Sleep Position and Neurodegenerative Diseases: What’s the Connection?

Research group at the University of California, San Francisco, clinical study on 270 people

Research findings have shown that sleep position is closely related to neurodegenerative diseases. Sleeping flat may increase the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

The researchers used the “Sleep Profiler” to monitor the patients’ sleep positions and confirmed the amount of time spent sleeping on their backs relative to their total sleep time. The researchers defined sleeping for more than two hours at a time as “abnormal.”

The results of the study revealed that people who sleep lying down for more than 2 hours a day have a higher incidence of neurodegenerative diseases than people who do not sleep. In particular, as the time spent sleeping lying down increased, the correlation with neurodegenerative diseases became clearer.

This study suggested a correlation between sleep position and the efficiency of neurotoxin excretion. Sleeping on your side may help excrete neurotoxins more effectively than sleeping on your back. In particular, if you suffer from sleep apnea, sleeping on your back may increase the accumulation of toxins in your brain.

The researchers explained: “Sleeping upright may increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases and this may be due to inefficient long-term neurotoxin excretion.” They added: “Although this study did not clearly determine the cause-effect relationship, sleeping on the side may be a better choice to increase the efficiency of neurotoxin removal.”

Key Findings:

• People who sleep lying down for more than 2 hours a day have a higher incidence of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Sleeping on your side may help excrete neurotoxins more effectively than sleeping on your back.
• Sleeping on your back may increase the accumulation of toxins in your brain, especially if you suffer from sleep apnea.