There are plenty of videos on social media that claim sleeping on your side makes your face asymmetrical.
People would rather spend a sleepless night watching their position because they are scared of ruining the shape of their faces. However, there’s no truth to it.
Does sleeping on your side make the face asymmetrical?
No, sleeping on your side doesn’t make your face asymmetrical. In fact, all humans are born with asymmetric faces.
NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan has debunked the myth in one of his videos on TikTok, as several users took to not sleeping on their side after believing wild claims.
The doctor said we don’t always sleep in a single position throughout the night, let alone be affected by it.
Even though factors such as dental work, facial injuries, and sun damage could affect muscles on one side of the face, your sleeping position doesn’t determine its shape.
And if your face is visibly asymmetric, genetics and development could have a role to play, but not how you sleep at night.
However, not taking good care of your skin or sleeping less than the required amount can have a huge impact on your appearance.
#stitch with @sedonerrr sleeping distorts your face? #learnontiktok #schoolwithdrkaran #sleep #face #skin
Sleep deprivation affects your appearance
A study conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that sleep deprivation affects facial features including the eyes, mouth, and skin.
Sleep-deprived individuals were “perceived as” having more “hanging eyelids, redder eyes, more swollen eyes and darker circles under the eyes.”
People who slept little also displayed more wrinkles and fine lines in addition to droopy corners of the mouth.
“People also looked sadder when sleep-deprived than after normal sleep, and sadness was related to looking fatigued,” the study notes.
So, you may want to sleep well without worrying about the position much for the overall well-being of your skin and a better appearance.
