When you slip into bed each night, what sleeping position do you prefer? Perhaps you cosy up on your left or right side, or maybe you prefer the foetal position. Or do you relax on your back or front?
Studies are finding that your sleep position can affect everything from the type of dreams you have and whether you snore, to back and neck pain, and the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Here we look at the pros and cons of the most common sleep positions and which one is the healthiest for your body:
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Good for: Preventing neck and back pain, reducing acid reflux, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts
Bad for: Snoring
Why? Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck, and spine to maintain a neutral position. You’re not forcing any extra curves into your back. It’s also ideal for fighting acid reflux. If the head is elevated, your stomach will be below your esophagus so acid or food can’t come back up.
Back-sleeping also helps prevent wrinkles, because nothing is pushing against your face, and the weight of your breasts is fully supported, reducing sagginess.
Good for: Preventing neck and back pain, reducing acid reflux, snoring less, sleeping during pregnancy
Bad for: Your skin and your breasts
Why? If you have heartburn or reflux, sleeping on your left eases symptoms but sleeping on the right side relaxes a sphincter muscle between the oesophagus and stomach, allowing stomach acid to flow back up to the oesophagus. Side sleeping may also help to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
A study in Turkey also found that sleeping on the left side is associated with nightmares, although researchers don’t know why.
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Good for: Snoring less, sleeping during pregnancy
Bad for: Preventing neck and back pain, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts
Why? When you snooze with your knees pulled up high and chin tucked into your chest, you may feel it in the morning, especially if you have an arthritic back or joints.
This curved position also restricts diaphragmatic breathing, and if you make this your nightly pose, you may bring on premature facial wrinkles and breast sag.
Good for: Easing snoring
Bad for: Avoiding neck and back pain, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts
Why? Studies agree this is the worse position of the bunch, but not if you like vivid dreams, say researchers from Hong Kong Shue Yan University. When you sleep face down, though, you have to turn your head and the weight of your shoulders creates pressure on your neck. Think about the soreness you’d feel if you kept your neck turned to one side for 15 minutes during the day.
In this position, you have your head to one side for hours at a time. You won’t necessarily feel it the next day, but you may soon start to ache.
(Read more: How To Become A Morning Person So You Can Truly Rise And Shine)
(Text by Sarah Marinos, Good Health (Bauer) / Additional Reporting by Natalya Molok)