Sleeping upside down - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

essendoubleop · 07-20-2007, 08:19 AM

Is it okay for humans to sleep upside down? I heard that the blood would rush to your head and you could have serious complications resulting from that, but I'm skeptical of that since that's what bats do. I have this unique comfort I feel when I lie upside down on an inclined slope and wonder if it's healthy for people to sleep in a similar position.

Willravel · 07-20-2007, 08:30 AM

People can be upside down for a limited amount of time, and it can reduce some stress on the back (I read that somewhere), but humans aren't bats. I suspect that you can expect increased blood pressure at your head whcih can lead to nausea and blackouts.

squeeeb · 07-20-2007, 10:10 AM

i'm no doctor but.....

i would think sleeping upside down puts extra strain on the heart to pump the blood to the rest of the body, against gravity...

Plan9 · 07-20-2007, 01:32 PM

Hippies like to use something called an Inversion Table to do things upside down. Reading, I guess. TeeVee upside down is annoying, I'd imagine.

Anyways... here is one: http://www.teeterhangups.com/home.html

(Thinks about buying one of these and getting a blowjob while upside down)

Bear Cub · 07-20-2007, 04:29 PM

Inversion tables aren't just for hippies. They can work wonders for people who have back problems.

Plan9 · 07-21-2007, 11:46 AM

<- eats tofu, recycles cans and bottles, believes in the destruction of nuclear weapons

Nimetic · 07-21-2007, 05:54 PM

Humans are not bats !!

My gut feeling is that a small slope say 5-10 degrees would be fine - and that if it wasn't you'd wake up. After all, our ancestors didn't have spirit levels.

But then again... they didn't have to worry about circulation. They normally died early from predators/war, disease, starvation or childbirth.

stevie667 · 07-21-2007, 06:48 PM

I can't sleep with my head below my body, i wake up feeling really dizzy and ill.

A small decline can be beneficial, like people have said, for your back because it allows it to strech back out and decompress. Upside down sleeping is just asking for a red-out imo.

squeeeb · 07-22-2007, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crompsin

<- eats tofu, recycles cans and bottles, believes in the destruction of nuclear weapons

i eat tofu, recycle, ride a bike instead of a car as much as i can, not a fan of nuclear weapons. i'm not a hippie, these things don't make you a hippie.

stevie667 · 07-22-2007, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squeeeb

i eat tofu, recycle, ride a bike instead of a car as much as i can, not a fan of nuclear weapons. i'm not a hippie, these things don't make you a hippie.

Its all about the hair

Plan9 · 07-22-2007, 12:33 PM

<- has no hair

HAHAHA!

The deciding factor.

And I'm so particular about how I sleep that any decline would drive me nuts.

thingstodo · 07-26-2007, 01:26 PM

I don't think there are any more hippies since they were invented in the 60s. They got covered over by disco and time. Now none of them have hair (except me but it's much shorter now!).

I do recycle, think war (and nukes) is stupid (and would rather make love), hate tofu but eat organic with no trans fats, ride a road bike, listen to rock music - especially stuff from the 60s and early 70s.

Those things are actually good for working your abs. Richard Gear supposedly used gravity inversion boots (the precursor to the tables) to get his abs in shape for that movie American Gigilo many years ago.

Plan9 · 07-26-2007, 06:21 PM

Hahah... gravity inversion boots.

Total video game powerup name.

...

I want some of these things.

lakeOFfire · 08-02-2007, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by essendoubleop

Is it okay for humans to sleep upside down? I heard that the blood would rush to your head and you could have serious complications resulting from that, but I'm skeptical of that since that's what bats do. I have this unique comfort I feel when I lie upside down on an inclined slope and wonder if it's healthy for people to sleep in a similar position.

are you a bat? guess not...
Small creatures like them have a completely different blood circulation system and heart. The other thing what was already mentioned, is that your body part under the heart is much bigger, and needs a lot more blood, than the chest and the head. So I don't really think it would be healthy to sleep upside down; and neither do I think it's comfortable, because the body usually gives signals, if it doesn't like what you're doing. That means it hurts or whatever. Or if you're skinny, you might faint.
But I'm no doctor, so I could be wrong.

analog · 08-02-2007, 01:37 AM

normal and sufficient blood flow to the body is designed to work under the normal effects of gravity. being upside-down for a period of time can cause lots of problems, mostly relating to the heart in specific, and blood flow in general. Humans are designed to work with earth's gravity- either upright or horizontal.

When you're upside-down for long periods of time, blood collects (pools) in places, most especially in the lowest vertical portions of the body at the time, like the face and head in general. If blood sits still long enough due to poor circulation, a clot can form. That's bad. This is why they recommend that you get up and stretch/walk around for a few minutes for every hour you spend sitting still, like on an airplane.

The human body is not designed for pumping blood out of the head and neck against the pull of gravity. Blood wouldn't drain properly out of the head and cause increased pressure on the brain. That's also not good. Between that and an increase in pressure to the vessels that serve the eyes, the optic nerves would have pressure put on them, which (to be brief) is not good.

So... those are a few reasons, in short explanation, of why we can't.

Why can bats? Because that's how their physiology is arranged to work.

07-20-2007, 08:19 AM	#1 (permalink)
essendoubleop Psycho	Sleeping upside down Is it okay for humans to sleep upside down? I heard that the blood would rush to your head and you could have serious complications resulting from that, but I'm skeptical of that since that's what bats do. I have this unique comfort I feel when I lie upside down on an inclined slope and wonder if it's healthy for people to sleep in a similar position.

07-20-2007, 10:10 AM	#3 (permalink)
squeeeb part of the problem Location: hic et ubique	i'm no doctor but..... i would think sleeping upside down puts extra strain on the heart to pump the blood to the rest of the body, against gravity... __________________ onward to mayhem!

07-20-2007, 01:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Hippies like to use something called an Inversion Table to do things upside down. Reading, I guess. TeeVee upside down is annoying, I'd imagine. Anyways... here is one: http://www.teeterhangups.com/home.html (Thinks about buying one of these and getting a blowjob while upside down) __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

07-21-2007, 11:46 AM	#6 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	<- eats tofu, recycles cans and bottles, believes in the destruction of nuclear weapons __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

07-21-2007, 06:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
stevie667 Too Awesome for Aardvarks Location: Angloland	I can't sleep with my head below my body, i wake up feeling really dizzy and ill. A small decline can be beneficial, like people have said, for your back because it allows it to strech back out and decompress. Upside down sleeping is just asking for a red-out imo. __________________ Office hours have changed. Please call during office hours for more information.

07-20-2007, 08:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	People can be upside down for a limited amount of time, and it can reduce some stress on the back (I read that somewhere), but humans aren't bats. I suspect that you can expect increased blood pressure at your head whcih can lead to nausea and blackouts.

07-20-2007, 04:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	Inversion tables aren't just for hippies. They can work wonders for people who have back problems.

07-21-2007, 05:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
Nimetic Junkie Location: Melbourne, Australia	Humans are not bats !! My gut feeling is that a small slope say 5-10 degrees would be fine - and that if it wasn't you'd wake up. After all, our ancestors didn't have spirit levels. But then again... they didn't have to worry about circulation. They normally died early from predators/war, disease, starvation or childbirth.

07-22-2007, 12:33 PM	#11 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	<- has no hair HAHAHA! The deciding factor. And I'm so particular about how I sleep that any decline would drive me nuts. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

07-26-2007, 01:26 PM	#12 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	I don't think there are any more hippies since they were invented in the 60s. They got covered over by disco and time. Now none of them have hair (except me but it's much shorter now!). I do recycle, think war (and nukes) is stupid (and would rather make love), hate tofu but eat organic with no trans fats, ride a road bike, listen to rock music - especially stuff from the 60s and early 70s. Those things are actually good for working your abs. Richard Gear supposedly used gravity inversion boots (the precursor to the tables) to get his abs in shape for that movie American Gigilo many years ago. __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy.

07-26-2007, 06:21 PM	#13 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Hahah... gravity inversion boots. Total video game powerup name. ... I want some of these things. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

08-02-2007, 01:37 AM	#15 (permalink)
analog Banned	normal and sufficient blood flow to the body is designed to work under the normal effects of gravity. being upside-down for a period of time can cause lots of problems, mostly relating to the heart in specific, and blood flow in general. Humans are designed to work with earth's gravity- either upright or horizontal. When you're upside-down for long periods of time, blood collects (pools) in places, most especially in the lowest vertical portions of the body at the time, like the face and head in general. If blood sits still long enough due to poor circulation, a clot can form. That's bad. This is why they recommend that you get up and stretch/walk around for a few minutes for every hour you spend sitting still, like on an airplane. The human body is not designed for pumping blood out of the head and neck against the pull of gravity. Blood wouldn't drain properly out of the head and cause increased pressure on the brain. That's also not good. Between that and an increase in pressure to the vessels that serve the eyes, the optic nerves would have pressure put on them, which (to be brief) is not good. So... those are a few reasons, in short explanation, of why we can't. Why can bats? Because that's how their physiology is arranged to work. Last edited by analog; 08-02-2007 at 01:42 AM..