A new study found sleeping in a supine position may be associated with neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Experts suggest that sleeping on your back might be linked to neurodegeneration because it can result in less efficient removal of brain toxins, which can accumulate and worsen over time. More research is needed to determine if sleeping on your back, along with other positions, might increase the risk of neurodegeneration. It’s well established that getting adequate sleep at night is crucial for good health—but when it comes to the brain, it may not just be the amount of shut-eye you get that matters but the position you sleep in, too.

That’s the finding of a recent exploratory study presented at the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference that suggests that sleeping on your back, known as the supine position, may be linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. “Our research has established a strong association between supine sleep and neurodegeneration, but it’s yet to be proven whether supine sleep causes neurodegeneration,” said lead author Daniel J. Levendowski, president and co-founder of Advanced Brain Monitoring, a company that sells neuro-diagnostic devices and funded the research. The study appears to strengthen pre-existing evidence of a connection between back sleeping and a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the research hasn’t been peer-reviewed and has other significant limitations, according to Diego R. Torres-Russotto, MD, chair of neurology at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida.

Here’s what you need to know. Tanya Yatsenko Finding a Link Between Back Sleeping and Neurodegenerative Disease The connection between back sleeping and neurodegenerative disease was first discovered back in 2015, Levendowski said, when an experiment using mice found that sleeping in the supine position could contribute to neurodegeneration. In 2019, Levendowski and his colleagues investigated the question using 45 humans with neurogenerative disease. They found that sleeping in a supine position—specifically, for more than two hours a night—was associated with a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases. For the newest study, Levendowski and his colleagues dug in even further, this time recruiting about a hundred relatively healthy people to serve as a control group and roughly 200 participants with mild cognitive impairment, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Alzheimer’s disease. Some participants also had Parkinson’s spectrum disorders (PSD), an umbrella term for disorders characterized by abnormal accumulation of proteins.

The study found that participants who slept in a supine position for more than 10 hours per night were more likely to experience sleep disturbances. This finding suggests that prolonged supine sleeping may be detrimental to sleep quality. **Key Findings:**

* **Prolonged Supine Sleeping:** Participants who slept in a supine position for more than 10 hours per night were more likely to experience sleep disturbances.

They also noted, however, that more studies are needed to find out if sleeping on your back causes the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The Limitations While the findings are intriguing and could suggest that sleep position might be a modifiable risk factor for developing neurodegenerative diseases, there are important limitations to be aware of, Torres-Rusotto told Health. First, the results have only been presented as abstracts at a scientific meeting and still need more rigorous peer review before they can be published. Torres-Russotto also noted that the participants with neurodegenerative conditions and the control group weren’t well matched; for example, the control group was younger and had more female participants.

a) Sleep Position and Chronic Pain: A New Connection?

The study investigated the relationship between sleep position and health outcomes. Researchers compared the sleep positions of two populations: a group of healthy adults and a group of individuals with chronic pain. The study found that individuals with chronic pain were more likely to sleep on their sides, while healthy adults were more likely to sleep on their backs. This difference was statistically significant. However, the researchers acknowledge that their study has limitations.

* Sleeping on your back can slow down the body’s natural healing process. * Sleeping on your back can lead to a buildup of pressure in the brain. * Sleeping on your back can cause headaches and other issues.

* Back sleeping is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. * Back sleeping can lead to a decrease in blood flow to the brain. * Back sleeping can cause a decrease in the production of growth hormone, which is important for brain health. * Back sleeping can lead to a decrease in the production of melatonin, which is important for sleep regulation.

The most common way to determine your sleeping position is to observe your body during sleep. You can also use a sleep tracker or a pillow to help you identify your sleeping position. Once you know your sleeping position, you can take steps to avoid sleeping on your back. Here are some tips to help you change your sleeping position:

: Another way to know is to ask a partner what position you tend to sleep in, Torres-Russotto said. Using a sleep tracker: Some devices, such as the Sleep Profiler used in this study, along with other fitness trackers and sleep apps, can help monitor your sleep position and quality, Palekar said. While there’s no definitive conclusion as to whether sleeping on your back can contribute to the development of neurological disorders, experts said reducing supine sleep is certainly possible if that’s something you’re interested in. One way to put a stop to your back sleeping habit is to place pillows—whether regular or body ones—on either side of your body that you can hug while you sleep. This could potentially encourage side sleeping, Palekar said.

Levendowski, a renowned expert in the memory enhancement techniques, suggests several strategies to improve memory recall. These strategies include:

* **Using visual cues:** Levendowski recommends using visual cues to help you remember information. This can be anything from a specific color to a memorable image.