Nothing is better than a good night’s sleep. A quick trip to dreamland can clear up any woes you have about the day, and a longer one will rejuvenate you, making you stronger for the day ahead. Yet, finding comfortable positions to sleep in can be more than just challenging for some people.
It can seem downright impossible to get comfortable and go to sleep some nights. Sometimes, difficulty sleeping can be the result of insomnia due to stress or other mental issues. No amount of comfort will help you get to sleep if there’s something on your mind.
Yet, there are other nights when you don’t have a care in the world and still can’t fall asleep! During those nights, it’s best to stand up and relax with a book or a small project, before trying again and returning to bed. And when you get back to bed, you may want to try sleeping in a different position!
For different positions to try sleeping in, and to learn about the benefits behind each, keep reading below!
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Stomach-Sleeping Can be One of Many Comfortable Positions
Only 16 percent of people sleep on their stomachs. For many people, sleeping on your stomach can actually seem difficult, since you need to twist your head to the side in order to breathe. Otherwise, you’ll lay facedown on your pillow, unable to breathe at all.
Not to mention that sleeping on your stomach can feel unnatural. You either need to twist your arms to your sides or tuck them beneath your head, which can cause them to numb by morning. Yet, sleeping on your stomach can be the most comfortable thing in the world for some people.
It can be an immense comfort to have something to hold against your head while you sleep. Snuggling up against a pillow and into a soft mattress can feel like paradise for many. And those aren’t the only benefits of sleeping on your stomach!
It Can Stop Snoring — But At a High Cost
Snoring is the bane of the bedroom; it keeps partners up, and it can cause you to lose REM sleep. Fixing it can be simple, though. All you may need to do is sleep on your stomach.
By sleeping on your stomach, nothing presses down on your lungs or on your throat. It’s easier to breathe, which can stop snoring and help people feel more relaxed in bed. Yet, stopping snoring can come at a severe cost.
Since sleeping on your stomach is an unnatural position, it can cause back pain as your spine contorts to accommodate you. What feels relaxing and refreshing now can cause you to never be able to get out of bed again! So, before you switch to sleeping on your stomach to stop snoring, try seeing a doctor first!
Side-Sleeping is the Most Common Position
Most people in the world sleep on their sides, with their arms tucked in somewhere underneath them. Side sleepers take up less room on the bed than back-sleepers or stomach-sleepers, but they get the same amount of sleep. Despite being one of the most common positions to sleep in, it can also be unhealthy.
Since sleeping on your side causes your internal organs to sway unnaturally, it can lead to sleep apnea. If you tuck your arm under your head while you sleep, you can also cause it to go numb. Yet, for most people, those are risks that they’re willing to take on their way to dreamland.
And to learn why people prefer to sleep on their side, keep reading below!
Sleeping on Your Side Can Help Ease Heartburn
When you sleep on your side, your stomach and esophagus shift from the positions they’re normally in. With this change in position comes more room for acid and anything else that may be in your stomach. And that means it’s less likely that acid will rise from your stomach and cause you to feel heartburn.
Yet, sleeping on your side isn’t a permanent fix for your heartburn issues. And if you’re suffering from severe heartburn, don’t just try sleeping on your side to fix it. See a doctor and take any medication they give you — it’ll help you achieve more comfortable sleep than any position could give you.
The Fetal Position is Uncommon and Uncommonly Comfortable
Few people sleep in the fetal position; it’s uncomfortable and unnatural to curl up into a ball before going to sleep. Sleeping in the fetal position isn’t something that people grow out of — they should never sleep in that position, to begin with. Yet, some people teach themselves to love it.
Sleeping curled up in that position helps maintain more body heat, which can be advantageous during the winter. Some people also just prefer to sleep more bundled up than most, tight in a bed, alone. Yet, sleeping like that can cause severe back damage since it causes your spine to curve.
If you sleep in the fetal position, you should give another position a try. You may be doing more damage to yourself than you realize.
The Traditionalist Approach: Sleeping on Your Back
When you see someone sleeping in the movies or on TV, you usually see them lying on their backs with their blanket neatly tucked at their sides. Many people accept that people sleep like that, and while it may be a stiff and rigid way to doze away, it can have several health benefits.
Sleeping on your back can help prevent back problems, compared to other sleeping positions. Your spine isn’t being bent when you sleep in your back — it spends the night in the most relaxed position possible. Your skin doesn’t sag too, which means you stand less of a chance of developing wrinkles.
Yet, few people find sleeping on their backs a comfortable enough position to drift away in. Most only do it when they have medical reasons to.
A Good Night’s Rest Leads to a Good Day
It doesn’t matter whether you sleep in comfortable positions or not, as long as you get to sleep. A good night’s rest is fundamental when it comes to facing the day. And it does more than just help give you more energy!
Sleeping helps you make more sense of your experiences with people, and with the world around you. Sleeplessness can cause confusion, while a good night’s rest can give you a clear mind in ways you never knew was possible. It’s an important part of living a healthy life.
And to learn how else to live a healthy life, just keep reading here!
