Whether you have a cold, the flu, sinusitis, or other medical condition, it can come with minor to severe post nasal drip.
Post nasal drip makes it super uncomfortable for you to sleep relaxed, so finding the best sleeping position for post nasal drip is very important.
Contents
Why Does Post Nasal Drip Make Sleeping Difficult?
Your nose, throat, intestine, and other parts contain glands that continuously make mucus.
The nasal mucus usually gets mixed in with your saliva and doesn’t bother you.
However, when you face issues such as sinusitis, deviated septum, cold, older age, flu, and whatnot, the mucus can become thick.
This thicker mucus then drips down into your throat from the back of your nose and causes a sore throat.
This process is known as Post Nasal Drip, and it is incredibly uncomfortable.
Especially when you’re trying to relax and sleep, it can cause a lot of problems.
Let’s take a look at how does Post Nasal Drip makes sleeping difficult?
- Sore throat – When the thick mucus constantly keeps dripping down into your throat, it can create excess mucus in there. This can lead to the throat getting sore which can be quite painful and hinder peaceful sleep quite often.
- Blocked Nasal Cavity – When you’re suffering from sinusitis, it is possible that excessive mucus might block your nasal cavity which is also quite common among those who suffer from post nasal drip. It might make it difficult to breathe through the nose and even the sense of smell to be reduced to some extent which can be quite uncomfortable and frustrating to people.
- Breathing Issues – If you’ve got excessive mucus in your throat causing your throat to go sore, it is common for you to face breathing difficulties. This breathing difficulty can cause a disturbance if you’re trying to sleep or even to wake you up in the middle of the night which makes sleeping quite impossible.
- Continuous Coughing – Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of post nasal drip. When your body wants to clean your throat of excessive mucus, it starts to push the air out forcefully resulting in you coughing. If you’re coughing during the night, you most probably won’t be able to sleep well.
The Importance of Post Nasal Drip Sleep Position
Sleeping position may have a crucial effect on your health and your sleep quality.
Let’s take a look at why sleeping positions hold such vitality in our lives, and why you need to find the best post nasal drip sleep position:
- Mental Health – The way you sleep affects the mind in many ways. If you’re sleeping the right way, your mind can stay clear of many neurological diseases as well as avoid thoughts of discomfort, anxiety, depression, and other lingering problems.
- Physical Health – Physical health includes the muscles, joints, and bones in your body. Bad sleeping positions can cause swellings, injuries, and pain. In contrast, sleeping positions that are good for you can result in healthier muscles, a more active lifestyle, and better adaptability to physical changes around you.
- The health of Organs – The great thing about sleeping in the right position is that you’re going to see benefits in the long run as well. If you’re sleeping right, your heart remains in a well-rested position and supplies blood all over the body. You can also avoid problems like acid reflux and GERD with the right sleeping posture.
- Body Posture – The way you sit and how you stand up affect the way people around you perceive you. That’s what your body posture is. When you’re sleeping in a curved-up ball position, you’re causing yourself to get spine problems and hunch in your posture. But if you sleep straight or sideways, you’ll have a firm spine that will stay straight with your shoulders high when you’re standing or walking around every day.
Top 3 Best Sleeping Position for Post Nasal Drip
View this post on Instagram
So, you’re suffering from Post Nasal Drip but don’t know what to do? Well, I’ve got you.
I’ve made a list of the best 3 sleeping positions in my opinion that might help you to sleep comfortably despite having Post Nasal Drip:
Sleeping in Zero-G position
In the Zero-G Position, you lie on your bed with your head and your thoracic region at an angle of around 130-135 degrees and your thighs and knees in a straight position.
This position is much better than a simple straight lying position for people who suffer from post nasal drip.
The zero-gravity sleep position is becoming quite common nowadays, so much so that automated Bluetooth zero-g beds are now available, and they’re quite expensive too.
Benefits
- Reduces Mental Anxiety – When you’re sleeping in the zero-g position, you’re comfortable, which results in your mind feeling calm, collected, and peaceful, reducing feelings of anxiety, depression, and mental discomfort.
- GERD and Acid Reflux Remedy – If you’re facing Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease or Acid Reflux, lying in the zero-g position on your left side will bring your upper body at a higher angle which should reduce the severity of acid reflux and post nasal drip problems as well.
- Improves Breathing – When you’re sleeping in this position, there is no pressure against your diagphram and gravity don’t pull the back part of your tongue downroad towards your airway.
Side sleeping
Arguably the most beneficial and comfortable post nasal drip sleep position is side sleeping either on your left side (more common) or your right side depending upon whichever you’re more comfortable with.
In side sleeping, instead of the normal straight sleeping position, you turn your face and body in one direction and either sleeping in a straight position or a variant like the tiger knee side sleeping position.
This sleeping position is considered the king of all by ergonomic standards however, not a very large percentage of people sleep this way.
But still, if you choose to sleep this way, you might feel improvement in your post nasal drip symptoms.
When you sleep on your side you should put a pillow between your legs to prevent rotation in the hip.
It makes the leg at the top squeeze the pillow on the leg at the bottom, which might make the bottom leg feel hot and scratchy.
If that happens, try to sleep in the tiger knee sleeping position.
In this position, you move forward the knee of the leg on the top.
When you sleep in the tiger knee sleeping position, you should put the pillows below the knee you move foreward.
This way there is no pressure on the bottom leg so it doesn’t feel hot.
In case the pillow below the upper leg makes your upper leg feel hot, using Bamboo Cooling Pillow might be the solution.
This pillow contains a cooling gel that keeps you cool for about 20 minutes, which is enough time for me to fall asleep.
In addition, this pillow is made of bamboo which is a very soft and breathable material.
Benefits
Here are some of the best benefits of this sleeping position:
- Reduce Neck Pain – When you’re sleeping on your side with your head on a pillow that keeps your cervical spine in a natural position, you are less likely to experience neck pain.
- Post Nasal Drip Relief – In this position, you’ll be able to breathe much better which will reduce post nasal drip and the risk of GERD is also reduced with this sleeping position.
- Better Posture – If you’re sleeping on your side the right way, you’ll have a straight spine shape. This will allow you to have a better overall posture in the long run.
Elevated head straight sleeping
If you can’t afford a zero-g bed and you’re not comfortable sleeping in a side sleeping position, then you’ve got a third solution, that is, elevated head straight sleeping position.
In this particular position, you can use a wedge pillow to elevate yourself, or if you have the budget, use an adjustable bed.
Benefits
- Reduces Post Nasal Drip – When you’re sleeping with an elevated head, what happens is that instead of falling into your throat, the mucus stays inside your nose or comes out through the nose, which is easier to contain and less disturbing.
- Improves Breathing – When you have less mucus in your throat, you’ll be able to breathe much better and have less of a sore throat.
- Reduced heartburn and Acid Reflux – Facing heartburn or acid reflux? When your head is elevated, the acid is less likely to reach your mouth and throat. That way, you’ll be able to reduce the severity of acid reflux, or maybe even prevent it as well, which is incredibly important if you want to have a relaxing sleep.
Post Nasal Drip Remedies
If you’re tired of the feeling of sickness in your throat and you want to feel normal again, you can use some natural remedies for Post Nasal Drip.
Well, lucky for you, I’ve got a list of easy-to-make and effective remedies for post-nasal drip. Try these before you go to bed to have a relaxing sleep.
- Steam – You can take a hot shower or use a humidifier or even a steam machine. The steam will go through your nostrils and mouth and make the mucus thinner, which will result in your nasal cavity and throat getting better quickly.
- Drink more water – Water is always important. If you’re suffering from symptoms like postnasal drip, you should drink excess water because the water will help make the mucus layer thinner, making your throat and nose feeling better and making it easier to spit up the mucus.
- Avoid fried and fatty foods – If you’re facing post nasal grip due to GERD and acid reflux, the best option is to eat less junk food and things that are either fried or contain a high amount of fats. You should eat a lot of alkaline foods and avoid sodas.
Conclusion
Sleeping positions really matter a lot especially if you’re facing something as discomforting as Post Nasal Drip.
Knowing what is the best sleeping position for post nasal drip mentioned above, you’ll likely be able to sleep more peacefully!
