Fun fact: you’ll spend about a third of your life sleeping. And while it’s true that you shift and move around while napping in bed, experts consider sleep positions to be “static,” meaning they’re positions you hold during long bouts of inactivity. In other words, even though you’re passed out, these positions aren’t passive. They have a big impact on your muscles, joints, and even your overall health.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a “best” sleeping position, he says Gobolan Okubadejo, MDspine and orthopedic surgeon and founder of NYNJ Spine. This is especially good news if sleep is elusive most nights, and the thought of adding another potential obstacle to the mix fills him with dread.
“There are positions that allow the body to be in a more neutral position, and there are positions that can put excess stress on body parts,” Okubadejo says. If pushed hard, he says he’d put side sleeping first, back sleeping second, and stomach sleeping last. Ultimately, however, it encourages spinal alignment.
“You just have to adapt to your preferred position so you don’t put too much strain on any one part,” he says.
The spine has a natural curve in the upper back (kyphosis) and in the lower back (lordosis), and the goal is to balance this gentle “S” during your Zs. When you curve too much or too little, your back will complain.
“When that balance is out of whack, you’re more prone to pain,” says Okubadejo. This means that whether you’re curled up in the fetal position or spread out like a starfish when you lie down, you need to ensure that your spine is properly supported so that it can rest as neutrally as possible.
Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, MDsleep expert and spokesperson for the American Association of Sleep Medicine says that if you’re not sleeping well, your body will show telltale signs, such as pain, numbness, or tingling. But if you wake up refreshed and don’t deal with health problems such as sleep apnea (which can also be triggered by lying on your back at night), the best solution is to stick to what is most comfortable for you.
“Sleep it should be a cozy, wonderful, welcoming situation, not something you’re fighting,” she says. “If you’re trying to sleep in a position you’re not comfortable in, you’re going to think about it. And the more you think about not sleeping, the worse your sleep will be.”
