Trying to find the perfect sleeping position when it's that time of the month can be extremely difficult, but there is one pose that will help reduce period pain.

每个月的生理期，想要找到一个完美的睡眠姿势都非常困难，但是有一个姿势可以帮助减轻经期疼痛。

According to gynaecologists, the foetal position is the best placed to ease the late night agony of period cramps.

根据妇科医生的说法，胎儿式睡姿是缓解经期的深夜痛苦的最佳姿势。

'Sleeping in the foetal position takes pressure off the abdominal muscles,' Lisa Lindley, M.D., board-certified gynecologist told Glamour magazine. 

“胎儿式睡姿睡觉会减轻腹部肌肉的压力，”医学博士Lisa Lindley告诉《Glamour》杂志说。

'Many women report that the foetal position can help relieve cramps,' Jennifer Wider, M.D., added.

“很多女性都说胎儿姿势可以帮助缓解绞痛，”医学博士Jennifer Wider补充道。

This is thanks to the skeletal muscles around the abdomen relaxing, and the reduction in tension results in less cramps and pain. 

这要归功于腹部周围的骨骼肌的放松，紧张程度的降低可以减少痉挛和疼痛。

Another professional, Dr Jennifer Wider, advised people to avoid sleeping on their stomach during this time as doing so can squeeze the uterus so that more blood is released.

另一位专业人士，Jennifer Wider医生建议人们在这段时间不要趴着睡觉，因为这样会挤压子宫以至于释放更多的血液。

Although the foetal position may help period pains, contrary to this Sydney-based sleep coach, Elina Winnel from My Sleep Coach, said that people should avoid falling asleep in this way.

尽管胎儿睡姿可能有助于缓解经期疼痛，但这一结论与悉尼的睡眠教练Elina Winnel的结论恰恰相反，她说人们应该避免以这种方式入睡。

This is because overall the curled-up position can be detrimental to the human body.

这是因为总的来说，弯曲的姿势对人体是有害的。

'What we may not realise is that we are putting our body into a fight or flight posture,' she wrote in a blog post.

她在一篇博客帖子中写道:“我们可能没有意识到，我们正把自己的身体摆成战斗或逃跑的姿势。”

'If we go to sleep in this position, we may be signalling to our nervous system that we are in fight or flight, and that it is not safe to go to sleep.'

“如果我们以这种姿势睡觉，我们可能是在向神经系统发出我们在战斗或逃跑，睡觉是不安全的信号。”

She recommends sleeping with an open posture instead as it helps to open up the lung area, allowing people to take deep breaths. 

她建议用开放的姿势睡觉，这样有助于打开肺部，让人们深呼吸。

（翻译：小半）