Plenty of people sleep on their sides, in the fetal position, or splayed out across the bed. Some are even die-hard tummy sleepers. 很多人喜欢侧睡，或者采取胎儿的睡姿，或者四肢伸开，摊开在床上睡。有些人甚至顽固地采取俯卧睡姿（趴着睡）。
Though you may think that back sleeping is reserved for vampires, zombies, and Frankenstein, it turns out that sleeping on your back may be a simple, cost-effective solution to a host of ailments: from sleep issues to health woes.
虽然你可能认为仰卧睡姿是吸血鬼、僵尸和科学怪人的专利，但事实证明，仰卧睡姿可能是一种简单、经济的方法，可以解决从睡眠问题到健康问题等一系列疾病。
Back sleeping, more officially known as supine sleeping, offers a host of health benefits that you might not have considered. 仰卧睡姿，更正式的说法是 supine sleeping ，它对健康有很多好处，你可能没有考虑到。
While supine sleeping may have benefits, it’s definitely not the most popular position. According to a 2017 studyTrusted Source, most people prefer to sleep on their sides as they approach adulthood. Interestingly, the study noted that children sleep equally on their side, back, and front. 仰卧睡姿虽然有好处，但绝对不是最受欢迎的睡姿。根据2017年一项名为《可信来源》的研究，大多数人在接近成年时更喜欢侧睡。有趣的是，这项研究指出，孩子们睡的时候很平均地采取了侧卧、仰卧和俯卧这三种。
The same 2019 review mentioned above noted that more than 60 percent of European adults are lateral, or side sleepers. Still, the上述同一份2019年的调查报告指出，超过60%的欧洲成年人是侧睡。尽管如此，还是有很多理由改变睡姿，即使你是俯卧睡还是侧卧睡。这里只是一些例子。
可以减轻背部和颈部的疼痛
Back sleeping helps reduce pressure on your spine. This position mimics standing up straight. It’s much easier to give your spine rest by lying on the back, using pillows for comfort, and maintaining the natural curve of the spine. 仰卧睡姿有助于减轻脊椎的压力。这个姿势模仿的是笔直站立。仰卧睡姿，用枕头垫在腰部或双腿弯曲处，舒服地平躺着，保持脊柱的自然弯曲，这样更容易让你的脊柱得到休息。
A 2017 studyTrusted Source noted that sleeping on the back with both hands at the sides or on the chest is the best way to prevent pain. 2017年一项名为《可信来源》的研究指出，平躺着睡觉，双手放在身体两侧或胸前是防止疼痛的最好方法。
可以改善呼吸
If you’re lying on your belly or side, you may be crowding your breathing space. The diaphragm is the muscle responsible for breathing, and compressing it makes your breathing shallower. Multiple studies have linked deep diaphragmatic breathing while waking with: 俯卧或侧卧，可能会挤压你的呼吸空间。横膈膜是负责呼吸的肌肉，压缩它会使你的呼吸变浅。多项研究将醒着时的深膈式呼吸与以下因素联系起来:
reduced stress 减少压力
improved mood 改善情绪
improved attention span 提高注意力
A 2018 studyTrusted Source noted that slow, deep breathing results in melatonin production, a hormone that promotes relaxation, induces sleep, and increases parasympathetic nervous system activity. 2018年的一项研究《可信的来源》指出，缓慢、深呼吸会产生褪黑激素，这种激素可以促进放松、诱发睡眠，并增加副交感神经系统的活动。
可以减少皮肤感染
Face washing, keeping hands away from your face, and reducing sugar consumption are frequently discussed solutions for clear skin. What about what happens while you sleep? Pillowcases absorb sebum from the skin and hair as well as product residue. These are easily transferred to the face while sleeping. This can contribute to skin issues, like:
洗脸、手远离脸、减少糖的摄入是人们经常讨论的清洁皮肤的方法。那你睡觉时会发生什么呢? 枕套能吸收皮肤和头发中的皮脂以及枕头套的残留物。这些在睡觉时很容易转移到脸上。这可能会导致皮肤问题，比如:
blackheads 黑头
whiteheads 白头粉刺
redness and irritation 红肿和刺激
可以预防皱纹和细纹
Sleeping on your face can pinch, pull, and irritate your skin, resulting in wrinkles. When your face is directly on the pillow, the resulting friction can cause wrinkles and lines. The same applies to the neck, which can get scrunched and tweaked while sleeping on your stomach. 趴着睡会挤压、拉扯和刺激你的皮肤，导致皱纹。当你的脸直接贴在枕头上时，由此产生的摩擦会导致皱纹和皱纹。这同样适用于颈部，俯卧时颈部可能会被揉皱和扭曲。
Back sleeping also helps keep your skin care products on your face and off of the pillowcase. By back sleeping, you avoid face-to-pillow contact and keep the neck straight, preventing the premature development or deepening of wrinkles and lines. 仰卧也有助于让护肤产品留在脸上，而不是枕套上。仰卧时，避免与枕头面对面的接触，保持颈部挺直，防止皱纹和细纹的过早发生或加深。
可以减少浮肿
When lying on any part of your face, fluid pools in that area. Fluid buildup causes puffiness around the eyes and swelling in the face. By lying on your back, you discourage this pooling and reduce puffiness. 如果你睡觉时，脸上的任何一个部位面朝下，液体会在那个部位聚集。液体积聚导致眼睛周围浮肿，面部肿胀。平躺仰睡，你就能阻止淤积，减少浮肿。
Be sure to elevate your head a bit to help control where the fluid goes. This can help you avoid bags and puffiness, so you can wake up looking as rested as you feel. 一定要稍微用枕头垫高抬起你的头，以帮助控制液体的流向。这可以帮助你避免产生眼袋和浮肿，这样你醒来时就会像你感觉的那样神清气爽。
可缓解鼻窦
可缓解鼻窦积聚
Sleeping with your head elevated above your heart helps to relieve congestion and prevent clogging of your nasal passages. When the head is down, mucus pools in the sinuses. If you prop up your head, gravity will do its part to help drain mucus and keep your airways clear. 睡觉时将头抬高至心脏上方，有助于缓解鼻塞，防止鼻腔堵塞。当你低下头的时候，粘液就会聚集在鼻窦里。如果你把头部垫高，重力会起到作用，帮助排出粘液，保持呼吸道畅通。
According to a 2016 reviewTrusted Source, this position also helps with acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). 根据2016年的《可信的来源》综述指出，这种姿势也有助于胃酸反流，也被称为胃食管反流疾病(GERD)。
可预防紧张性头痛
Similar to its effect on your neck and spine, back sleeping takes the pressure off of your head. Cervicogenic headaches, or headaches rooted in the cervical spine, start in the neck and are often mistaken for migraines. Symptoms may include: 类似仰卧睡眠对颈部和脊柱的影响，它也可以减轻头部的压力。颈因性头痛，或起源于颈椎的头痛，从颈部开始，经常被误认为偏头痛。症状可能包括:
throbbing pain on one side of your head or face 头部或脸部一侧的搏动性疼痛
stiff neck 脖子僵硬
pain near the eyes 眼痛
pain when coughing or sneezing 咳嗽或打喷嚏时疼痛
light and noise 容易被光和噪声影响
blurry vision 视物模糊
upset stomach 胃不舒服
pinched nerves 神经痛
By keeping your head, neck, and spine in a neutral position, you alleviate pressure and avoid pain. Pro tip: Even while sleeping on your back, it may be habitual to turn your head. Use pillows to give neck support and prevent your body from giving in to temptation. 通过保持头部、颈部和脊柱处于中性位置，你可以减轻压力，避免疼痛。小贴士:即使是平躺着睡觉，你也会习惯性地转头。用枕头来支撑颈部，防止转头。
与太阳一同醒来
When face up, you more readily notice changes in light. As sunlight streams into your bedroom, you can better receive the signal from the sun that it’s time to wake up. 当脸朝上时，你更容易注意到光线的变化。当阳光射入卧室时，你就能更好地接收到太阳发出的起床信号。
You may find this way of waking up more pleasant than the sound of an alarm clock. Plus, light helps regulate your circadian rhythm, so you can sleep and wake up at optimal times. 你可能会发现这种方式比闹钟的声音更令人愉快。此外，光线有助于调节你的昼夜节律，所以你可以在最佳时间睡觉和醒来。
睡眠工具
If you want to give back sleeping a go, be sure to have multiple pillows and a rolled-up towel handy.Try putting a pillow under your knees or a rolled up towel under your lower back. This will help to support your body in areas with natural curves and shift pressure from your back. 如果你想晚上睡得好，确保手边有多个枕头和卷起来的毛巾。试着在膝盖下面放一个枕头，或者在你的下背部放一条卷好的毛巾。这将有助于支持你的身体的自然曲线和转移压力从的背部的压力。
Consider:
a warm beverage 一杯热饮
low lighting in the hours before bedtime 睡前数小时内低光照明
meditation 冥想
relaxing scents, like lavender 让人放松的香味，比如薰衣草
less screen time before bed 睡前少刷屏 （from Healthline）
重点单词和词组
tummy 胃; 肚子 tummy sleepers 趴着睡
fetal position： 胎儿的姿势，看起来有点像做一个c形，脊柱弯曲，头朝下，胳膊和腿向靠近身体。
Frankenstein： 科学怪人 Frankenstein 弗兰肯斯坦（玛丽·雪莱创作长篇小说）
supine [ˈsuːpaɪn] 卧的; 平躺着的 supine sleeping 仰卧睡姿
lateral [ˈlætərəl] 侧面的; 横向的; 向侧面移动的
diaphragm [ˈdaɪəfræm] 一般指横隔膜。横隔膜是胸腔和腹腔之间的分隔
melatonin [ˌmeləˈtəʊnɪn] 一般指褪黑素。褪黑素被熟知的功能主要是可以改善睡眠质量
parasympathetic [ˌpærəˌsɪmpəˈθɛtɪk] 副交感神经
breakout : an eruption or inflammation of the skin 皮肤感染
sebum [ˈsiːbəm ] 皮脂
puffiness 膨胀；肿胀
rested [ˈrestɪd] 休息后精力恢复(或精神振作)的
mucus [ˈmjuːkəs] 黏液
sinus [ˈsaɪnəs] 鼻旁窦（paranasal sinuses)，又称副鼻窦或鼻窦
Cervicogenic Headache 颈因性头痛 ： 是由1983年时挪威医师Sjaastad所提出。
migraine [ˈmaɪˌgreɪnz] 偏头痛
cervical [ˈsɜːvɪkl] 子宫颈的; 颈的 cervical spine 颈椎; 颈椎骨; 颈脊柱
circadian [sɜːˈkeɪdiən] （指每24小时人或动物体内变化)昼夜节律的，生理节奏的