The Best (And Worst) Sleeping Positions
Last Updated on July 5, 2019
Reviewed by Donna Schwontkowski, DC, MS
Quick Guide: Sleeping Positions Infographic
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Why Your Sleeping Position Is Important
Sleep is as vital to your health and well-being as oxygen, food, and water. When you lack enough sleep, both your body and mind suffer as a result. Over time, this can affect everything from your physical appearance and mental state to increasing the risk of serious health conditions like cancer, diabetes, strokes, and more.
Equally important is the quality of your sleep. To feel and function at its best, your body needs sufficient rapid eye movement or REM sleep — the dream part of the sleep cycle where eyes typically dart back and forth.
Now, if you get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night but still find yourself feeling groggy or achy in the morning, the problem may have to do with the position you normally sleep in.
While the best position for sleeping is the one you personally find most comfortable and that allows you to wake up feeling refreshed, certain positions are more conducive to a good night's sleep than others.

How to Identify Your Preferred Sleeping Position
It's not unusual to favor a position that may wind up causing pain over time or strains your internal organs. To determine if your sleeping position may be negatively affecting your health, you first need to identify your preferred one.
All you have to do is note the position you think you'll sleep in tonight and see if that corresponds to the actual position you wake up in the following morning.
If the two match, you've identified your preferred position to sleep in. If not, you simply repeat the process the next night. Now, if you don't get a match after the second or third attempt, you happen to be someone without a preference, and that's okay!
Types of Sleeping Positions
Most people fall into one of the following preferred categories:
Each position has advantages and disadvantages as far as the amount of strain placed on the body. Let's take a closer look at each...
Side Sleepers
Approximately 63 percent of us prefer to sleep on our side, but not all side sleepers are alike:

Irrespective of the variation, side sleeping has many benefits:
Interestingly, experts advise that sleeping on your left side is preferable to sleeping on your right because it facilitates digestion and reduces nighttime acid reflux due to the arrangement of the internal organs.
Sleeping on your left side also promotes better circulation since blood returns to the right side of the heart. In fact, pregnant women are encouraged to sleep in this position precisely for this reason.

While sleeping on your side is generally healthy and by far the most common sleep position, it does have a few drawbacks:
Luckily, there are ways to address at least a few of these pitfalls and it all comes down to supporting the natural curvature of your spine as much as possible:
Fetal-Position Sleepers
A popular variation of side sleeping, approximately 41 percent of people sleep with their chin and knees tucked into their chest, like a baby curled in the womb. For reasons unknown, twice as many women as men are likely to sleep in the fetal position.
As you'd expect, fetal-position sleepers share most of the same benefits as other side sleeper variations:

The downsides to sleeping in the fetal position are also like other side sleeper variations:
While not all these concerns can be solved, there are a couple of things you can do to optimize the fetal position:
Back Sleepers
Kudos to you if you're among the 13 percent of people who sleep on their back. According to experts, sleeping on your back is the best sleep position for your body and overall health as it tends to keep the spine in a neutral position and allows the mattress to support the natural curvature of your back as intended.
Back sleepers typically fall into two categories:

Back sleeping of any kind has several benefits:

While being a back sleeper is generally regarded as the best position to sleep in (more on that in a moment), it does have a few cons:
Assuming you're not pregnant and don't suffer from sleep apnea, there are a few things you can do to become a better back sleeper:
Stomach Sleepers
If you tend to sleep on your stomach in what's known as the "freefall position," you're a rare breed indeed. Only about 7 percent of people sleep on their stomachs with their head resting to one side and arms placed under the pillow.
Because of the position of the neck and arms and the flattening of the curvature of the lower back, the freefall position is the one most likely to cause significant aches and pains.

The benefits of being a freefaller are few:
In contrast, the downsides of sleeping on your stomach are many:
If you can't break away from this position (or if you're a chronic snorer who chooses to sleep this way), there are a couple of steps you can take to try to minimize those morning aches and pains:
The Best Sleeping Positions for a Healthy Body

Which Sleeping Position is Best and Worst Overall?
When you consider the impact of the various alternatives on the musculoskeletal and other body systems, there are definitely clear winners and losers...
The majority of experts advise that sleeping on your back is best for your body, followed by sleeping on your side or in the fetal position.
When sleeping on your back, it's best to stick to the soldier position as having your arms sprawled over your head all night can lead to shoulder pain.
Placing a pillow under your knees will also help flatten your lower back against the mattress for added support and keep your legs more in line with your lower spine.
On the other end of the spectrum, sleeping on your stomach is the hardest on the body and is the one position you may want to seriously consider changing to avoid chronic neck and back pain. That said, some chronic snorers or sleep apnea sufferers may benefit from sleeping in this position.
The Best Sleeping Position for Select Health Conditions
Although the back and side sleeping positions tend to be the best as far as promoting deep, recuperative sleep, and avoiding morning aches and pains, they may not necessarily always be the best choice if you suffer from certain health conditions. Let's take a look at these...
HEALTH CONDITION | BEST SLEEPING POSITION | RATIONALE |
---|---|---|
Back Pain | Back | Provides optimal support for the spine and keeps it in its natural alignment when using a medium to firm mattress. |
Broken Ribs | Injured Side | Allows your uninjured side to expand more fully for deeper breathing. Depending on the extent of the injury, some over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers may also be in order. |
Digestive Problems | Left Side or Stomach | Makes it easier for food to pass from your stomach into your intestines. |
Heartburn | Back (with head elevated 4 to 6 inches) | Uses gravity to keep acid from entering the esophagus. |
Hip Pain | Side or Fetal-Position (with pillow wedged between knees) | A pillow helps to open up the hips and alleviates pressure on the pelvis. |
Nasal Congestion | Back (with head of the bed elevated) | Having a slight incline promotes sinus drainage. |
Cough | Side or Propped Up | Allow mucus to drain from the lungs and throat. |
Knee Pain | Back or Side (with pillow between knees) | Allows the body to remain in natural alignment. A pillow also reduces weight and pressure on the knee joints. |
Lower Back Pain | Side (with knees drawn slightly toward the chest) | Helps restore the natural curve to the lower back and eases compression in the lower spine. |
Neck Pain | Back or Side | Helps keep the cervical spine in proper alignment. |
Shoulder Pain | Good Side (while hugging a pillow) or Back (if both shoulders hurt) | Keeps weight off the affected arm. |
Sciatica | Side (with top knee brought slightly toward head and a pillow underneath) | Helps open up the lower spine and helps alleviate the pressure on the sciatic nerve. |
Sleep Apnea | Side, Fetal-Position or Stomach | Prevents gravity from pulling the tongue toward the back of the throat and allows the airway to remain open. |
Snoring | Side, Fetal-Position or Stomach | Keeps the airways open and allows for easier breathing. |
Back Pain
Best Sleeping Position:
Back
Provides optimal support for the spine and keeps it in its natural alignment when using a medium to firm mattress
Broken Ribs
Best Sleeping Position:
Injured Side
Allows your uninjured side to expand more fully for deeper breathing. Depending on the extent of the injury, some over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers may also be in order
Digestive Problems
Best Sleeping Position:
Left Side or Stomach
Makes it easier for food to pass from your stomach into your intestines
Heartburn
Best Sleeping Position:
Back (with head elevated 4 to 6 inches)
Uses gravity to keep acid from entering the esophagus
Hip Pain
Best Sleeping Position:
Side or Fetal-Position (with pillow wedged between knees)
A pillow helps to open up the hips and alleviates pressure on the pelvis
Nasal Conjestion
Best Sleeping Position:
Back (with head of the bed elevated)
Having a slight incline promotes sinus drainage
Cough
Best Sleeping Position:
Side or Propped Up
Allow mucus to drain from the lungs and throat
Knee Pain
Best Sleeping Position:
Back or Side (with pillow between knees)
Allows the body to remain in natural alignment. A pillow also reduces weight and pressure on the knee joints
Lower Back Pain
Best Sleeping Position:
Side (with knees drawn slightly toward the chest)
Helps restore the natural curve to the lower back and eases compression in the lower spine
Neck Pain
Best Sleeping Position:
Back or Side
Helps keep the cervical spine in proper alignment
Shoulder Pain
Best Sleeping Position:
Good Side (while hugging a pillow) or Back (if both shoulders hurt)
Keeps weight off the affected arm
Sciatica
Best Sleeping Position:
Side (with top knee brought slightly toward head and a pillow underneath)
Helps open up the lower spine and helps alleviate the pressure on the sciatic nerve
Sleep Apnea
Best Sleeping Position:
Side, Fetal-Position or Stomach
Prevents gravity from pulling the tongue toward the back of the throat and allows the airway to remain open
Snoring
Best Sleeping Position:
Side, Fetal-Position or Stomach
Keeps the airways open and allows for easier breathing
How to Transition to a New Sleeping Position
If you wake up feeling rested and you're not experiencing any ill effects after sleep, you shouldn't feel compelled to make a change. But if you find yourself tossing and turning all night or waking up in pain, experimenting with a new sleeping position may be the answer.
Since you've probably been sleeping the same way for years, you should prepare yourself for a few sleepless nights during the process. The following tips can help make the transition easier:

Now, if you're actively looking to avoid sleeping in a certain way, you may need to resort to more drastic measures until you can adjust to the new position. Here are a few ways to achieve this:
What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?
So, we thought we'd end this article with a bit of fun…
Believe it or not, some studies suggest a correlation between a person's preferred sleep position and certain personality traits. Even if the correlation isn't 100% scientifically accurate, it at least provides for some interesting conversation, right? 🙂
Side Sleepers
Fetal-Position Sleepers

Back Sleepers
Stomach Sleepers
Resources & Further Reading
Now Over to You!
What position do YOU normally tend to sleep in? Are you looking to change it? Leave your comments below!
Donna is a chiropractic physician with two degrees in nutrition and a Master’s in Herbology. Besides working with patients in these fields, she has been a professional writer for over 30 years. Her highest degree is a doctorate in chiropractic medicine from National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois in 1990. She has also taught hundreds of students how to reverse Type 2 diabetes and other conditions with natural healing, accelerated learning, nutrition, herbs, detoxification, dieting, and has trained children on how to read five books in a week in her own unique program. Her favorite hobby is reading hundreds of medical studies a month on science topics such as stem cells, neurobiology, natural healing, and nutrition.