Most of us don’t think twice about how we sleep — but your favorite sleep position could be doing serious, long-term damage. From heart strain to increased dementia risk, experts warn that the way you sleep might be quietly sabotaging your health.
Despite its importance and essentiality to human, sleep posture remains an under-researched area. Most studies focus on aches and pains, but the risks go far deeper.
“What you do in the day generally triggers the pain and discomfort that is felt when you sleep in certain positions,” says Dr. Kat Lederle, sleep scientist and author of Sleep Sense. “One of the most common contributing factors to this is a sedentary lifestyle, so it is important to move regularly during the day.”
The Risks of Sleeping on Your Side
Sleeping sideways is the most common position, but it carries specific risks, although pregnant women and those with acid reflux or GERD are advised to sleep on their left side. Sammy Margo, chartered physiotherapist and author of The Good Sleep Guide disclosed that “the stomach is lower than your oesophagus. “
However, people with heart conditions are better off lying on their right side. Studies show that left-side sleeping shifts the heart’s position due to gravity, affecting its electrical activity.
“Tissues and structures between the lungs hold the heart in place when you sleep on your right side,” says Margo.
Read Also: US man strangles 60-yr-old mother for “sleeping around”
Side sleeping may also affect brain health. During sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system flushes out toxins more effectively when lying on the right side. “That is potentially of interest to people at risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s or any kind of neurodegenerative disease,” says Lederle.
Physical strain is another concern. “Women with hourglass figures sleeping on a soft mattress will sink into a banana shape and that will cause a strain on the spine and hips,” Margo warns. Men, too, can develop shoulder pain from side sleeping as muscles weaken with age.
When one sleep by the side, it can also accelerate skin aging and breast sagging. Skin pressed against bedding causes wrinkles, and gravity stretches breast tissue over time.
A 2022 study from Beijing Forestry University and Chenzhou Vocational Technical College concluded that while side sleepers without disorders sleep better than back sleepers, frequent turning during sleep reduces sleep quality.
Another 2021 study linked twisted sleep postures (like one leg thrown over the other) to tissue microdamage and muscle spasms. Participants with morning pain often spent the night twisted at the hips.
To reduce these risks, Margo recommends using “a thick pillow to align the head and neck with your spine and placing a pillow between your knees to support your hips and lower back.”
The Dangers of Back Sleeping
Back sleeping is often ideal for spine alignment — but it can worsen sleep apnoea, a serious condition where the airway collapses, causing breathing interruptions. “This has implications for wider health and often goes hand in hand with obesity,” says Lederle. Poor sleep quality from apnoea increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues.
One way to manage sleep apnoea is by sleeping in an elevated position.
However, for those without breathing problems, back sleeping is beneficial. “The optimal position for spine alignment is lying on your back with a pillow under the knees to soften the back,” says Margo. It can also help reduce wrinkles over time.
Why Stomach Sleeping Is the Worst
While stomach sleeping can reduce snoring, it often leads to neck and back pain. “Twisting your neck to the side puts strain on your neck, and stomach sleeping can also arch your spine,” warns Margo. It also increases the risk of facial wrinkles due to direct pressure.
Front sleepers are advised to use a thin pillow or no pillow at all and place a pillow under their pelvis for better spinal support.
How to Change Your Sleep Position
Changing your sleep position takes time. Margo recommends training gradually: “Lie on your favoured side for five minutes the first night and then roll onto your back. Increase the time slowly each night until your body adapts.”
Small adjustments today could mean better sleep — and better health — for years to come.
