Health
Yes, Some Vaccines Contain Aluminum. That’s a Good Thing.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has often trained his criticisms of vaccines on a common ingredient: aluminum, which he has suggested is responsible for a litany of childhood ailments, including food allergies, autism and depression.
“You wonder why a whole generation of children is allergic to stuff,” Mr. Kennedy said during a 2021 interview. “It’s because we’re inducing allergies, pumping them full of aluminum.”
To many vaccine scientists, aluminum is a strange target. It is among the most studied ingredients in vaccines, and perhaps in modern medicine.
“There’s a huge amount of information that’s gathered,” said Dr. Andrew Racine, a pediatrician and chief medical officer at the Montefiore Health System. “If there was something jumping out about a lack of safety, we would most likely have seen it someplace, and it just doesn’t appear.”
Aluminum salts, a more soluble form of the metal, are added to vaccines like the Tdap shot to bolster the body’s immune response. The ingredient has repeatedly been evaluated as a part of vaccines in clinical trials and administered in billions of doses over several decades.
Even so, as Mr. Kennedy prepares for confirmation hearings as secretary of health and human services, many experts fear the standby will face fresh scrutiny, and may even serve as a justification for limiting access to several childhood vaccines, like the shots for hepatitis B and pneumococcal disease.
Aaron Siri, a lawyer and close ally of Mr. Kennedy, has represented clients in petitioning federal regulators to pause the distribution of more than a dozen vaccines until the makers provided more information about the amount of aluminum in the formulations.
Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Siri did not respond to requests for comment.
The origins of added aluminum in vaccines can be traced back nearly a century. In a stable on the outskirts of Paris, a young veterinarian had made a peculiar discovery: mixing tapioca into his horses’ diphtheria vaccines made them more effective.
The doctor, Gaston Ramon, had noticed that the horses who developed a minor infection at the injection site had much more robust immunity against diphtheria. He theorized that adding something to his shots that caused inflammation — ingredients he later named adjuvants, derived from the Latin root “to help” — helped induce a stronger immune response.
After testing several candidates — including bread crumbs, petroleum jelly and rubber latex — he found success with a tapioca-laced injection, which produced slight swelling and far more antibodies.
Tapioca never caught on as an adjuvant. But in 1932, a few years after Dr. Ramon’s studies were published, the United States began including aluminum salts in diphtheria immunizations, as they were found to invoke a similar but more reliable effect.
Today, aluminum adjuvants are found in 27 routine vaccines, and nearly half of those recommended for children under 5.
This extra boost of immunity is not needed in all types of vaccines. Shots that contain a weakened form of a virus, like the measles mumps and rubella shot, or created with mRNA technology, like the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, generate strong enough immune responses on their own.
But in vaccines that contain only small fragments of the pathogen, which would garner little attention from the immune system, adjuvants help stimulate a stronger response, allowing vaccines to be given in fewer doses.
Scientists believe that aluminum salts work in two ways. First, aluminum binds to the core component of the vaccine and causes it to diffuse into the bloodstream more slowly, giving immune cells more time to build a response.
It’s also thought that aluminum operates more directly, enhancing the activity of certain immune cells, though this mechanism is not fully understood.
Though aluminum salts are not the only adjuvants on the market, vaccine makers often prefer them because of a lengthy track record of safety data.
Each time a new vaccine that uses an aluminum adjuvant is developed, it undergoes lengthy clinical trials to evaluate its safety, and side effects are continuously monitored after approval. One of the earliest trials including an aluminum adjuvant was published in 1934.
Later trials revealed some minor side effects, like redness, body aches and, in rare cases, painful nodules at the injection site. But there is little credible evidence that aluminum in vaccines causes serious, long-term side effects, as Mr. Kennedy has suggested.
People who are routinely exposed to large quantities of aluminum — such as workers who breathe in aluminum dust, or dialysis patients who routinely receive aluminum-rich medications — may experience respiratory, bone and neurological complications.
The amount of aluminum in childhood vaccines, however, is trivial compared with what people are routinely exposed to via the environment and food, said Dr. Tony Moody, director of the Duke CIVICs Vaccine Center.
“We’re exposed to aluminum constantly,” he said. “If you inhale dust from the outside, you’re coming into contact with aluminum.”
In the first six months of babies’ lives, vaccines expose them to roughly 4.4 milligrams of aluminum. One slice of American cheese, by contrast, can contain as much as 50 milligrams of aluminum.
When scientists compared aluminum levels in the blood and hair of babies who had been given aluminum-containing vaccines versus those who hadn’t, they found no significant difference.
Some scientists believe that one potential side effect needs additional research.
In 2022, after a federally funded study found a minor association between aluminum exposure from vaccines and asthma, the C.D.C. noted that the link warranted “further investigation.” (The agency said it would not change vaccine recommendations “based on a single study.”)
Mr. Kennedy, who was then the chairman of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit frequently critical of vaccines, held out the study as evidence that immunizations were causing an “asthma epidemic.”
But the authors of the paper were careful to point out the limitations of their findings, most notably that the effect was small and that the study was observational, which means it cannot prove cause-and-effect.
In the paper, they cautioned that their results “do not constitute strong evidence for questioning the safety of aluminum in vaccines.”
Independent experts also noted that the authors did not collect data on several key risk factors, like whether the participants were exposed to cigarette smoke or had a family history of asthma — either of which could explain the difference they observed.
In response to the study, a group of researchers from the Statens Serum Institut, Denmark’s public health agency, ran a similar analysis on a national data set of more than 450,000 children.
Their preliminary results did not show an association between aluminum adjuvants and asthma, they told the C.D.C.’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in 2023.
Still, a C.D.C. spokeswoman said the agency was “discussing additional studies” to investigate the potential risk.
But until rigorous research can confirm the finding, the link between aluminum and asthma is tenuous at best, said Dr. Stanley Plotkin, who played a pivotal role in helping create the rubella vaccine.
“You cannot change conclusions from any single paper,” he said. “You have to look at the overall literature.”
Anders Hviid, who led the Danish study, said he welcomed more research into the safety of adjuvants, but he added that these studies might never be enough to convince skeptics that aluminum does not cause long-term side effects.
“You cannot prove a negative,” he said. “There will always be this goal-post moving, saying, ‘Well, you didn’t look at this and you didn’t look at that in that way.’”
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Each year, more than 5 million cosmetic filler procedures are performed in the U.S. — but these injectables can potentially block key blood vessels, putting patients at risk for serious harm.
In a study presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, doctors found that ultrasound technology can spot these dangerous blockages early enough to guide treatment and help prevent lasting injury.
The researchers looked at data from 100 patients from six different locations who experienced vascular complications after hyaluronic acid filler injections. All data were collected between May 2022 and April 2025, according to a press release.
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They found that ultrasounds successfully detected vascular occlusion, which is a blockage in a blood vessel that stops normal blood flow.
If this condition goes untreated, it can cause pain, skin damage and scarring — and, in severe cases, vision loss or stroke.
Each year, more than 5 million cosmetic filler procedures are performed in the U.S. — but these injectables can potentially block key blood vessels. (iStock)
“Doppler ultrasound helps doctors see exactly where the filler is, how the blood is flowing in real time, and whether blood vessels may have been affected after a cosmetic procedure,” lead researcher Rosa Maria Silveira Sigrist, M.D., attending radiologist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, told Fox News Digital.
“The physical exam continues to be very important, but the ultrasound adds extra information that makes the evaluation safer and the treatment more precise.”
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In the study, more than 40% of patients had blockages in the perforator vessels, which are small connecting blood vessels, while 35% had major facial arteries that showed no blood flow.
The nasal region was identified as the highest-risk area, as the lateral nasal artery runs along the side of the nose and supplies blood to larger arteries that lead toward the eye and the brain.
Doctors found that ultrasound technology can spot dangerous blockages early enough to guide treatment and help prevent lasting injury. (iStock)
“Vascular occlusion after filler injections can lead to devastating outcomes, including skin necrosis, tissue loss, and — in the worst cases — blindness and even stroke,” Dr. Anthony Berlet, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New Jersey, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
“Once a critical artery — for example, one feeding the retina or skin — is occluded by filler or embolus, the damage may be irreversible.”
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In the hands of an experienced, licensed professional using proper techniques, the risk of a vascular occlusion should be less than 1%, according to Dr. Samuel Golpanian, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
“But if fillers are done by someone untrained or using the wrong needles or methods, the complication rate can be much higher — 10% to 20%, which is completely unacceptable,” Golpanian, who also did not work on the study, told Fox News Digital.
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Ultrasound helped doctors pinpoint the locations of the blockages, allowing them to place a dissolving enzyme (hyaluronidase) right where it was needed and avoid using large, guesswork doses.
The researchers suggested that using ultrasound during the injection itself could help to prevent blood-vessel injuries and enable faster, more precise treatment if blockages occur.
In the hands of an experienced, licensed professional using proper techniques, the risk of a vascular occlusion should be less than 1%, one plastic surgeon stated. (iStock)
“Ideally, ultrasound should be integrated into care in a way that supports timely decision-making — either as an immediate point-of-care tool in trained hands, or to confirm and optimize management once initial rescue therapy has begun,” Dr. Asif Pirani, a board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon in Toronto, Canada, told Fox News Digital.
To minimize dangerous complications, Pirani — another outside expert not involved in the study — emphasized that injectable treatments should be performed by board-certified specialists with formal training in facial anatomy and complication protocols.
Study limitations
Some limitations of the study were noted, including its relatively small sample size (100 adults) and the fact that it has not yet been peer-reviewed.
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“Another limitation we noticed is that the Doppler exam is performed differently even among very experienced specialists,” the lead researcher told Fox News Digital. “This shows how important it is to create clear, standardized guidelines, so the exam can be done in a more consistent way.”
“Once a critical artery is occluded by filler or embolus, the damage may be irreversible.”
Also, all study participants experienced significant complications, which means the findings may not apply to those with milder cases or different filler types.
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There could also be some degree of geographic bias, as the research was conducted in Brazil, where training standards may differ from the U.S.
Future studies are needed to follow more patients over longer time periods and track their recovery after ultrasound-guided treatment, the study noted.
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Men account for higher rates of nearly all major chronic diseases — yet nearly two-thirds admit that they avoid going to the doctor for as long as possible, according to a Cleveland Clinic survey.
Physicians warn that once men enter their 40s, routine screenings become essential for spotting problems early, before preventable conditions turn life-threatening.
“When it comes to preventing heart attacks, strokes, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, metabolic disease and early aging, testing is essential,” Dr. Jack Wolfson, a cardiologist in Arizona, told Fox News Digital. “Most men have no idea what’s happening inside their bodies until it’s too late.”
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“If I could give one message to every man over 40: Test, don’t guess,” he went on. “Catch the problem early, fix it naturally, and live to 100 and beyond with vitality.”
Below, experts share some of the most important medical tests that men over 40 should discuss with their doctors — some of which are universally recommended, and others that apply to certain groups.
Men account for higher rates of nearly all major chronic diseases — yet nearly two-thirds admit that they avoid going to the doctor for as long as possible. (iStock)
1. Complete blood count (CBC)
Dr. Andrea Caamano, M.D., a New Jersey physician specializing in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, recommends that this blood test is performed yearly for men in their 40s and older.
“It tells us the state of a patient’s red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, and tells of infection, allergic reactions, inflammation, anemia and clotting disorders,” she told Fox News Digital.
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The CBC is especially important in men undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), as testosterone stimulates the production of red blood cells — and an overproduction will raise the risk of clots and high blood pressure, according to the doctor.
“The test’s only limitation is that it does not tell us why something is happening,” Caamano said. “It will give us values, but not a reason when they are outside normal limits.”
“If I could give one message to every man over 40: Test, don’t guess.”
Health agencies such as the CDC, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and World Health Organization do not recommend a CBC test for every person without symptoms, but they do recommend it for people experiencing symptoms like anemia, infection, inflammation, fatigue, bleeding or bruising, or for those with a known medical condition.
2. Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)
This blood test is commonly performed yearly, according to Caamano, especially for men using TRT.
“This blood test measures metabolic and organ function, giving information about the kidneys and liver, and electrolyte and glucose state,” she said. “It is important to catch any organ issue that can pop up on its own, or that can be age- or medication-induced.”
The CDC and USPSTF recommend that all adults 18 and over should undergo routine blood pressure screening. High blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher. (iStock)
The test can also catch things like liver and kidney disease, pre-diabetes, full-blown diabetes and electrolyte imbalances that can lead to blood pressure fluctuations and heart rhythm issues, according to the doctor.
Caamano recommends that men using TRT get a baseline CMP, then get monitored every three to six months in the first year of treatment and then yearly. Organizations like the USPSTF, CDC and WHO, however, only recommend CMPs when evaluating symptoms, monitoring chronic conditions or checking medication safety.
3. Blood pressure
The CDC and USPSTF recommend that all adults 18 and over should undergo routine blood pressure screening. High blood pressure is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher.
Individuals aged 40 and older — or those with elevated risk — are advised to be tested every year, while younger adults with consistently normal results may be screened every three to five years.
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“The use of TRT can increase blood pressure, so it is very important to monitor regularly,” Caamano said. “Increased blood pressure can be indicative of cardiovascular disease.”
4. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score
Dr. Auda Auda, a board-certified physician at Baker Health in New York, names this as his top recommendation to protect against heart disease, which remains the No. 1 cause of death in men over 40.
“A CAC scan directly measures calcified plaque in the coronary arteries, years before symptoms develop,” Auda told Fox News Digital. “For many men, it’s the difference between ‘normal annual labs’ and a silent, high-risk cardiovascular picture that would otherwise go unnoticed.”
A high CAC score identifies early coronary atherosclerosis, leading to targeted lifestyle changes, statins and risk modification to help prevent heart attack and stroke. (iStock)
A high CAC score identifies early coronary atherosclerosis, leading to targeted lifestyle changes, statins and risk modification to help prevent heart attack and stroke, the doctor noted.
The test should be done every five years if the score is 0, or every one to two years if the score is >0, Auda advised.
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“I’ve had multiple men in their 40s with ‘perfect’ cholesterol come back with CAC scores in the 200-400 range, completely changing their trajectory,” he shared.
Major health agencies, such as the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA) and USPSTF, recommend CAC scoring for adults who are at intermediate risk of heart disease or when it’s unclear whether they should start statin therapy.
5. Advanced lipid profile
Dr. Jeremy M. Liff, a board-certified neurologist in New York, puts this test at the top of his list.
“Unlike a standard cholesterol panel, which only gives you HDL (‘good’ cholesterol) and LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol), the advanced version breaks down the specific types of LDL particles,” Liff told Fox News Digital. “Some LDL particles are far more dangerous than others.”
“Insulin resistance influences nearly every major organ, including the liver and the brain.”
The advanced lipid profile helps to prevent “catastrophic” cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, according to the doctor.
“This test gives men over 40 a much clearer picture of their cardiovascular risk and whether they need major dietary or lifestyle changes,” he said. “By identifying dangerous LDL particle types early, men can intervene before plaque buildup becomes life-threatening.”
The advanced lipid profile helps to prevent “catastrophic” cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, according to a doctor. (iStock)
The advanced lipid profile may only need to be done once if the baseline looks excellent, according to the doctor. If results are poor, men should repeat the test every six months under their doctor’s guidance, he advised.
Major health organizations — including the ACC, AHA, Endocrine Society and USPSTF — regard advanced lipid profiles as optional decision-support tools rather than standard screening tests.
6. Thyroid function
This blood test can be done yearly to evaluate how well your thyroid gland is functioning, according to Caamano.
“Issues with thyroid function can lead to mood changes, fatigue, weight changes, palpitations and hair loss,” she told Fox News Digital.
The thyroid is often checked when men have symptoms such as fatigue, weight changes, palpitations or hair loss, while some physicians also order it periodically in midlife.
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The test measures levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which is made by the pituitary gland and tells the thyroid how much hormone to produce. It also measures levels of free T4 (the main hormone the thyroid releases) and free T3 (the active form that the body converts T4 into).
Based on these three levels, a doctor can determine whether the thyroid is underactive or overactive.
“Issues with thyroid function can lead to mood changes, fatigue, weight changes, palpitations and hair loss,” one doctor cautioned. (iStock)
Major health agencies, such as the USPSTF, American Thyroid Association (ATA) and American College of Physicians, recommend this test for people who are at higher risk of thyroid disease, are experiencing symptoms or have autoimmune conditions.
7. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
A PSA blood test measures the level of prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced by both normal and cancerous cells of the prostate gland.
This test, sometimes along with a digital rectal exam, is used to screen for cancer or enlargement of the prostate, according to Caamano.
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The USPSTF, American Urological Association (AUA) and American Cancer Society (ACS) recommend “shared decision-making” for men aged 55 to 69, warning of the risks of false positives, overdiagnosis and overtreatment with the PSA test.
8. Insulin sensitivity test
Some clinicians use additional markers of insulin sensitivity when taking a more proactive approach to metabolic health. These measures can provide insights that go beyond standard tests such as fasting glucose and HbA1c, which reflects average blood glucose over the past two to three months.
“Insulin resistance influences nearly every major organ, including the liver and the brain,” Liff told Fox News Digital. “It plays a major role in metabolic health, long-term inflammation and future disease risk.”
Poor insulin sensitivity is closely tied to fatty liver disease, cognitive decline and vascular problems. (iStock)
Poor insulin sensitivity is closely tied to fatty liver disease, cognitive decline and vascular problems, according to the doctor.
“Detecting it early allows men to make changes that protect long-term organ health, including the brain,” Liff said. “Depending on the initial findings, a repeat every six months may be appropriate.”
Major health agencies, such as the ADA (American Diabetes Association), USPSTF, CDC and WHO, generally recommend screening for diabetes and prediabetes using fasting glucose, HbA1c or a standard oral glucose tolerance test.
9. Hormone levels
Caamano recommends that certain men over 40 get tested for hormones, including total testosterone, free testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol, which can be measured in a blood draw.
“These are done when men are having symptoms such as low libido, fatigue, breast enlargement or when they are using TRT,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Consistency is key in hormonal testing, according to the doctor. “Testosterone should be measured in the morning, as it follows a pattern, peaking in the morning hours,” Caamano said. “Hormonal blood levels, along with symptoms, help determine the need for TRT.”
The Endocrine Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), USPSTF and the American Urological Association only recommend hormone tests when there are clear symptoms or medical indications.
10. Omega-3 index
Cardiologist Wolfson, who is also founder of Natural Heart Doctor, a holistic cardiology practice, calls this test “the most powerful predictor of heart attack and sudden death risk” — though it’s not yet part of standard screening guidelines for everyone.
Low omega-3 levels, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are associated with a range of medical conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, poor cognition, mood disorders and more, studies have shown.
Omega-3 fatty acids, or fish oil, “were associated with significant reductions in heart attacks,” the researchers found. (iStock)
“The omega-3 index is a direct measurement of omega-3 levels inside red blood cells, making it far more meaningful than a standard blood omega-3 test,” Wolfson told Fox News Digital.
He recommends that men 40 and older get the test once per year — “or every six months if supplementing and optimizing.”
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However, major health agencies like the AHA and the National Institutes of Health do not recommend routine omega-3 index testing for the general population, as the test is mainly used for patients with cardiovascular disease who are already considering omega-3 supplementation.
11. Carotid artery ultrasound
Narrowing of the carotid arteries reduces blood flow to the brain and increases the risk of stroke, according to Liff. The carotid artery ultrasound can reveal problems long before symptoms appear, potentially protecting brain health.
It may be considered in some high-risk men or when a doctor suspects carotid disease.
“Reduced blood flow from plaque buildup can trigger strokes or transient ischemic attacks,” Liff told Fox News Digital. “Catching the narrowing early allows for treatment, lifestyle changes or close monitoring before a serious event occurs.”
Narrowing of the carotid arteries reduces blood flow to the brain and increases the risk of stroke, an expert noted. (iStock)
If there is no evidence of disease, Liff recommends repeating the test every few years. “If narrowing is detected, a specialist should follow the patient more closely,” he advised.
The USPSTF, AHA, American Stroke Association (ASA) and ACC only recommend the carotid artery ultrasound when there are neurological symptoms or high clinical suspicion of carotid disease based on medical history.
12. Colon cancer screening
The USPSTF, ACS and CDC now recommend screening average-risk adults for colon cancer from the ages of 45 to 75.
Men with a family history of colorectal cancer should begin screenings at 40, Caamano noted. Those with a low risk level should begin screenings at 45, via colonoscopy or an at-home stool test.
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“A colonoscopy should be done every 10 years unless polyps are found, which then drops the time to every three to five years — or for those with a family history of colorectal cancer, every five years,” she told Fox News Digital. “This screening is super important, as early detection can be lifesaving.”
13. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a blood test that detects low levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the body.
Wolfson refers to this test as the “inflammation alarm bell. “Chronic inflammation is a major driver of heart disease, strokes, cancer, dementia, diabetes and accelerated aging,” he told Fox News Digital, calling “hs-CRP ‘the single best early warning sign.’”
Dubbed the “sunshine hormone,” vitamin D is known to predict health span, according to an expert. (iStock)
The test helps to detect silent cardiovascular inflammation, early artery damage, hidden infections and inflammatory lifestyle triggers, such as poor sleep, stress, alcohol and toxins, Wolfson noted.
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He recommends that men in their 40s and older get the test every six months, or more frequently if levels are elevated or if symptoms are present. Per major health agencies, however, there is insufficient evidence that hs-CRP should be routinely performed unless someone experiences symptoms or is at intermediate cardiovascular risk.
14. Vitamin D
Dubbed the “sunshine hormone,” vitamin D is known to predict health span, according to Wolfson.
Low levels are linked to heart disease, cancer, autoimmune conditions, high blood pressure, depression, low testosterone, poor immune resilience and early aging, according to the doctor.
“It is one of the strongest indicators of lifestyle quality, including sun exposure, sleep habits, metabolic health and inflammation,” he told Fox News Digital. “Levels may be low in men who avoid the sun or overuse sunscreen.”
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Wolfson recommends vitamin D testing twice per year, ideally in the winter and summer, to capture seasonal changes.
While many doctors will check vitamin D in midlife, especially if someone has risk factors or related conditions, major health agencies only recommend screenings for people who have symptoms of deficiency or are at higher risk due to medical conditions or certain medications.
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Anyone seeking more information about these or other health screenings should contact a doctor for individual recommendations.
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The way we lay down in bed could pose health risks beyond just a sore back, according to experts. Your go-to posture can cause pain, reflux, snoring and even nerve symptoms that show up the next morning.
“What we care about is if someone is comfortable in their sleep position. Often times we sleep in certain ways because of comfort,” Shelby Harris, clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep specialist, told Fox News Digital.
However, the way we sleep can often leave us uncomfortable. When sleeping in awkward positions, our bodies lie motionless in that position overnight, adding stress not only to our nerves, but to our muscles and ligaments as well.
Contrary to popular belief, experts say that sleeping in curled up positions isn’t necessarily tied to what’s going on mentally, or how much stress you’re under, meaning a physical approach to changing how you sleep could be your best bet for relief.
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Sleeping with joints bent or limbs tucked can compress nerves and reduce circulation, according to studies. (iStock)
“Someone’s sleep position means really nothing about their psychological state or tension or stress or trauma.”
Nerve damage is a concern when sleeping in positions that involve bending or tucking the arms. Dubbed “T. rex position” on social media, health experts point out that arms going numb at night are often related to nerve compression.
A 2023 review of cubital tunnel syndrome, where people experience symptoms of numbness and shooting pain in their forearm, specifically warns that sleeping with the elbow sharply bent or tucked under a pillow can increase pressure on the nerve and worsen symptoms.
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While back sleeping may seem like a good way to keep your arms untucked, it can contribute to snoring and acid reflux, according to the Sleep Foundation. But it’s important to know the benefits and risks before you flip over.
Researchers and other experts recommend side sleeping, explaining that it puts less pressure on the body. (iStock)
In a detailed breakdown of stomach sleeping, the Sleep Foundation notes that lying face-down can put the spine out of alignment and is linked to back, neck and shoulder pain, largely because you have to twist your head to one side to breathe.
It is also the least common sleeping position, despite evidence linking it to a decrease in snoring.
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Harvard Health, referencing Sleep Foundation data, notes that side sleeping is the most common position and can be helpful for many people.
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Clinical psychologists like Harris emphasize that comfort matters most when it comes to your nighttime routine. (iStock)
Mayo Clinic guidance on back pain also recommends side sleeping with knees slightly bent and a pillow between the legs to better align the spine, pelvis and hips and take pressure off the back.
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Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that position matters more as you get older or develop medical issues, highlighting back or side postures as more supportive options.
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Several medical centers and sleep resources recommend transitioning gradually to side or back sleeping and using thinner pillows (or none) if you can’t immediately give up stomach sleeping, to limit neck twist and lumbar arch.
If you struggle to sleep regardless of position or feel like your sleep isn’t restorative, Harris recommends seeing a sleep specialist.
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