What is the best position to sleep? Sleeping in the fetal position, in a dog position, on your stomach, or your back may seem more or less comfortable.
However, beyond comfort, each of these positions has direct impacts on our muscles, our joints, and our nerves!
So what position should we avoid to promote good quality sleep? What are the best positions for sleeping and recovering well?
Our sleep experts at Sleepie have delved into these questions to bring you a comprehensive guide to sleep positions.
Also read: How To Improve Your Sleep Hygiene?
Let’s dive in.
Why Is Sleeping Position So Important?
The position in which we sleep has a major impact on the following:
- The digestion
- Joints
- Back Stability
- Oxygen supply
- Sleep Quality
- Blood flow
- Regulation of blood pressure
- Muscle relaxation and repair
Does the best position for sleeping exist?
There is no “best sleeping position,” but some have fewer disadvantages than others.
Among the many positions that exist for sleeping, we have retained three that specialists agree on.
Sleeping On Your Back → The Best!
What is the best position to sleep when you have back pain? Sleeping on your back is the best sleeping position, according to doctors.
It is perfect for spinal alignment and promotes muscle relaxation. In addition to respecting cervical, dorsal, and lumbar curvatures, it avoids certain inconveniences such as heartburn.
Its only drawback? It promotes snoring.
How to Sleep Well On Your Back?
When you sleep flat, the body tends to arch slightly. To avoid tension in the lower back and to correct lumbar hollowness, you can place a small cushion under your knees.
A second pillow under your feet is ideal if you suffer from vein problems.
Should You Sleep With Your Arms In The Air Or Alongside Your Body?
Sleeping with your arms in the air forces you to raise your shoulders, which puts tension on them and can cause soreness.
The ideal is to place your upper arms alongside your body and bend your elbows slightly.
Cruralgia Position For Sleeping
For people who suffer from lower back pain, the prone position would be a good sleeping position.
It is recommended to place one or two pillows under the knees to respect the natural curvature of the body.
It is also important to create comfort for the neck with a good pillow. Sleeping on your back is said to be the best sleeping position to combat back problems.
Sleeping On Your Side
This position is ideal for sleeping since it promotes digestion, limits snoring, and respects the alignment of the spine.
Sleeping on your left or right side offers the same benefits but different drawbacks.
The ideal is, therefore, to alternate to accustom the body to naturally changing position during sleep.
Sleeping Position On The Left Side
Sleeping on your left side promotes good blood circulation and frees the stomach from the weight of the liver.
Gastric reflux is avoided, but the heart is compressed and can cause feelings of oppression.
What Is The Best Position To Sleep During Pregnancy?
Sleeping on the left side would also be the best position for sleeping while pregnant, preferably from the 2nd trimester of pregnancy.
You can add a nursing pillow to add comfort.
Sleeping Position On The Right Side
This position is adopted by 41% of the population. It prevents muscle tension and relieves the liver, but it can accentuate heartburn.
This constraint is due to the anatomical specificity of the stomach.
The lower esophageal sphincter (the valve between the bag that contains gastric fluid and the esophagus) is, in fact, located on the right side.
If we compress this valve, the liquid rises from the stomach to the esophagus and creates gastric reflux.
Sleeping Seedling Sitting, Head Raised
For sleepers who have a semi-electric bed, the semi-sitting position allows you to raise your upper body and acts on respiratory problems.
It is, therefore, particularly suitable for people who suffer from sleep apnea or in cases of colds.
If you do not have such a bed, you can also choose to put several pillows under your head, especially when you have a blocked nose.
What Position Should You Avoid To Sleep Better?
Do you regularly wake up with back or neck pain? We decipher for you the positions to avoid sleeping well.
Do you have difficulty falling asleep? Start by assessing your sleep in just 2 minutes.
Free Fall Position: On Your Stomach
Sleeping on your stomach can assist you in falling asleep, but it is the least recommended position since it only has disadvantages:
- Exerts pressure on the cervical spine;
- Creates a hollow in the lumbar area;
- Causes poor breathing and snoring;
- Tenses the muscles and joints of the neck;
- Involves a collapse of the spine, which compresses the internal organs.
- If you regularly turn onto your stomach during the night, we advise you to opt for a flat or thin pillow, which will limit damage to the neck.
Starfish Position: On Your Back, Arms Behind Your Head
Sleeping on your back is ideal for spinal alignment, but positioning your arms behind your head causes tension in the shoulders, trapezius, and even the neck.
Prolonging this position can also cause pinching of the nerves.
The Fetal Position, Or Gundog
While side sleeping is considered one of the best sleep positions, the “gun dog” and “fetal position” are not recommended.
The body is then folded on itself, the knees brought to the stomach and the chin tucked against the chest.
In addition to not respecting the curvatures of the back (cervical, dorsal, and lumbar), this position prevents proper breathing.
Sleeping in A Sitting Position
Do you have the habit of nosediving when traveling by car or train? Or plane?
The sitting position is not recommended for sleeping since it creates pain in the lower back, back, and neck.
To limit inconvenience, why not use a neck cushion, the famous U-shaped cushion? You can also recline your seat as much as possible to adopt a more reclined position.
Our Advice: Whatever Your Sleeping Position
The best position for sleeping doesn’t really exist. Some tips can help you sleep better, whatever position you choose:
- Change position regularly;
- Choose your bedding based on your sleeping position;
- Do not raise your arms above your head for good blood circulation;
- If you do not have a privileged position, opt for a rigid mattress which will relieve your back by maintaining its curvatures in the axis.
Some sleeping positions offer more advantages than disadvantages, but there really is no best position for sleeping.
It all depends on your comfort, your body type, your habits, and the type of sleeper you are. If you are having problems sleeping, find our Sleepie tips to sleep better.
We have an extended article stating: Sleep Smarter: 19 Tips To Improve Your Sleep For Life.