The Best Sleep Position for Adults

At the end of a long day, there are few things quite as rewarding as a hot shower, slipping into clean sheets, and letting your mind drift off.  And while we could all benefit from a nice, calming bedtime ritual, a third of American adults get less than 7 hours of sleep a night and crumple into an exhausted heap in whichever sleep position is the most familiar.

Of course, if you’re one of 10 to 30% of people who struggle with chronic insomnia, you likely try every sleep position your tired mind can think of in search of that elusive sleep – Every. Single. Night. Back, side, stomach, toss, turn. Back, side, stomach, toss, turn some more. And, after a while, you settle on a spot (or you’re so exhausted you stop moving) and try to quiet your mind.

And you ask yourself, sleeping on your side is the way to go, isn’t it? Or should I be sleeping on my back?

What Is the Best Sleep Position?

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When you’re young and healthy, your sleep position doesn’t make much of a difference in the quality of your sleep. In fact, children spend their nights alternating sleep positions and can sometimes take a tour of the entire bed and end up with their feet on the pillow and head at the bottom of the bed by morning.  This is quite normal and as they get older, their bodies naturally settle into a preferred sleep position for most of the night.

For adults and especially as you age, the way you rest your body can have a huge impact on the quality of your sleep and how rejuvenated you feel the next day.

The most important thing about your sleep position is keeping your body in healthy alignment all the way from your hips to your head. So, as long as your hips, back, neck and head are aligned, your ideal sleep position depends on your particular needs, health issues and what you find comfortable.

But before you get too comfortable thinking you’re fine just doing the same old thing, it’s important to note that some sleep positions are considered better than others.

Sleeping on Your Side

More than 60% of adults sleep on their side in part because our backs lose some of their flexibility as we age and make sleeping on our sides more comfortable.  There are several benefits to sleeping on your side. It promotes healthy spinal alignment and it’s the sleep position that is least likely to cause or exacerbate back pain, especially when supported with pillows.

Side Sleeping for Sleep Apnea

If you’re one of the 22 million Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), your sleep position can make a difference on the frequency and intensity of apnea episodes throughout the night.

An apnea episode is a period of time (up to 10 seconds long) that can occur as many as 30 times an hour. During those periods, the brain is deprived of oxygen which can cause short-term health complications such as snoring, daily headaches, daytime sluggishness, and the inability to concentrate or focus. Long term, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, chronic heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke or cardiovascular disease.

Depending on the number of apneas you have during the night, sleeping on your right side reduces snoring, encourages blood flow and can even reduce your apneas during your sleep.

That said, if you suspect you suffer from sleep apnea, have your physician refer you to a sleep disorder center. They’ll conduct a sleep test that will either involve overnight monitoring of your breathing at their sleep center or send you home with a home sleep test.

So you tried the home sleep test, then spent a night at a sleep center, to be sure. And, there’s no denying it.  You have sleep apnea.  Now what? Well, along with some diet and lifestyle changes, your doctor will most likely recommend you start sleeping with a CPAP machine.

What is a CPAP Machine?

A CPAP machine is a continuous positive airway pressure machine. It sends a steady flow of oxygen into your nose and mouth as you sleep. This keeps your airways open and helps you breathe normally.

Sleeping Comfortably While Wearing a CPAP Machine

CPAP Machine wearers fall into two categories. Those who dutifully listen to the doctor’s orders and wear their CPAP machine every night and those who wear it a few times, decide they don’t like looking and sounding like Darth Vader when they sleep, and put the machine aside – just for tonight – only to look at it guiltily every once in a while when they vacuum under the bed.

To be fair, it takes some time to get used to sleeping with a mask on. You may feel a bit claustrophobic and have a harder time falling asleep the first few times you wear it.  But on the flip side, you will start feeling better and more rested almost immediately.

So, if your doctor tells you to purchase and wear a CPAP machine when you sleep, do it! By using your CPAP machine every night, you can actually prevent or even reverse serious health problems linked to sleep apnea such as heart disease and stroke. And, your memory and mood may also improve. The quality of your sleep will improve, which means you’ll feel more rested and alert during the daytime.

What about my sex life, you ask? Trust me, there’s nothing sexy about a tired and cranky SOB who stops breathing 200 times a night.  Wear the CPAP machine. And before you know it, you’ll start feeling better, be happier, and, you guessed it, your sex life will improve.

Best Pillow for Sleeping With a CPAP Machine

The EnduriMed Memory Foam CPAP Pillow for Side Sleepers is crafted from high-quality memory foam.  It reduces mask pressure and air leaks while maximizing comfort and support. Its unique design actually works best with full face masks to keep tubing moving freely and allow you to breathe easier throughout the night. The pillow’s dual-density design easily accommodates large and small sleepers with two levels of pillow thickness and removable foam pad to increase or decrease the pillow size.

Side Sleeping for Acid Reflux

Side sleeping is also the best sleep position for people with acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). People with GERD often experience reflux at night. Acid reflux affects up to 13% of the global population at least once a week. And, 25% of people with GERD experience poor sleep.

Best Pillow for Sleeping on Your Side

Sleeping with a Sleep Wedge Pillow can offer the support and comfort you need to get a good night’s sleep. Sleeping with a wedge keeps your upper body elevated, your spine properly aligned, reduces pressure points, promotes blood circulation and can help enhance your breathing and provide stomach relief. The memory foam Sleepnitez 8″ Bed Wedge Pillow for Acid Reflux, Sleeping, Anti Snoring, GERD and Post Surgery also comes with a washable cover and it’s one of the thickest (3.25”) memory foam pillows out there which allows it to truly meld to your body.

Another thing to consider when side sleeping is a knee pillow. Knee pillows, inserted between your knees, prevent knee clashing, and relieve hip, lower back, leg and sciatic new pain. The Everlasting Comfort Knee Pillow for Sleeping is a popular option. It is made from soft, but dense memory foam, which adjusts to the shape of your lower body, creating a support system for your knees and legs.

Which Side is Better?

Due to gravity, the shape of the stomach, and the angle of the connection between it and the esophagus, sleeping on your left side can greatly reduce reflux while sleeping on your right is best for reducing snoring and apneas.

If you suffer from shoulder pain such as bursitis, rotator cuff injury or frozen shoulder, sleeping on your side can aggravate the pain. As many at 10% of Americans say they wake up with aches and pains every day.  If you are one of them, sleeping on your back could make a world of difference.

Sleeping on Your Back

Sleeping on your back is the most beneficial to your body and it’s the second most popular sleep position. It protects your spine, and it can also help relieve hip and knee pain. When you’re flat on your back, your spine stays in alignment and your body weight is evenly distributed which prevents back and neck pain. Sleeping on your back can also help with congestion or allergies, as long as you prop yourself up into a sitting position.

Best Pillow for Sleeping on Your Back

The Purple Pillow is soft and supportive, so it gently cradles the head and neck with its no pressure support. Pillow boosters are included to allow you to find your preferred pillow height by mixing and matching the boosters that are included. You can change the pillow height by 1, 2 or 3 inches. The breathable moisture wicking cover is designed to adapt with the pillow and it’s machine washable.

Another popular choice is the Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillow. If you want a pillow that “looks like a pillow” rather than some kind of high-tech memory foam contraption, this one’s for you. This “cool” pillow is encased in a 250-thread count cover, and filled with a soft down alternative. If you easily overheat, or you’re looking for king size pillows for night sweats, the breathability of these pillows can offer welcome relief.

The Best Sleep Position to Prevent Wrinkles

Sleeping on your back is also the best sleep position for your appearance. Yes. You read that right. Sleeping on your back protects the skin on your face from wrinkling. Sleeping on the side of your face can cause sleep lines that with time become more pronounced, especially if you favor one side over the other.

Made with supportive memory foam, YourFacePillow is uniquely designed to alleviate pressure and keep your spine and neck aligned, providing neck pain relief and preventing wrinkles. It’s not just a pillow for neck relief – it doubles as an anti- aging pillow. YourFacePillows are available in two sizes. The standard is recommended for most, while the large has a slightly higher headrest and more space between side supports. These pillows are made with quality memory foam, ventilation channels, and without harmful chemicals. Please note, before use, remove the pillow from the box and leave the flattened memory foam in a well-ventilated area for 24 hours. All foam pillows need to be “aired”, which is completely normal. Airing will remove any compounds found naturally in any new polyurethane pillows or mattresses.

Sleeping on Your Stomach

Stomach sleeping is the least popular sleep position. Research suggests that we spend less than 10% of the night sleeping on our stomachs and that’s probably just as well. The stomach position places undue stress on the neck and spine and increases your potential for aches and pains when you wake up. The only advantage to sleeping on your stomach is that it can reduce snoring.

If you are one of the few stomach sleepers out there, fret not. There are mattresses and pillows that provide the proper support for your spine for stomach sleepers.

My Personal Favorite Pillows

As for me, I’ve been a back sleeper for years. I consciously chose to start sleeping on my back in my late teens after reading that sleeping on your side or stomach causes wrinkles.  I never slept on my side or stomach again. Pretty vein. I know. I sleep with a Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillow under my head and put a half moon pillow, the Everlasting Comfort Bolster Pillow for Legs and Back, under my knees to relieve pressure from my lower back.

Wrinkles aside, that’s the best sleeping position for my particular needs. Thanks to some not so great genetic predispositions, I’ve had shoulder issues on and off for most of my adulthood that make sleeping on my side painful.

And lo and behold, there’s a pillow for that too. If you have shoulder issues but absolutely want to sleep on your side, the Sidney Sleep Side Sleeper Pillow for Neck and Shoulder Pain’s ergonomic design contours your neck and shoulders natural curve to allow you to lie on your side even if you have shoulder pain. It’s fully adjustable and allows you to remove or add foam filling to customize the pillow to your specific needs. It’s made of skin-friendly bamboo rayon that is soft on your skin (for those of us who are – ahem – “concerned” about wrinkles), and it’s more breathable than cotton. It’s also machine-washable which is always a plus.

What’s your sleep position of choice? Have you tried switching sleep positions? Did it help?

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