Your sleeping position dictates your overall health. The way you sleep not only leads to general aches and pains in the morning but can also affect your heart and respiratory health. However, all sleeping positions come with pros and cons, depending on your health. For example, for those who suffer from heart conditions, doctors advise sleeping on your right side. This position removes any pressure on the heart. 

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For those who suffer from gastric issues or acid reflux, sleeping on the left side might be most apt since the stomach is lower than your oesophagus. However, your brain health benefits from sleeping on the right side because this position is better suited for the process of washing away waste toxins.

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Back sleeping is generally bad for your health and can cause sleep apnoea, a condition where the person snores and has interrupted breathing. This can in turn cause poor quality of sleep, triggering problems like obesity, diabetes, heart problems and other issues.

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For front sleepers, the benefit is that your airways are more open, so you can breathe well. However, this position will lead to neck and back pain.

A report by The Telegraph states that your sleeping position is not only about body pains, but it might be "slowly killing you."

This is based on all the health issues listed above that are associated with the position you sleep in. Choosing the best sleeping position for you might not be easy. After all, if you are asleep, can you really decide which position you are in? Doctors recommend various ways to align your posture, such as tucking a pillow between your legs. 

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Changing your sleep position is even harder. If you like sleeping on your left side, but want to switch to the right side because of your heart, you'll have to do so gradually. Start sleeping in the new position for a few minutes daily and slowly increase the timing. You might go back to your favourite position once asleep, but doing this can, over time, make you fully switch to the new position.

Which is the best sleep position for you?

If you have gut issues, sleep on your left side. If you are a heart patient, sleep on your right side. This frees the organ of any pressure. Studies suggest that sleeping on your left side changes the position of the heart due to gravity, affecting the heart’s electrical activity. On the other hand, sleeping on your right side ensures it stays in place.

Sleep expert and author of The Good Sleep Guide, Sammy Margo, told the Telegraph, postural problems occur in side sleepers. "Women with hourglass figures" will sink into the mattress, causing "a strain on the spine and hips." Men who sleep on the side experience "pain in their shoulders as they get older and their muscles weaken."

People who sleep on their front twist their neck to the side, straining it. "Stomach sleeping can also arch your spine,” explains Margo. Besides, this position also causes wrinkles.

If you suffer from back and neck pain, back sleeping might be best for you. However, this position can cause sleep apnoea and lead to bad quality sleep. This can lead to several other health issues, like diabetes and other co-morbidities.