The way you lay down at nighttime can let your neck and back hurt in the morning and even make you feel drowsy the entire day.

On top of that, the position you sleep in can also support sleep disorders like snoring and sleep apnea!

So it’s well worth having a look at your options.

There are pros and cons to every sleep position. In the following we will have a look at these together. Using this information will help you to make better decisions when it comes to your preferred sleep position.

pro: free breathing passage (good against snoring and sleep apnea)
con: can lead to back and neck pain, pressure on organs, brings spine out of alignment, bad for people with overweight

notes: use a hard mattress, bend one leg away from your body to take pressure from lower back

pro: aligned spine, no pressure on organs, prevents neck pain
con: can make snoring and sleep apnea worse, potential lower back pain, bad for people with overweight

notes: use a hard mattress, use a cushion under knees to take pressure from lower back

pro: aligned spine (also see notes), free breathing passage (good against snoring and sleep apnea),
con: can prevent deep breathing

notes: use soft to mid mattress to let hips and shoulders sink in, use pillow between knees, try to stretch legs rather than going into fetal position

Looking at our sleep quality and our back are the two main aspects that we should consider when it comes to the sleep position we perform.

Looking at our sleep we want to take care that we lie in a position that is comfortable for us and supports good sleep quality. Sleep positions that have an impact on our ability to breathe (sleep apnea, snoring) also have the potential ability to destroy our sleep quality leaving us without energy the next day. As sleeping on our back supports worsening the tendencies to snore or sleep apnea, it is not a preferred option.

Accordingly, safer options when it comes to our sleep quality are sleeping on our stomach or side.

The second big topic is our back. We need to keep in mind that our back supports nearly any body movement that we do in the daytime, so we want to treat it well. Choosing a sleep position that supports the alignment of our spine is therefore a good choice. Sleeping on our stomach falls a bit out of the race here.

Accordingly, better options are to sleep on our back or side

Following the above arguments, sleeping on our side is the best option for us, right?

Well, yes and no.

As a general rule of thumb, it is the safest way to get a good night of sleep. That said – we need to have the right mattress in place, use cushions the right way and try to avoid going too fetal here.

Also – if you don’t have problems or with your breathing passage sleeping on your back can also be a wonderful option.

Therefore take your time to feel into your body when you go to bed tonight. Arrange your cushions consciously and choose a sleep position that you believe works for you. Don’t forget to keep the pros and cons in mind though.

Thinking about adjusting your sleep position now? Effective change means measuring progress. This is the only way to effectively find out that the things you are changing are actually bringing you the desired results.

A simple way to do this is to use the Sleep Navigator that I created for this purpose and that I am sharing with you today. You can download it for free here.

Let me know what sleep position lets you sleep best.

Take care and sleep well

Michael Hildebrandt