Ask Dr. Gott: Sitting up cures insomnia

Dear Dr. Gott: I am a 49-year-old male. For the last six to nine months, I have not been sleeping well. I have found a way to sleep soundly, but I want to ensure it will not harm me. After months of barely sleeping, I was so exhausted. One night, I fell asleep on the couch in a sitting position and found that I slept like a rock. I woke up in the morning feeling fine. Since then, I start out trying to sleep in bed but inevitably wind up back on the couch sleeping in a sitting position. I always feel fine in the morning but worry that this might do my body some harm down the road should it continue. Dear Reader: To the best of my knowledge, there is no harm in sleeping on the couch in a sitting position. I would imagine that this could cause some muscle stiffness upon waking, but if you are not experiencing any problems, I... [read full story]