How to Sleep with Indigestion

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Learning how to sleep with indigestion can be difficult, making it harder to fall asleep at night. If you find yourself struggling with discomfort, heartburn or indigestion while in bed, it’s important to know some of the best sleeping positions for relief. 

Our team at Grosvenor Mobility have put together a guide to some of our top tips for a sound night’s sleep, as below.

Which Side Should You Sleep on With Acid Reflux?

With so many sleeping positions available, you might be considering which side you should sleep on when suffering from acid reflux. Luckily, there’s a simple answer – sleeping on your left side is the best way to reduce and relieve symptoms. 

Your stomach is located on the left hand side of your body, meaning lying in this way naturally works to prevent stomach acid from flowing back up into your oesophagus. 

This means you’ll want to avoid sleeping on your right hand side. This is because this position will naturally encourage acid to flow more freely through your body. So, while you might be tempted to naturally sleep on your right hand side, changing your position could improve your quality of sleep and help to reduce heartburn. 

The Best Way to Lay With Heartburn

Unfortunately, heartburn during the later hours of the day can have a significant impact on the quality of your sleep. So, in addition to sleeping on your left hand side, you may also want to consider elevating your upper body.

Raising your body by just six inches can help to prevent stomach acid from raising, meaning you can minimise or eradicate your symptoms entirely. While you can do this with the help of a pillow or other soft tool, we highly recommend an adjustable bed or mobility furniture such as riser recliners, which will naturally help position your body to reduce indigestion. 

The Benefits of Mobility Furniture

Mobility furniture has several benefits, including helping to reduce your indigestion, improve your overall posture and ultimately help you to enjoy a pain-free night’s sleep. These pieces of furniture are additionally made to measure, meaning they’ll fit and support your body perfectly. 

Adjustable Beds

Introducing an adjustable bed to your home is an excellent way to completely revolutionise the way you sleep. These beds allow you to raise yourself or move yourself into virtually any position compared to a static bed, meaning you can improve from improved circulation, increased comfort and more. 

While we offer traditional beds, such as The Nightingale, our customers can also customise their beds. This means you can invest in optional extras, such as massage features, which allow you to revel in ultimate luxury. A massage may also help to soothe a sore stomach or back, making falling asleep much easier. 

You can even invest in a split adjustable bed, meaning you and your partner are both able to relax in your optimal position without bothering the other. 

Riser Recliners 

While there are several dangers of sleeping in a reclining chair, these aids offer excellent support to those suffering indigestion. This means you can relieve your symptoms before getting into bed, which should make falling asleep at night easier.

In addition, you’ll be able to relax with a book or wind down for the evening watching TV in an ideal position that reduces any discomfort from indigestion. You might even see other benefits before getting into bed too, such as a reduction in arthritis pain and an increase in independence. 

Other Ways to Relieve Indigestion

In addition to sleeping and sitting more comfortably, there are several lifestyle changes that can help you to manage indigestion and acid reflux. 

The easiest way to manage symptoms is avoiding meals late at night, with an aim to eat dinner two to three hours before you go to sleep to allow food to digest and settle in your stomach properly. You’ll also want to consider limiting foods that can aggravate indigestion, such as spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol, especially late at night.

You’ll also want to consider maintaining a healthy weight. This can be tricky for the elderly or those who suffer from low mobility, but luckily there are a range of exercises that can be completed from the comfort of your home to help.

To Conclude

Learning how to sleep with indigestion can be difficult – but there are several easy ways to mitigate symptoms. The most important of these is sleeping in the ‘right’ sleeping position. When combined with several lifestyle changes means you can easily improve sleep quality and reduce discomfort. 

Grosvenor Mobility is dedicated to helping all of our customers achieve a great night’s sleep in addition to quality of life. From our adjustable beds through to other mobility-friendly furniture, you can explore our collection today and benefit from a free, no-obligation home trial to learn about the benefits of our products.