The surrender sleeping position is popular! Is it a problem if someone sleeps until their arms become useless?

The topic "I like to raise my hands above my head when I sleep" has sparked heated discussion, and this posture of sleeping with hands raised above my head is called the "surrender sleeping position" by many people. The matter originated from a post by a netizen in late July: "Many times when I can't sleep, I will subconsciously raise my hands above my head. Is there anyone like me?" and accompanied it with a hand-drawn picture.

Some netizens responded to the post

Everyone just discovered

The "surrender sleeping position" is favored by many people

One netizen said: "While I was sleeping, my hands unconsciously went to the top of my head."

Some netizens also said: "My hands will be sore the next day, but it doesn't stop me from continuing to sleep like this. It's more comfortable to sleep this way."

But some netizens are worried

Is this sleeping position really okay?

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One netizen commented: "I sleep in this position, which makes my ribs protrude and causes frozen shoulder. So I changed my sleeping position immediately and the pain went away."

Another netizen also commented: "I lived like this for a while. I often couldn't find my arms because they were numb and I had no feeling. Both arms were useless. It took a long time to recover."

Sleeping positions vary from person to person

Experts recommend side sleeping and supine sleeping

"Surrender sleeping position" refers to the most common sleeping position for infants, which is similar to the position of the fetus in the womb. This is related to the inertia formed by curling up in the womb. It is mainly an instinctive reaction and a normal phenomenon. However, Liu Li, attending physician of the rehabilitation department of Wuhan East Lake Hospital, pointed out that for adults, this unconventional sleeping position is a bad sleeping position and may have adverse effects on physical health.

Raising your arms while sleeping can cause the diaphragm to shift due to muscle traction, leading to increased abdominal pressure. This is more obvious for people who eat before going to bed, the elderly, and those in late pregnancy. In severe cases, it can cause reflux esophagitis.

Long-term bad posture will cause poor blood circulation in the upper limbs, causing numbness in the upper limbs, and over time will cause ischemia and hypoxia of the peripheral nerves, leading to diseases such as peripheral neuritis;

Long-term stretching and stimulation of the upper limb muscles can easily cause inflammation of the bursa around the shoulder joint. When the body is exposed to the cold, it can easily induce periarthritis of the shoulder.

When the "surrender sleeping position" occurs

It indicates that there may be some health problems

First, it may occur in the cervical spine, because raising your hands high can relieve muscle tension around the neck and shoulders and reduce soreness symptoms;

Secondly, it may affect your posture and you may have the risk of hunching over. Normally, the fascia in the front and back of the human body are balanced. When you need to raise your hands to balance your body, it means that the fascia in the front is more tense and your body tends to bend forward.

Finally, it may occur in the heart and lungs. After raising both hands, the chest cavity is lifted, which is conducive to breathing.

Experts advise

The correct sleeping posture is relatively suitable

For most normal people

Recommended side and back sleeping

Schematic diagram of side-lying position (Photo provided by Jimu News correspondent)

Diagram of lying on your back (Photo provided by Jimu News correspondent)

The recommended sleeping position is to have the pillow at the same height as the shoulder when lying on your side, with the head in a neutral position and a thin pad or small pillow between the knees to keep the pelvis neutral. When lying on your back, you can put a thin pad or small pillow under the knees to maintain the natural curvature of the lumbar spine and allow the muscles to be more relaxed.

There are different sleeping positions for people with different diseases. People with hypertension should lie on their backs with a pillow height of about 15 cm, which is beneficial to blood circulation in the brain; people with heart disease should lie on their right side to allow more blood to flow back to the right side and reduce the burden on the heart; people with lower limb edema or varicose veins should lie on their backs with their legs raised by about 20 degrees to reduce the load on the lower limb veins.