An experiment to save lives by sleeping at an angle

Andrew Fletcher

From a letter to The Natural Death Centre.

What I am proposing is a simple modification to the angle at which we sleep.

In order to demonstrate the benefit of such a simple application I need some volunteers. I am hoping that the readers of your publication may be able to help with the experiment by raising their beds no less than six inches or 15 centimetres in order to effect a gentle slope, raising the upper torso higher than the feet. This is easily achieved by either packing up the whole bed or by constructing a plywood wedge which should run the whole length of the bed and support the mattress plus the weight of the occupant.

Why

What I aim to show in this experiment is a positive increase in energy and health to the participants, particularly to those who suffer from circulatory problems like varicose veins etc.

My wife has already benefited from this experiment. A swollen varicose vein which has been with her for 14 years has almost disappeared without trace.

A nurse from Torbay who has read my paper told me that every person that has lived to a hundred years has refused to lay flat in bed. But those that chose to lay flat don't live very long lives.

A merchant ships' captain now retired has also read my paper and told me in conversation that during long voyages on bulk shipping vessels he personally noted a boost in the crew's enthusiasm during the return journey. He assumed that this was the feel-good factor of the crew knowing that they were on their way home. However he now believes that this may have been due to the angle at which the crew slept because, once the ship had unloaded its massive cargo, the front of the ship was raised by 20 feet or more. Given the fact that almost all of the beds faced towards the stern of the ship, this meant of course that all were sleeping at an angle as suggested above.

It has long been known that if you remove the pillows from a sick, bed-ridden patient they slip away quite rapidly.

Time of death

It has been observed that most people who pass away in their sleep do so at around 4 am. If we assume that most people go to bed at around 10pm, this gives us a critical six hour period of sleeping horizontally. The evening gives rise to air humidity which is also a factor giving rise to moisture loss prevention, effectively inhibiting the loss of moisture from the lungs. How many times have we heard of the sudden death of a recently retired person? Long periods of rest in bed must be the main contributory factor. We are now seeing an increase in the premature death of retired or redundant professional ladies, who have chosen to take on similar lifestyles to the male gender.

Two weeks of laying at an angle while sleeping will, I am sure, produce many positive changes. All I require is that participants take notes of any such changes in their physical health and particularly in female cycles.

Andrew Fletcher, 26 Berry Drive, Paignton, Devon TQ3 3QW (tel/fax 01803 524117).

Previous / Next / Table of Contents