Community Magazine June 2012

Citing modesty and health factors, the Gemara (Berachot 13a) quotes Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s ruling that one may not sleep on his back. According to the Rambam (Hilchot Deot 4:5), one should sleep on his left side in the beginning of the night, and on his right side at the end of the night. Not surprisingly, these ancient religious statutes are now supported by current medical studies, which have shown that the health benefits of sleeping on one’s side are substantial. According to Rav Yisroel Belsky, it is healthier to sleep on the side because doing so allows the lungs to work better, providing more oxygen to the body during sleep. When you sleep on your back, gravity makes it easier for the tongue to fall back over the airway, and/or for the airway muscles and other tissue (like the tonsils) to collapse and block the airway. This blockage of air is called sleep apnea. If you snore and have sleep apnea, there are times during the night when you stop breathing for ten seconds or longer. Sleep apnea can make you feel tired during the day. You may wake up with a snorting, choking, or gasping sound, before you start breathing again and fall back to sleep. This can happen several times an hour, all night, so you can’t stay in a deep sleep. You may not even be aware that you woke up briefly, but if your sleep is upset throughout the night, you’ll feel sleepy during the day. Side sleeping counteracts gravity and prevents your airway from collapsing. Sleeping on your side – also known as positional therapy – can often be the simplest cure for snoring. Snoring and the apneas tend to be worse when sleeping on the back (the supine position), and thus avoiding sleeping on the back may reduce the number of apneas. To avoid the supine position, some people use homemade remedies, such as putting tennis balls in a tube sock and pinning the sock to the back of a nightshirt. The Rematee™ Bumper Belt™ and the Anti-Snoring Shirt™ work similarly, designed with three inflatable bumpers to create gentle resistance that would prevent wearers from rolling onto their back. In a clinical study at the University of British Columbia Sleep Center, wearing the Bumper Belt or Anti-Snoring Shirt was shown to keep patients on their side, helped eliminate 90 percent of snoring. According to the experts at the American College of Chest Physicians, up to 60 percent of patients with obstructive sleep apnea experience an improvement of symptoms by sleeping on their side as opposed to their back. They estimate that as many as 50 percent of people who experience sleep apnea could be successfully treated by using positional therapy. Not quite convinced by the considerable medical evidence? Then do it for the millennia-old religious obligation instead. Whatever your motivation, be sure to protect your health with tennis balls, a Bumper Belt, or whatever technique works to make sure you sleep on your side. Sleeping on your Side: Halacha or JACQUES DOUECK, DDS 76 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE