Raising the head of your bed 6 inches so that you’re sleeping on a 5-degree incline may improve your blood circulation, metabolism, respiratory, neurological and immune function
- Inclined bed therapy may also ease symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s, diabetes, glaucoma, migraines, multiple sclerosis, sleep apnea, acid reflux, edema, varicose veins and more
- In plants, the interplay between gravity and varying density of fluids is what causes the sap to circulate up and down in a perpetual loop. The same mechanism appears to apply to human biology as well, which is the basis for inclined bed therapy
- Sleeping on an incline affects intracranial pressure. Research by a medical anthropologist showed people with migraines were able to eliminate their migraines within a short period of time by sleeping with their heads raised
- Archeological evidence suggests some Egyptians slept on inclined beds, and the head on these beds was 6 inches higher than the foot end
By Dr. Mercola
Oftentimes the simplest strategies pay great dividends. Getting sensible sun exposure and grounding to the Earth are two examples. Sleeping on an incline is another. While few have heard of it, and sleeping on a horizontal surface is a well-established norm, raising the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches so that you're sleeping on a 5-degree incline may have a number of benefits, including:
- Improving blood circulation
- Boosting metabolism
- Improving glymphatic drainage from the brain
- Improving immune system function
- Improving respiratory function
- Easing symptoms associated with Alzheimer's, diabetes, glaucoma, migraines, multiple sclerosis, sleep apnea, acid reflux, edema, varicose veins and more
The History of Inclined Bed Therapy
Inclined bed therapy was developed two decades ago by Andrew K. Fletcher,1 a British mechanical engineer said to have "an avid interest in how things work."2 He stumbled upon the theory by studying the circulatory system of plants. In trees, gravity pulls the denser sap from the top of the tree downward, which then forces the more diluted sap at the bottom to rise upward.
In other words, the interplay between gravity and the varying density of fluids is what causes the sap, which delivers nutrients within the tree, to circulate up and down in a perpetual loop.
He wondered if the same mechanism applied to the human body, and experimentation and further research convinced him that it does. In the video above,3 Fletcher performs a simple kitchen demonstration to show how circulation is caused by density changes in fluids. In private correspondence with Nexus Magazine writer Jenny Hawke, Fletcher explained:4
"[C]irculation began long before the heart developed, and this primary circulation continues to assist the heart, providing we take the direction of gravity into account. It works on the principle that blood entering the capillary vessels in the lungs provides the water and carbon dioxide that we evaporate with each breath.
Read more: The Surprising Benefits of Inclined Bed Therapy by Dr Mercola
Heart, oedema, digestion, eyesight myopia improvements
My testimony
I am currently 59 years old and, about 9 years ago, I was looking for a solution to some annoying problems I had, which were gradually increasing and seemed to be connected:
constantly accelerated heart beat, accompanied by increasingly frequent and annoying extrasystoles;
extreme sensitivity to heat and ease of sweating;
night digestion problems, especially in the case of slightly heavier evening meals;
often swollen legs, especially during the summer season, accompanied by an increasingly marked presence of venous swellings.
To all this there were added other problems that still seemed unrelated and even less manageable:
myopia, which had made its appearance over the last few years and which, from light, was slowly becoming so accentuated as to force me to use glasses more and more frequently, which had become indispensable especially if I had to drive a car at night. In fact, at the visit for the renewal of the license - in 2008 - the doctor had told me that I was very close to the obligation of driving with eyeglasses;
presence of a growing number of "moving bodies" (small black dots, dark semi-transparent filaments), which floated within my field of vision, with greater accentuation for one of the 2 eyes; for this reason the ophthalmologist recommended me a timely monitoring, since it was treated of symptoms typically connected with the risk of retinal detachment and for which it is normal to foresee a non-positive evolution.
Although not yet suffering from overt pathologies there were therefore several non-positive signals and several unpleasant symptoms.
In the course of 2009 by pure chance, as often happens, by doing research on the Internet I happened to come across some references regarding a solution that could have had positive effects on night digestion and on some of the other problems listed above.
The suggestion was simple: try to sleep with a 5 ° inclined bed, raised on the side of the head.
In those days there wasn't much material about this brilliant solution, but what I happened to read convinced me.
I decided therefore to try, also considering the simplicity with which the solution could be adopted.
In a short time I found the following positive developments in a clear and evident way:
significant reduction in heart rate and disappearance of annoying extrasystoles;
substantial normalization of the exaggerated sensation of heat and ease of sweating;
clear reduction of night-time digestion problems, even in the case of non-light evening meals, with consequent and obvious improvement in sleep quality.
These are the improvements that I have obtained more quickly and clearly and that, I have had the opportunity to verify it, are also the first that tend to shrink if I find myself forced to sleep again on a bed that is not inclined for more than a few days.
In times a little longer, but still quite short, I also realized that, even during the hot season, I no longer suffered from swollen legs and that the condition of my veins was progressively improved as well.
Other important improvements, which occurred much more gradually and with much longer times, also concerned the problems I had in my eyes, related to myopia and the symptoms that characterize the risk of retinal detachment.
Currently I have almost completely recovered my view from afar and, in fact, even on the occasion of the visit for the renewal of the license (January 2018), the verification has given a completely positive outcome.
In addition, the quantity and thickness of the "moving bodies" that float in my field of vision have also been greatly reduced. The last eye examination has in fact found a normal situation.
These last improvements took place with such a slow and gradual progression that they were not even perceptible and, frankly, I had not the slightest connection with the fact that I had been sleeping for years on a sloping bed.
I only made this connection in recent times when, having found the time to do it in a complete way, I decided to go deeper into the subject of Inclined Bed Therapy and to work to spread the knowledge about it.
I am not exaggerating, therefore, if I say that this simple remedy has greatly improved my life and, in all probability, has avoided unpleasant pathological degeneration. In recent years I have made many friends and relatives participate in this simple and exceptional solution and, without fail, there have been some benefits that have often been truly remarkable.
Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Article Source: http://www.dorothyhealthcoach.co.nz/2019/02/my-experiences-with-inclined-bed.html
A friend first told me about Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT), and Andrew K Fletcher, several years ago. She had had her bed raised for a reasonable period of time. I listened to my friend tell me how she had fallen down the stairs and hurt her foot, and it was fine by the next day. She believed this was due to sleeping on an inclined bed.
My First Trial
I watched a few videos on Andrew’s website, and then decided it was worth a go. I bought paving stones to put under my bed legs.
At first, lying on the slope felt a bit strange, and I seemed to slide down a bit, in fact everything seemed to slide down a bit – my pillows, sheets, and duvet.
After a while I noticed that my ankles appeared to be swelling, and because I remember hearing through mainstream medicine, that in order to reduce swelling, one should RAISE the leg, I decided to lower my bed again. I had trialled the inclined bed therapy for only about two to three weeks.
Oh, how I now wish I had persevered!
But no matter, fast forward a few years to a few months ago, when I had just set myself a goal to do endurance training at the gym. I came across a face book post about this Inclined Bed Therapy. I felt prompted to revisit, and try it again.
Finding out More
Inclined Bed Therapy is now also available (partly) in German / Deutsche: http://www.bettneigung.deGratulation, Sie haben ihn gefunden!!!
Und glauben Sie es, oder nicht, dieser "Jungbrunnen" ist KOSTENLOS, denn die Schwerkraft ist kostenlos!!!
Sie brauchen dafür nichts weiter zu tun, als Ihr Bett zu neigen("Bettneigungstherapie")!!!