A sleeping position designed for astronauts could be the secret to banishing insomnia and getting longer-lasting rest, according to an NHS doctor.
The technique called ‘zero gravity’ is designed by NASA and is thought to help astronauts get shut-eye while in an environment with an extreme amount of pressure.
But down on earth the position can also help people get to sleep, according to Dr Tim Mercer, the NHS GP Partner and GP Trainer with Opera Beds.
The technique involves lying on your back and elevating the head and legs to just above the heart level so the spine is in a relatively straight line.
The head is raised slightly, with knees and elbows slightly bent.
He explained that raising the head allows the airways to open up and take in more oxygen while you sleep.
For this reason the sleeping position can help people with respiratory conditions, making it a good way of nodding off when you have a cold.
‘Sleep is essential for recovery when battling the flu. Quality rest allows your body to allocate energy towards immune function, accelerating the fight against a virus,’ Dr Mercer told the Express.
Zero-gravity sleep is meant to relieve stress throughout the body. Either with an adjustable bed or extra pillows, you can achieve this by elevating your feet and head above your heart
‘During sleep, your body produces cytokines — proteins that combat inflammation and infection — making it an essential tool for recovery,’ he added.
The NASA sleeping position is also said to help improve blood circulation around the body, speeding up healing from injuries.
That’s because when standing or sitting leg veins have to work against gravity to move blood back to the heart.
But elevating the legs allows blood to circulate easily because the body is working with gravity, rather than against it.
What’s more, the position takes pressure off muscles and joints, inducing relaxing feelings of weightlessness, which improves quality and quantity of sleep and reduces any painful sensations.
Experts argue that these factors make you less likely to want to change position while sleeping, increasing the chances of a deep, long-lasting sleep.
The NASA sleep method was developed as a way of helping astronauts nod off without fighting the pressure of gravity.
Dr Mercer also recommended other sleeping positions that can help you doze off if you’re struggling with the symptoms of a cold.
Side sleeping — specifically on your left side — can alleviate congestion as it stops mucus from building up at the back of your throat while you’re asleep.
He added that the steam of a hot shower or bath could also ease congested airways.
The findings of a study published last year revealed that around around one in six Brits suffer insomnia, yet 65 per cent never seek help for their sleep problem.
The poll on 2,000 people, by The Sleep Charity, found nine in ten experience some sort of sleep proble, while one in two engage in high-risk or dangerous behaviours when unable to sleep.
Dr Tim Mercer often shares handy health hacks on his TikTok channel, where he has 46,000 followers.
Poor sleep has been linked to a number of health problems, including cancer, stroke and infertility.
The drugs watchdog Nice recommends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as the first-line treatment for both short and long-term insomnia.
However, a recent Freedom of Information request found just 17 (12 per cent) of the 132 NHS Trusts that responded offer both face-to-face and digital CBT-I.
Commenting on the charity’s findings, deputy chief executive Lisa Arti said: ‘While public health campaigns around healthy eating and physical activity have been ongoing for decades, sleep has been left in the “solutions box”, despite evidence showing poor sleep increases mortality by 13 per cent and is linked with major physical and mental health conditions. We believe it’s high time this changed.
‘At a time when the government has never been more focused on preventative measures to tackle ill-health, our report clearly demonstrates that sleep can play an oversized role in supporting this ambition and positively impacting on all six of the major health conditions in the UK, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and mental ill health.
‘Its impact extends far beyond our health too, with sleep issues estimated to cost the UK billions of pounds every year in lost productivity.’
