There’s no feeling quite like taking a load off and climbing into bed after a long day on your feet. However, if your sleeping position of choice looks something like a twisted pretzel which requires an hour of painful readjusting each morning, then we think this latest study could do with your attention.
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RELATED: Natural ways to get a better sleep
The National Sleep Foundation has just revealed the best position to relieve pressure on the body, and ensure the neck and back are correctly aligned. And in what we predict might be an unpopular winner, sleeping on your back has been ranked at number one.
BUT, for the anti-back sleepers (us included), before you sacrifice your zzz’s in a desperate attempt to lighten the load on your spine, James Rowley, chief of pulmonary and critical care and sleep medicine explains to WhoWhatWear that “individuals should sleep in the position that is most comfortable for them and allows them the best night of sleep,” adding that, “for some that might be on their back, for others on their side”.
However, while back sleeping may serve health benefits to some, it can also worsen pre-existing conditions for others.
For those who suffer from sleep apnea or are working to keep their snoring to a minimum, positions other than the back are going to be the most beneficial in making improvements.
Before we over-complicate arguably the most important part of our routine, our best advice is to sleep in whatever position you can actually guarantee a good night’s rest in. Simple.
Main image credit: Getty
What position do you sleep in? And how do you find it?
I sleep mainly on my stomach but need side and back for variation to make me more comfortable. I find on back there’s pressure and not as comfortable
I prefer side sleeping, but feel I need a bigger bed cause I like to spread out
I always sleep on my side..It makes me sound sleep.
I’m a side sleeper.
I’m a side sleeper unless I’m really sleepy and then I kinda lay on my front with my arm above my head and it sends me off to sleep straight away. I wish someone could make a way for it to be easier to sleep on planes. That’s a skill I’m yet to master.
Side sleeper and I sleep well.
I’m a side sleeper but always thought it was best to sleep on you back, lol!
Might have to try sleeping on my back….I’m a side sleeper who tosses and turns all night long sigh
I find it hard to sleep in any other position except my side – I have to be exhausted to sleep on my back.
Who would have thought! (insert sarcasm). I am a back sleeper, when getting to sleep but wake up on my stomach. I’ve been that way since childhood.
I am a side sleeper. sleeping on back makes me uncomfortable and I can’t sleep properly.
I was a side sleeper my entire life until I developed a health condition a few years ago which necessitated me to sleep on my back. Recently, I’ve been trying to get my body used to sleeping on my side again.
It would probably be better for posture & preventing dowager’s hump, but I find back-sleeping uncomfortable.
I can’t seem to sleep on my back, more of a side sleeper
I tend to be a side sleeper.