Honey, change your sleeping position right now...Why You Should Sleep Left Before You're Pregnant
Sep 30, 2025
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Dr. Rema Malik, an vascular surgeon in Houston, Texas, recently made this claim online, drawing attention, according to the foreign media Daily Mail.
She explained "Just changing the sleeping posture is very helpful in preventing blood circulation and venous diseases before and after pregnancy."
"Pregnancy is a beautiful journey, but at the same time it puts a lot of pressure on the body, especially the veins," Dr. Malik said. "During pregnancy, blood volume increases by up to 50%, putting great pressure on the venous valves of the legs." This has warned that many women could suffer from dangerous thrombotic diseases such as varicose veins, leg heaviness, swelling, and, in severe cases, deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
"Just as we prepare for childbirth and child-rearing, we should prepare for intravenous health in advance," she said.
In particular, he emphasized that it is important to develop the habit of sleeping to the left even before pregnancy. This seems like a simple posture change, but it actually has a big effect on blood flow.
In response, Dr. Malik explained that the inferior 靜脈 (IVC) is located on the right side of the body, so lying on the left can reduce the uterus' compression of the inferior vena cava.
The inferior vena cava is the thickest vein in our body and is a large blood vessel that carries blood from the lower body to the heart.
As the uterus grows in the second half of pregnancy, if you lie on your back or to the right, you can press this vein to slow blood circulation and reduce swelling, low blood pressure, and blood flow to the fetus.
If you lie on the left, you can reduce this pressure and facilitate blood circulation, reducing the burden of veins.
Dr. Malik advised "It is important to get used to this posture before pregnancy."
She also emphasized the importance of identifying the underlying status through pre-pregnancy venous ultrasound. This is because decreased venous function that can worsen during pregnancy can be detected in advance.
He also recommended the habit of keeping your legs up for 15 minutes before going to bed.
She also recommended preparing medical compression stockings in advance.
Rather than wearing it after pain or swelling, it is better to wear it before pregnancy to prevent vein damage.
Dr. Malik said, "Many women only visit specialists after developing venous diseases after their first pregnancy" and "It is often serious enough that obstetricians recommend that they treat it before their next pregnancy." Therefore, preparation and prevention in advance is one of the healthy ways to give birth," he added.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
