This Is The Best (And Worst) Sleep Position

What’s your preferred sleeping position? Do you lie on your side like a fetus, sleep on your back like a log or corpse, or do you lie on your stomach like you’ve fallen from a great height? You might think your preferred sleeping position is a trivial quirk, but scientists believe some positions are better than others, not because they’re comfier but because they can be better for your health.

Before we dive into this, there are a few caveats worth expressing. Firstly, most people move around in their sleep, swapping positions after certain durations. Secondly, for healthy young people, your chosen sleep position is not so important, but it can have more significance as you age. Despite what many may say, there isn’t an “optimal” sleep position as there are too many factors that come into play, such as your age, weight, and general environment, and each position comes with its own pros and cons.

Having said that, there are some positions that seem to be more skewed towards one end of this benefit spectrum than others.

I’m not going to lie, I’m a back sleeper, a supine snoozer, and I do tend to fold my arms like I’m in a coffin, but apparently, this is the least beneficial position to adopt. 

Sleeping on your back comes with a few downsides. Firstly, it is more likely to make you snore as gravity has a habit of pulling your tongue and soft tissues into your throat. At the same time, sleeping on your back can increase your chances of experiencing sleep apnea, which can not only impact your sleep quality but also cause further health issues later down the line.

On the flipside, however, sleeping on your back can have some benefits. It can help promote spine alignment (as long as your mattress and pillow support you properly). Those who experience heartburn can also gain some relief by sleeping on their backs with their heads elevated, and if you’re particularly worried about your appearance, sleeping on your back doesn’t appear to contribute to wrinkles.

If you’re a baby (well done for reading this if you are), you may find sleeping on your back is even better. That’s because infants and babies have proportionately larger heads and tighter airways, so back sleeping is a safe way to prevent suffocation or lower the chances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Most people, it turns out, prefer to sleep on their sides, which is apparently a good thing as it’s generally better for you, or so the New York Post says. This position tends to combat snoring (benefiting your overall sleep quality and that of your partner) and lowers your chances of experiencing sleep apnea. 

Sleeping on your left side appears to be particularly beneficial as gravity can help with digestion, assisting waste as it travels through the ascending colon through the transverse colon and into the descending colon – it’s last port of call before going plop.

It is also possible that sleeping on your side can help your brain, too, according to research in rodents. When compared to back or stomach sleepers, those who sleep on their sides may aid their body in clearing out interstitial waste, which could help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson's.

The cons to side sleeping are more mechanical in nature, it seems. The pressure placed on your preferred side can lead to shoulder or back pain, or make your jaw feel tight.

And then there are the belly sleepers. This is apparently the rarest sleep position of them all, and while it has fewer issues when compared to back sleeping, it still has some problems. 

As with side-sleeping, sleeping on your stomach can help limit snoring and sleep apnea, but gravity is still against you, literally. Sleeping on your front places more weight on your core, which pushes further into the mattress and adds pressure to your spine. This can lead to back and neck pain.

As mentioned above, what constitutes the best sleep position for you is an individual thing based on your situation and your body, but if you want to change your position, it is possible. There’s content out there that can help you learn to sleep in different positions.