“According to Eastern medicine be it Indian, Chinese, Tibetan or Thai, the left side of the body is totally different from the right side. Even some Buddhist monastic traditions include within their precepts for monks to sleep on their left side. Although it sounds weird resting and sleeping on the left side has many health benefits.
The lymph drains to the left.
The left side of the body is the dominant side of the lymphatic system. Most of the lymph drains down to the thoracic duct which is located on the left side. In its path the lymph transports proteins, glucose metabolites and waste products that are purified by the lymph nodes to be drained to the left side.
Derived from the above it is common to deduct in Eastern medicine that the diseases of the left side of the body may be due to chronic congestion of the lymphatic system.
The priorities of the body.
According to ayurveda congestion occurs in the body following certain priorities. If the lymphatic system is digested, the liver and blood are subsequently saturated with toxic substances. Primary symptoms of congestion present on the left side of the body before moving to the right side where they make their later appearance.
Feeling bored after a meal?
The Indian suggestion is that if you take a break after eating, do it lying on your left side. The rest should not exceed 10 minutes and is different from the evening nap which is usually 20 minutes or more.
Stomach and pancreas hanging to the left side. When you lie on your left side both naturally hang allowing for optimal and efficient digestion. Food is driven to move naturally through the stomach and pancreatic enzymes are secreted in a paulatin way and not in a single stroke, which happens if you lie down on the right side.
Laying on your left side your liver and gallbladder hang from your right side. Resting on the left side allows them to hang and secret their precious enzymes into the digestive tract, emulsifying fats and neutralizing stomach acids.
When the digestive system is stimulated this way your digestive cycle is shorter and doesn't leave you stranded for the rest of the afternoon. Try resting 10 minutes on your left side after eating.
Feel energized and not tired after eating.
Try to eat in a relaxed way mid-day and don't forget to rest on your left side and check that you will feel more energized and with better digestion.
Sleeping magic from the left side.
The small intestine flushes toxins through the ileocecal valve (VIC) on the right side of the body at the start of the large intestine. The large intestine travels down the right side of your body, crosses your stomach and descends down the left side.
Through the VIC, sleeping on the left side allows gravity to stimulate bodily waste into the large intestine from the small intestine more easily.
As the night passes and continue sleeping on your left side the debris moves more easily toward the downward column and morning removal will be easier.
More than 80% of the heart is located on the left side of the body. If you sleep on the left side the lymph drained to the heart will be driven by gravity taking work out of your heart while you sleep.
The aorta, which is the largest artery in the body, comes out from the upper part of the heart and is arched left before going down to the abdomen. By sleeping on the left side, the heart pumps blood more easily into the downing aorta.
Sleeping on the left side allows the intestines to move away from the cava vein that brings blood back to the heart. Noticeably the cava vein rests on the right side of the thorn, so when you lie down on the left side the viscera move away from the cava veina. Again gravity makes the heart job easier.
The sparrow is on the left side.
The spleen is part of the lymphatic system and is also on the left side of the body. Its function is that of a large lymph node which filters the lymph and additionally filters the blood. When you lie on the left side the fluids return to the basin is easier and is more easily produced by gravity.
The lymphatic system drains all cells in the body through contractions and muscle movement and not by heart pumping. Helping the lymph drain into the pelvis and heart with gravity is a simple way to purify your body.
And while there are no scientific protocols on it, sleeping on the left side does make sense. Understanding ancestral wisdom based on knowledge of modern anatomy clears up many doubts about the reasons that exist in the east to sleep a certain way.”
Original article written by Dr. John Doull
