3 replies to this topic

[sparkk51]

For a long time now, I've always felt as if I lacked in the more linear focused line of thinking which I have often attributed me being more prone to a "right-brain" way of thinking. I know the whole left-brain vs right-brain debate is very misleading as we use both hemispheres for almost all tasks anyway. However, I still believe there is some truth to being more inclined to one way of thinking than the other. One day, a few weeks ago, I noticed my right face was more flat than the other (not abnormally so). I know I've slept on my right side for as long as I can remember, and I wondered if this also contributed to me being a more right-brain thinker. So I decided to give sleeping on the other side a shot. The first few days were hell, in fact, I know the first 2 nights I couldn't even fall asleep. Yet, I still forced myself to stay in that position night after night until, eventually, I could fall asleep comfortably on my left side.

 

What I've begin to notice is my severely reduced concentration in things like driving and playing games. This, however, pales in comparison to the amount of anger that can boil inside me. I can't recall the last time I've been so angry in general. Would you happen to know what is causing this? I have had a history of ADD but some doctors think it is more that I am depressed and cant focus as a result. I am doing well in good university right now if that matters.

 

Also, it may be important to note, I've always viewed myself as being very similar to my dad in mood and what not, except that he is an irrationally angry person a lot of the time. It bothers me so much that I've vowed to myself to never let my anger get to me as much as it does to him. More to the point though, I've always thought that he iss a very simple logical thinker compared to myself. He knows a lot of technical thinks and the many intricacies that are involved with managing one's own personal life. But, he isn't that into the things that I can lose myself in such as politics, philosophy, deep movies, etc. In some aspects I envy his ways (I have absolutely no common sense) but in others, I despise them. 

 

Am I crazy or is there actually something to this? It's as if I've lost that hyper-focused state that I can find myself in when playing a game or browsing the web, and am now in a perpetual blurred lull. This is NOT because of a lack of sleep by the way. I can remember the dreams I had during the 10 hours of sleep I had last night.

[Duchykins]

Yes it makes perfect sense.  You are trying to force your body out of its most comfortable sleeping position.  It's compromised the quality of your sleep.

 

Just let it go.  It's total paranoid silliness.  One side of your face flatter because you sleep on it all the time?  You take another leap and think it has something to do with hemispheric dominance?  

 

We shift around a bit in our sleep all the time away.  It's just natural.  You're not on one side of your face all night. 

 

There is even less to the right-brain, left-brain nonsense than you think.  It is total bunk; you might as well be trying earthing.

 

Right here is the perfect example: left-brainers are more logic minded than right.  No.  We really do need both sides for logic-related tasks including math, each hemisphere is equally important in this.  Damage to either side consistently impairs math performance and other logic-oriented tasks.

 

Go back to your habitual sleep position and I hope you feel better soon.  And good luck with your studies! 

Edited by Duchykins, 12 July 2015 - 10:59 PM.

[sparkk51]

You think forcing yourself to sleep on a particular side is unhealthy? Then why would doctors recommend pregnant mothers to sleep on their left side, or chiropractors to recommend sleeping on one's back, etc?

[Duchykins]

You think forcing yourself to sleep on a particular side is unhealthy? Then why would doctors recommend pregnant mothers to sleep on their left side, or chiropractors to recommend sleeping on one's back, etc?

 

It's easier for pregnant women to sleep their side while pregnant because other positions are going to be less comfortable for her anyway depending on how she is carrying and if she has any prior health or injury issues.  She will naturally gravitate towards side sleeping as the pregnancy progresses because of personal comfort (even if she initially falls asleep on her back, as she gets heavier she will often want to tilt to the side during sleep).  

 

The left-side sleeping requirement has been debunked by recent studies so it's just another medical assumption proven mostly wrong.  It's easily in the top ten most pervasive modern pregnancy myths.  Although it is still generally suggested that the woman choose the left if she can (not an easy feat if she was originally a back or stomach sleeper, I know this from personal experience lol), it ultimately doesn't really matter what side she sleeps on, right or left, with pillows, etc, as long as she is comfortable and sleeps well.  

 

OBs typically do not tell expectant mothers they must sleep on their left side precisely because trying to force a change in sleeping position stresses the body and compromises quality of sleep, which is all-around bad for both patients.  Consequently, the left-side sleeping thing is not strongly recommended by most OB/Gyn organizations, if it is mentioned by them at all.

 

 

 

As for chiropractors... lol.  They're friggen chiropractors.  Chiropractic is founded on voodoo science.  They originally used to say poor spinal alignment was the source of all disease due to some unbalancing of magical energies in the body (Daniel David Palmer the guy who invented chiropractic, expressly told people this) and... this nonsense persisted for a long time.  Not too long ago it was common to see chiropractors claim that could cure anything including cancer and AIDS (I only wish I could make that up), all kinds of snake oil garbage.  Actually, you can still find the quacks on the internet, though I hope they continue to die out as chiropractic is exposed.   

 

Just because a few real doctors have taken chiropractic and modified it a bit in recent decades, taking out a lot of the crazy magical woo and adding a few things to it useful for people with certain injuries (it's hardly fair to keep calling it chiropractic at that point), doesn't mean the bulk of chiropractic (or its practitioners) is scientifically legitimate.  Even now, the scientific support for chiropractic (the modified version) is relatively weak compared to the bulk of medical physical therapy methods.   Most chiropractors are quacks using "applied kinesiology" (which is a separate woo that is frequently integrated with chiropractic in practice), which is a shame for the minority that are actual MDs that don't try to bullshit people.  Just a tip.

 

All of the sleeping positions have their own sets of pros and cons, by the way.  In this manner, there is no universally optimal sleep position; different people have different needs.  Some people will do better on their backs, others do better on their stomachs, or right or left sides, with or without pillows, etc.

 

Sleeping supine, flat on the back, is not what comes naturally to primates anyway (since the supine position is our most vulnerable, leaving all of our vital areas exposed and unprotected), side sleeping is the most commonly chosen.  It's really no surprise that the supine position is preferred in less than 15 to 20% of humans, while side sleeping is preferred in 40 up to 50%.

 

 

People with special medical needs who are encouraged to sleep in a certain position for their health typically don't make the transition easily, if at all. Sleep aids are commonly used in that event.

 

In any case I didn't say it was unhealthy.  I said your body is not very comfortable with it and that discomfort, that tension, will affect your sleep quality for a good while.

 

But if you insist it's not the reason your life sucks all of a sudden, by all means keeping trying to make yourself sleep that way.  I'm sure you'll get used to in another few months.  It is possible to train your body that way, it just takes work, effort and patience.

Edited by Duchykins, 15 July 2015 - 03:22 AM.