睡眠習慣會如何影響你的健康

Health problems from indigestion to headaches and back pain could all be down to how you sleep, research suggests. Studies indicate millions of Brits' comMon physical ailments may be directly related to how much rest they get each night.

研究表明，消化不良、頭痛、背痛等健康原因可能都與你的睡覺方式相關。研究表明，數百萬英國人常見的身體疾病可能與他們每晚睡多久直接相關。

And experts advise taking more care over mattress choice, frequency of bed replacement and what positions to lie in. The research was carried out for National Bed Month, a campaign by The Sleep Council to highlight the importance to health of a good kip.

專家建議慎重選擇牀墊、牀墊的更換頻率和睡姿。該研究是爲了由睡眠委員會主導的National Bed Month這個活動展開的，以強調睡眠對於健康的重要性。

Wellbeing expert Dr Sarah Brewer advised lying partly on your side, and with one leg tucked up, as the best choice. She said: "This is the natural equivalent of the recovery position. It is great for keeping your airway open and is the least likely to lead to snoring and joint problems."

健康專家莎拉·布魯爾建議側着躺，同時收起一條腿，這是最佳的睡眠姿勢。她說："這是自然的恢復睡姿。有利於保持呼吸道暢通，最不可能導致打呼和關節問題。"

However only 9 per cent of people tend to sleep this way. Furniture Choice, which carried out the research, found 40 per cent of us sleep on our right-hand side. This may feel comfortable but can cause problems.

然而，只有9%的人傾向於這種睡姿。Furniture Choice開展了這項研究，發現40%的人會右側着睡。雖然這樣睡很舒服，但卻會帶來一些問題。

Dr Brewer said: "The stomach is an asymmetrical organ and when you lie on your right, acid pools against the valve at the lower end of the oesophagus which can cause reflux and heartburn." Switching to your left-hand side can relieve problems ?including heartburn, trapped wind and acid reflux. So for the 19 per cent of Brits who struggle with indigestion, this may be an easy way to ease symptoms.

布魯爾醫生說道："胃是一個不對稱的器官，當你右側着躺着時，胃酸會在食管下端流出，導致胃酸迴流和胃灼熱。"靠着左邊睡能緩解問題，包括胃灼熱、被困腸道氣體和胃酸迴流。所以對於19%患有消化不良的英國人來說，這可能是緩解症狀的簡單方法。

Those who sleep on their side are also 20 per cent more likely to suffer from hip pain due to the pressure placed on this joint. Some 42 per cent of Brits suffer lower back pain, 32 per cent have neck ache and 19 per cent endure upper back pain. A lot of this could be due to people sleeping on their front.

喜歡側着睡的人臀部痛的可能性也要高20%，這是因爲側着睡會給關節帶來壓力。42%的英國人腰痛、32%的英國人脖子痛、19%的英國人上背痛。很多問題都有可能是躺着睡造成的。

Dr Brewer added: "This position compromises the natural curves of the spine so you are more likely to wake with neck, arm, shoulder or back pain. This will be worse if pillow height causes your head to twist upwards."

布魯爾醫生補充道："這一睡姿會影響脊椎的自然曲線，所以你更有可能因脖子痛、胳膊痛、肩膀痛或背痛而疼醒。如果枕頭的高度導致頭部向上扭曲，情況就會更加嚴重。"