How to Choose the Best Sleeping Position

There are four common sleep positions, each with its own advantages and disadvantages:

1. 1. On your side: A side-sleeper is a person who prefers lying on their left or right side in bed, either with their legs straight or slightly curled.
2. 2. On your back: A back-sleeper is a person who prefers lying flat on their back in bed.
3. 3. On your stomach: A stomach-sleeper is a person who prefers lying on their stomach—either flat or at a slight angle to one side—in bed.
4. 4. In the fetal position: The fetal position is when a person sleeps on their side with their legs curled into their chest.

Each sleep positions has distinct advantages for your body:

• Side-sleeping can help reduce heartburn. Sleeping on your left side helps keep your esophageal sphincter closed, which can reduce the risk of acid reflux and heartburn.
• Back-sleeping offers spinal support. The most significant advantage of back-sleeping is that your mattress supports every vertebra of your spine, taking the strain off of your back, shoulders, and neck while you sleep.
• Stomach-sleeping can reduce snoring. Stomach-sleeping is among the best sleep positions for those with sleep apnea and other breathing-related conditions because it’s less likely to obstruct airflow, which reduces the probability of loud snoring.
  
• The fetal position can relax the spine. Sleeping in a relaxed fetal position (not balled up tightly) can keep your spine in a relatively neutral alignment, potentially alleviating lower back pain.

Some sleeping positions can cause misalignment or partially block airways during sleep. Here are a few of the disadvantages of different sleep positions and how you can help alleviate them:

• Side-sleeping can affect alignment. Side-sleeping is among the most common sleep positions, but it does have a few drawbacks. Lying on your side for prolonged periods can result in alignment issues, making you more prone to lower back, neck, hip, and shoulder pain the next day. You can mitigate these issues by placing a small pillow between your legs or choosing a lofty, firm pillow to prop up your head and relieve your neck and shoulder. Try to keep your back as neutral as possible, rather than tensed up.
• Back-sleeping can worsen breathing-related conditions. Sleeping on your back can aggravate breathing-related sleep conditions, like snoring or obstructive sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back causes gravity to push parts of your mouth, like your tongue and soft palate, toward the back of your throat, partially blocking your airway, making it hard to breathe and causing you to snore. The two best sleep positions for people with sleep apnea or other breathing-related medical conditions are side-sleeping and stomach-sleeping because they are less likely to restrict airflow.
• Stomach-sleeping can lead to back pain. Stomach-sleeping comes with a high risk of neck, shoulder, and low back pain due to the spine’s unnatural position. To mitigate this issue, tuck a pillow under your knees while you sleep to help maintain a neutral position. Additionally, choosing a thin pillow for your head can help avoid neck pain.
• The fetal position can strain joints. The fetal position may be comfortable, but if you sleep in an especially tight curl, you can put a lot of strain on your joints and back, as well as obstruct your airway and prevent your body from oxygenating properly. Try to relax your body while sleeping, choosing a loose, open fetal position instead of a harsh, tense curl to mitigate these issues.

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