# Is sleeping on your left side bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2002, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479 "2002-09-07T23:30:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![One\_Rude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d2c977/32.png) [@One\_Rude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_Rude)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/1 "2002-09-07T23:30:57Z")
I was recently watching an old rerun of Rosanne, and Dan was laying on his left side on the couch. Rosanne’s mother was talking to him and mentioned that sleeping on your left side is bad for you. Now, I’ve heard this before, but never really paid attention to it, and forgot about it til then. That night I turned over on my left side and upon thinking about that, became slightly uncomfortable, which was probably me and my tendency to be a little bit of a hypochondriac. But I was wondering if anyone knew if there was any merit to that warning. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/2 "2002-09-08T01:17:45Z")
Are you pregnant? Sleeping on your left side is actually recommended. Are you old and bothered by heartburn? Sleeping on your left side may actually help. I’m too tired to give the cites. Try typing the basic phrase into Google and enjoy. If it were so bad, would they recommend it for pregies? Not likely. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/3 "2002-09-08T01:23:07Z")
If you are facing North, sleeping on your left side is OK, if you are facing South or East, it’s not. If you face West while sleeping, it causes ambidextrous paralysis of the colon. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/4 "2002-09-08T01:34:48Z")
_Everyone_ knows that sleeping on one’s head is the only safe way to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/5 "2002-09-08T01:51:33Z")
I heard the “sleeping on the left side is bad” thing in _The Haunting_ (the real one; not the recent bad one). Eleanor says she sleeps on her left side because she heard people who do that die sooner. My hypothesis of how the idea was started is that someone said, “Hey, the heard is mostly on the left side of the body. Therefore it has to work harder to pump blood to the right side when you’re lying on your left side. Thus, you’ll die sooner!” (This person later went on to describe how sheeps’ entrails could be used to predict earthquakes.) I believe a person is more at risk from dying sooner from being a few pounds overweight than by sleeping on the left side. (Unless you’re sleeping on your left side whilst operating a motor vehicle or in a cage of hungry tigers.) But then, I’m a skeptic. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/6 "2002-09-08T02:17:41Z")
If it’s bad, then I’m evil. That’s the side I’m most comfortable on/upon which I’m most comfortable. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/7 "2002-09-08T05:08:19Z")
I can’t sleep on my left side, it actually hurts. I think I might have an ulcer, and the stomach acids interact with it when I am sleeping on my left side. Either that, or my organs become insanely smashed together when I do. Who knows… ---
**Author:** ![GopherGod72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@GopherGod72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GopherGod72)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/8 "2002-09-08T05:49:37Z")
You should not be talking of such things!!! Some things are best left ignored!!! ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/9 "2002-09-08T07:19:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > **Are you old and bothered by heartburn? Sleeping on your left side may actually help.** I think you may have that backwards. Your esophagus (well, most people’s) enters your stomach on the left side of your body. If you lie on your left side, then, the acids in your stomach will have a better chance of getting through the sphincter muscle and irritating the esophagus. Sleeping on your right side may help. I think… izzera doctor innahouse? When I was pregnant and fairly constantly nauseated, I found that lying on my right side worked better; lying on my left frequently made things worse. None of which is to say that sleeping on your left side is dangerous - in fact I usually fall asleep in that position these days. I just found it uncomfortable, under certain circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/10 "2002-09-08T09:50:30Z")
More trivial information that does not answer the op, but, still… In the _Anguttara Nikaya VII, 58_, a Buddhist sacred text, the Lord Buddha talks about fighting off drowsiness, which leads to: > [@](#): > > But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, you may, mindfully and clearly aware, lie down, lion-like, on your **right side,** placing foot on foot, keeping in mind the thought of rising; and on awakening, you should quickly get up, thinking ‘I must not indulge in the comfort of resting and reclining, in the pleasure of sleeping.’ Buddhist teachings are very strict about how people should lie down to sleep, and ultimately, to die. Foot on foot, knees slightly bent, right armed curled under the head, and left arm lain atop the body. This posture is presented in a multitude of [reclining Buddha](http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/Materials/Photos/gallery/sri_lanka/sri_lanka_1a.htm) sculptures. It’s quite likely that this posture came from earlier yogic teachings. This is a possible origin for the belief that lying on your left side is bad, which BTW, I had never heard outside of Buddhist teachings. ---
**Author:** ![Jdeforrest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@Jdeforrest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jdeforrest)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sleeping-on-your-left-side-bad/127479/11 "2002-09-08T16:12:32Z")
I had a friend who was in a coma for awhile at one point. I remember in the hospital, one of the doctors said that she should lie on her left side (but I can’t remember why now, think it might have been circulation but I’m just not sure). Anyway, the doctor could be wrong or it could be particular to her injuries so just take it as a slightly relevent anecdote.