Here’s a little cheat sheet for the sleep positions that I mentioned in the above video.
Left Side
Pros:
Heartburn & digestion – sleeping on your left side is great for digestion and reducing heartburn
Cons:
Sleep quality – nightmares have been shown to be more common in left-side sleepers
Joints & muscles – can cause stiffness in the shoulders and jaw
Skin – can cause wrinkles
Right Side
Pros:
Sleep quality – research shows that right-side sleepers have better subjective sleep quality than left-side sleepers
Emotions – right-side sleeping is associated with positive self-reported emotions such as happiness, joy, excitement; hope; peace, restfulness; longing; relief, safety; and love
Cons:
Joints & muscles – can cause stiffness in the shoulders and jaw
Skin – can cause wrinkles
Supine (sleeping on your back)
Pros:
Joints & muscles – Lying supine allows the head, neck, and spine to rest in a neutral position. Less pressure on the body parts = less pain. Something that can be really helpful is to try a pillow or bolster under the knees if you have difficulty getting comfortable on your back!
Skin – prevents acne since hair is not laying on your face
Cons:
Sleep paralysis – various studies have shown that sleep paralysis occurs more often in the supine position than all other positions combined.
Prone (sleeping on your stomach)
Pros:
Snoring / apnea – sleeping on the stomach helps prevent snoring or sleep apnea because gravity pulls down on the tongue, which opens up the airway
Cons:
Joints & muscles – can cause stomach or back pain
