Which side you sleep on can make or break acid reflux — and the left side wins by a mile.
Do you get bad heartburn at night? Science says roll left, literally.
Here's why it works
Lying on your left side keeps the stomach below the esophagus. Because stomach acid pools in the curved “pouch” of the stomach, gravity helps keep it away from the lower esophageal sphincter. On your right side, the stomach's position lets acid gather against that valve and wash back up into the esophagus — and no one wants acid in their throat while they're dreaming of flying.
This isn't new.
In classic sleep-lab work, patients who slept on their right side had more frequent and longer acid reflux than those on their left — left was the clear winner. And a 2023 systematic review concluded that left-side sleeping reduces nighttime reflux and improves GERD-related quality of life.
If your symptoms are really tough, slightly elevating the head of your bed has also been shown to reduce nocturnal reflux.
The verdict for less heartburn at night?
Roll left, prop up if needed, and you may finally leave the antacids behind.
