COVID-19 Updates: Chinese Study Suggests This Sleeping Position For Patients Experiencing Mild Symptoms

COVID-19 unleashed its wrath on unsuspecting and, in many cases, unprepared countries in six continents. While coronaviruses have long been studied by leading epidemiologists because it tended to cause respiratory ailments, SARS-CoV-2 is not like any coronavirus studied in the past. Before its outbreak in Wuhan, China, last December of 2019, this virus strain was unknown to all scientists.

The distressing reality is that the government formulate policies based on advice from health experts who themselves are also in the process of learning more about the virus. In most cases, the government response is oftentimes based on the overwhelming impact on populations.

A Beacon Of Hope

The emerging data, however, is giving health experts hope as it provides them better insights about the new coronavirus. More studies are also identifying ways to lessen the harm being posed by the virus. A recent study has added to this emerging body of optimistic data.

The study, which was conducted by researchers based at Zhongda Hospital in China, suggests that sleeping on your front helps when you are experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms. Researchers say this position may prove to be good for the lungs.

The Importance Of Sleeping Position

The researchers observed several COVID-19 patients on ventilators and had them lie on their front. According to the lead author of the study, Professor Haibo Qiu, their research analyzed the behavior of the lungs of patients suffering from severe COVID-19. These patients require mechanical ventilation, and they also receive positive pressure.

Professor Qiu said that some patients are not responding well to high positive pressure, but respond better when they are in a prone position or facing downward. Qiu said that while their study was only able to analyze 12 patients, the researchers hope that their findings will help people re-think the position of their body while sleeping. The co-author of the study, Professor Chun Pan, agreed with the findings, saying that your sleeping position could help when breathing.

Alleviating Breathing Difficulties

In their concluding statements, the researchers said while their study involved a small number of COVID-19 patients, they were able to prove patients’ lungs improved when in a prone position. They were also able to show that most patients are not re-opening their lungs when under high positive pressure.

They said the applying high positive pressure might even expose the patients to more harm than good. Considering that there is an alleviation of breathing difficulties when lying on the front, care providers might want to try it out first before hooking them to mechanical ventilation.