Researchers found that women who did not sleep on their left side along with women who slept either during the day or for longer periods of time at night had a higher risk of having a late stillbirth. It is hypothesized that the decreased blood flow to the baby may be responsible for the observed increase in risk. In addition, researchers believe that spending increased time while sleeping, especially while not on the left side, can also cause restricted blood flow to the uterus and baby.
More Research is Now Needed
The authors stressed that the risk is very small and the research is very early in its development. The number of women studied was also very small, so larger studies using many more women are needed before these relationships can be completely understood. The results do not warrant an aggressive push towards educating women about the need to sleep on their sides, but many women would agree that this is a very simple measure that they can take to help prevent a late stillbirth.
Thank-you for reading this article. Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source:
Kelland, K. (2011, June 14). Sleep position may affect stillbirth risk . Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43402683/ns/health/