The Surprising Way Ancient Egyptians Slept Better Than You Do
Lots of people talk about how much sleep you should get. No doubt this is important. Yet how you sleep may be just as meaningful. Most beds are flat, horizontal surfaces and they seem to have been built this way for forever. Yet, that’s not really true. Some of the oldest beds known to man were inclined beds.
Could sleeping on an incline be better?
We have discovered hints of inclined sleeping from ancient man. The oldest known beds were built 77,000 years ago in South Africa. In ancient Egypt, it wasn’t just the pyramids that had slanted sides; the rich slept on beds raised off the floor with the head angled upwards. They also had a design feature intended to keep people from sliding out of bed—the footboard. Old Eurasian cultures had various ways of raising the head in bed, too. For more information, including photos, this blogger has some very interesting information: Sarah Janes
Why inclined beds are better
Beyond aesthetic design, we now know about the many positive health benefits reported from people who sleep on an incline. For one thing, it’s easier to get into and out of bed. Something young people don’t even think but they will some day!
Your state of wellness is related to reducing or avoiding inflammation in the body making brain detoxification one of the most important reasons to sleep on an incline. While you don’t “feel” your brain detoxifying, you are actually experiencing inclined bed therapy. The inclined sleep position combined with the effects of gravity work together at the only time of the day when the blood-brain barrier is open—while you sleep. Letting gravity coax heavy metals out of your brain is reason enough to sleep this way but there are many more reputed health benefits that include –
- Stops mouth breathing.
- Lessens post nasal drip.
- Improves blood circulation.
- Improves symptoms of GERD / acid reflux.
- Deeper, more restorative breathing.
- Curbs snoring and improves sleep apnea symptoms.
- Soothes congestion and sinus stuffiness.
The best news of all is that sleeping this way is free!
We don’t know why inclined sleep didn’t catch on sooner, and we still don’t understand why it’s not more popular. Yet the expression “everything old is new again” often fits with choices to live a naturally healthy lifestyle. Our modern, high-tech, app-centric lives disrupt nature, cause stress, and make us lose sleep. When we go to bed to rest and restore, that’s the right time to embrace the power of nature and your body’s natural ability to heal itself.
How to Incline Your Bed
You can buy risers and full-body wedges exclusively for the purpose of raising your head above your feet while you sleep like the ancient Egyptians purportedly did. Other people spend a lot of money on clunky adjustable beds with electro-motors BUT we urge people not to sleep on electro-motors and so much EMF (electro-magnetic fields). We now know the dangers of EMFs while we sleep. There is also an easy solution and that’s to invest in a bed frame uniquely designed for inclined sleep especially when the fashion of your bedroom matters.
We’ll take a clue from the ancients who slept in inclined beds made from natural materials. With so many potential benefits and little investment, we just don’t see any negative effects from inclined bed therapy. When you want to be healthier and sleep better, remember the inclined bed. It’s been silently helping people for centuries and it will help you too!