Why should we not sleep north-south?

Researchers at the Chennai Institute of Magnetobiology, say that sleeping in the north-south direction could make one lack a sense of well being times. According to Dr. Sankarnnarayanan, director of the institute, when a man lies with his head towards north in a pulsating magnetic field, his brain's electrical activity is suppressed or damped. Measurement reveal that blood circulation in finger tips are affected and the balance between neurochemicals is upset. In addition, it gives subjective experiences like headache, confused thinking and lack of a sense of well being.

As oppose to this, he says, if one sleeps east-west, in the pulsed field, the brain's activity is considerably enhanced. Also, the peripheral blood circulation all over the body is enhanced. Hence he feels relaxed and alert.

It is known that the earth's magnetic field pulses at extremely low frequencies and is typically in range of human brain's electrical activity. These pulses are not present always but they peak during certain time periods generally associated with the solar activity. If one sleeps north-south during such activity headache, nausea and confusion may result. On inactive nights, there may not be any change in the body, he says. This is true for animals also as they are more sensitive to such changes.