aging Institute at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. But during deep sleep, its activity ramps up, flushing waste out.
The discovery of this “brain waste garbage disposal system,” as DeWitt calls it, was confirmed in a 2024 human imaging study published in Procedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, thus reshaping how experts think about sleep and brain health.
As Dr. Weiss puts it, “The clinical implications are significant.” Not getting enough sleep is one of the most consistent risk factors for Alzheimer’s, and even a single night of poor sleep can raise levels of amyloid-beta in the brain. What we’ve learned about the glymphatic system helps further explain why sleep is so critical for brain health.
What matters most for protecting your brain
The discovery of the glymphatic system in humans was monumental. DeWitt says, “Instead of working off mouse models, we can start to learn about how this applies to dementia, concussion, and cognitive aging throughout life.”
While sleeping in a particular position may give your waste-clearing system a boost, it’s far from the most important factor.
“Sleep quality is leagues ahead of sleep position in nearly every situation I can think of,” DeWitt says. That’s because deep, slow-wave sleep is what best supports the glymphatic system—no matter what position your body is in. “I like to think of it as layers,” adds Dewitt. “How much you sleep is priority. How well you sleep is second. Once you’ve got those first two things down, maybe you can start worrying about position.”
So when it comes to sleep for brain health, here’s what science says you should prioritize before sleep position:
1. Get seven to nine hours of sleep per night: Research suggests that brain waste builds up with sleep restriction. Plus, sticking with regular sleep and wake times better supports your body’s circadian and hormonal rhythms.
2. Treat sleep apnea: If you snore heavily or consistently wake unrefreshed, it’s a sign that you should probably be screened for sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea is strongly linked to disrupted waste clearance and cognitive decline.
3. Preserve your deep sleep: Alcohol, sedating medications, and inconsistent schedules can all interfere with deep sleep.
The position that helps your brain the most
So, if you’re already sleeping long, regularly, and well—what position is most likely to help your brain recover? Early data points to sleeping on your side.
The idea that side sleeping could support the brain’s waste-clearing system comes largely from a 2015 animal study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. “MRI scans of rodents showed superior waste removal, including of amyloid-beta proteins, across all observations of the mice sleeping in the lateral position,” DeWitt says.
The likely explanation is biomechanical: Sleeping on your side may allow for more efficient drainage of the brain’s “sink,” helping wash away metabolic waste.
However, as with most animal-based studies, translating these findings to humans requires caution, Dr. Weiss emphasizes. The animals were anesthetized—not naturally sleeping—and rodent brain anatomy differs from our own.
Still, the finding is biologically plausible, Dr. Weiss adds. Some MRI research suggests that body position can influence how waste-clearing fluid moves through the brain, and habitual back sleeping is associated with sleep apnea, “which itself is a significant disruptor of glymphatic function,” he says.
DeWitt says there’s also evidence that side sleeping—particularly on your left side—may offer other benefits, like reducing heartburn and supporting spinal health.
“Of course, we still need to conduct large-scale research with humans and MRI monitoring over years to determine if glymphatic flow is impacted by sleep position and what the magnitude of that effect is,” she explains. “But it’s not really a far-fetched idea.”
And because it’s a safe, no-cost adjustment, it may be worth trying. “Personally, I’ve been feeling better when I sleep on my side,” says DeWitt.
How to start sleeping on your side
If you’re curious about side sleeping, DeWitt recommends trying a body pillow. “Placing a pillow between my knees when sleeping on my side helped alleviate some pressure in my hips and lower back while I got used to it,” she says. “A slightly firmer mattress may help support your shoulders and spine as well.”
But keep in mind that if you’re not comfortable, forcing yourself to sleep on your side could be more trouble than it’s worth.
After all, sleep position is one potential piece of the puzzle, not the foundation. “Protecting your seven to nine hours, getting screened for apnea, and going to bed at the same time each night will do more for your brain than any adjustment to how you position yourself on the mattress,” Dr. Weiss says.
About the experts
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