How Sleep Positions Affect Our Sleep Quality

By Author: Dr. Lee Parimuha
Total Articles: 4762
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What position do you sleep in? Do you sleep all night or do have some nights where it is difficult to get to sleep much less stay asleep? Sometimes tossing and turning becomes our nightly ritual and our quality of sleep is sorely diminished.

The most common reason for a bad night of sleep is the many aches and pains we feel. In the adult population, about 15% of those surveyed report experiencing chronic pain. However, in older adults, that number rises dramatically to over 50%. Studies show neck and back discomfort and pain is the main culprit in reducing our sleep quality. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) states that pain is a leading cause of insomnia.

While would we do to decrease our pain and sleep better if pain is the chief culprit to loosing our sleep quality? Changing your sleep position may be an answer. The proper sleep position when one is young is ,"any position." Timed photography of children asleep show they are all over the bed. Adults on the other hand, after a life of various physical traumas find only a few positions that are maintained through the night. Time photography will show significant ...
... tossing and turning for those who report trouble sleeping.

Many adults only sleep in specific positions with other positions creating irritation at best and outright pain at worst. Either way these difficult feelings will eventually cause the sleeper to be restless, interrupting their repose, and disturbing their quality of sleep

Many argue that sleeping in the side position with normal curves is best to relieve aches and pains so you can sleep. To elaborate this would be laying on either the left or right side with the legs straight or with them bent. In this side sleeping position, the head and neck can be flexed or assume the normal ergonomic position with the ears above the shoulders and the shoulders above the hips. The normal spinal curves are maintained when the legs are straight and the head and neck are in the normal ergonomic position.

However, many can't sleep on one side or the other due to injuries to the shoulders or neck. Some complain about pain at the hip joints or knees while on their side with many using pillows between the knees. Everyone is different but side position sleep is the most popular.

Another popular position is in a back lying position. It is often the "fall back" position for those who no longer can sleep on their sides. For many, back sleeping it is their first choice and has been their favorite since they were young adults. Back lying with a pillow under the knees is also common. However, the back position often leads to snoring and can be a sign one is developing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is the temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime sleepiness. If back sleeping is your first and most comfortable position, awareness of the down sides of this position is suggested.

There is also the stomach position. Most would agree that the stomach lying position usually involves either the right or left knee bent with the head and neck turned to that side. This is a very popular position for children and young adults but may change for those over thirty when it is discovered that the neck rotated in this way one can lead to a stiff neck in the morning. It only takes a few experiences like this before one chooses a change to their position. Stomach positions are often thought to be hazardous for the adult with health care professionals stating that stomach sleeping may lead to increases in low back as well as neck pain.

Our chosen sleep positions influence the quality of sleep we get. We choose our positions randomly or consciously to avoid painful irritation. If your position choices allow you to sleep fitfully all night allowing you to wake refreshed then there is no need to change. But if you find pain and irritation interrupting your sleep you may want to experiment with new positions of sleep. Finding your positions for fitful sleep is a blessing and one worth considering for a consistent high quality sleep experience.
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