Sleeping on your left side?

Since my current flare began I’ve been unable to lay on my left side for more than a little while without feeling a growing pain, or at least serious discomfort in my gut often approaching making me feel like I have to go. Now that I sleep on my right side, or occasionally my back, I sleep fine and I never have to wake up and go in the night. It still kind of sucks because I have back issues (as it seems a lot of UC sufferers do) and tend to roll around a lot when I sleep if I begin to feel too stiff in one position.

Recently I started Rowasa and because I’ve read with it and other UC related retention enemas you should lay on your left after taking them for maximum effect I started trying to sleep that way… the few times I’ve done it I’ve done fine despite the discomfort, however when I wake up next morning my gut sounds like a symphony of freaky gut noises for a couple of hours or more. Quite bizarre.

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone else experiences this difficulty with laying on their left – I figured it would be a pretty common symptom but don’t recall hearing/reading anyone ever mention it. I searched and found a thread about it from 2009 but was wondering what the current community has to say. :)

I can't lay on my left side either, it's uncomfortable and usually sends me to the bathroom. It also gives me heartburn. When I lay on the right side, everything settles down.

I had issues with sleeping on my left side. I think it was moer joint pain in my hip from the UC and the Mesalamine enema.  Whiel I was at Costco I got a gel pad for the matress.  This seems to help.  It leviate the pressure points by distrbuting my weight better.  Also I heard of some people sleeping with a pillow between their legs.

You should only need 30 min on the side for the enema. You can also try croaching down with the butt in the air and lay on you're stomache for a while.

Hope these suggestions help! Nothing like a good night sleep!

Peace&Harmony said...
I had issues with sleeping on my left side. I think it was moer joint pain in my hip from the UC and the Mesalamine enema. Whiel I was at Costco I got a gel pad for the matress. This seems to help. It leviate the pressure points by distrbuting my weight better. Also I heard of some people sleeping with a pillow between their legs.

You should only need 30 min on the side for the enema. You can also try croaching down with the butt in the air and lay on you're stomache for a while.



Hope these suggestions help! Nothing like a good night sleep!

For me is mostly joint paint when in a flare on that side. when i used enemas - i layed for about an our on that side, it helps more than just 30 mins because. Then i lay on my back for 30 min and i can "feel" the content on the enema distrbuite on my transversal colon also. I do this while i'm awake, before sleep. Then it's the right side for me.

I'm the odd one, the right side was always more difficult for me, never the left which is good because that's my natural sleep side (and my inflammation is left-sided). Now all sides are fine but I do remember how difficult it was not being able to turn or waking up if I turned the wrong way asleep.

very rarely can I sleep on my left side. The pressure gets to me, sometimes it's uncomfortable, but it nearly always makes me feel like I have to "go", flaring or not. I sometimes turn onto my left side while sleeping, but that doesn't last too long! I usually fall asleep on my right side or my stomach.