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Which Is The Best Position To Sleep in
Which Is The Best Position To Sleep in
If you live anywhere affected by the recent heatwaves, you may well have
spent your nights tossing and turning, trying out different sleeping
positions in an attempt to get comfortable. But what does the evidence say
about which sleeping positions are actually the best?
In Hong Kong researchers are developing what they call the "Blanket
Accommodative Sleep Posture Classification System", which uses infrared
depth cameras that can detect a person's sleep position even through a
thick blanket.
So sleeping on your side is the most common position and we could trust
the wisdom of the crowd to choose the position where they sleep best, but
what about the data? A very small observational study in which people
could sleep however they preferred found that those who slept on their
right side slept slightly better than those on their left, followed by those on
their backs.
If you find it easy to sleep on your side, then it's probably also best for
anyone else trying to get to sleep nearby. On one occasion, while touring a
submarine for a radio programme I was making, the submariners showed
me their sleeping quarters, where the bunks were stacked so closely on
top of each other that it was hard to turn over. That meant they tended to
sleep on their backs, so they told me it was a race to get to sleep first
before the whole cabin was full of snoring men.
Many people find it easier to drop off to sleep on their back - but it doesn't necessarily mean it's
the best position to sleep in Credit: Getty Images
Sleeping on your side may well have other benefits too. For instance,
research into the sleep patterns of welders on container ships in Nigeria
showed that those who slept on their back were more likely to suffer back
pain, compared with those who slept on their sides.
This phrase might conjure up all sorts of possibilities in your mind, but
what it means in this context is sleeping on your side in a twisted position,
for example, with your top thigh reaching across the other thigh, twisting
the spine. By contrast, people who slept in a straighter, more supported
side position reported having less neck pain.
What the design of this study couldn't ascertain of course is whether
sleeping in the "provocative" position was causing the neck pain or
whether people were adopting this position because it was the only way
they could get comfortable because of neck pain.
Some people – like those serving on submarines – don't even have the option to sleep on their
side. Credit: Getty Images
So how about if you got people to trial a new sleeping position and then
followed them to see if it made a difference to the pains they experienced?
This looks like an impressive result, but there is a caveat. Only 20 people
took part in the study – a small sample – so it's not possible to conclude
that this simple change of sleeping position would have such a positive
effect on everyone who suffers from back or neck pain. As ever in
scientific research, more studies are needed.
If you do suffer with heartburn, it might be worth trying
to sleep more on your left side in future
For one medical issue, it's not just a question of whether to lie on your
back or side, but rather, which side you lie on. In acid reflux, gastric juices
come up from the stomach, causing an intense burning in the
chest. Sometimes doctors advise people to try sleeping on propped-up
pillows in an attempt to relieve this very unpleasant kind of pain.
Sleeping on one side is the most common psoition - and it also means you're less likely to snore.
Credit: Getty Images
Well, to start with, one study suggests it’s not a good idea if you suffer with
jaw pain, which is perhaps not very surprising.
And what about wrinkles? Surely, lying with your face squashed into your
pillow makes wrinkles worse?
So the idea is to impose the least strain possible on your face while you
sleep and that rules out sleeping face down. And if preserving your skin is
most important to you than sleeping better or dealing with aches and
pains or reflux, then sleeping on your side isn't ideal either.
What then can we conclude from all this? First that, all other things being
equal, sleeping on your side seems to have several advantages, but your
precise posture can have an effect on neck and back pain – and the side
you sleep on can increase or reduce acid reflux. Snoring increases if you
sleep on your back, but we all vary so it could still be the way you sleep
best.
It's worth trying out new sleep positions and keeping a diary if your
current position isn't giving you a good night's sleep. But remember not to
obsess too much about different positions or you may keep yourself awake
worrying.
This post originally appeared on BBC Future and was published August 14, 2023. This
article is republished here with permission.
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