Here at Yourwellness, we recently reported on a study which showed that the way that you and your partner sleep says something about you as a couple. Relationship psychologist Corrine Sweet explained that sleeping habits can reveal stresses and strains in a relationship. ‘During sleep, you cannot fake your body language,’ she said. ‘This is the time when you are honest, vulnerable and your sleeping position can reveal a lot about your relationship.’ The survey revealed that over half of adults believe they could tell if their partner was cheating on them, just by their partner’s sleeping position.
However, another sleep wellness expert has now suggested another reason why you may want to think about your sleeping position of choice. According to Dr. Michael J. Breus, who appeared on US health show The Doctors, some sleeping positions may be better for your body than others, and so it’s your own wellbeing – rather than your emotional health or relationship wellness – that determines how you get your forty winks.
On The Doctors, Dr Breus revealed that grabbing some shut-eye when you’re in the wrong position could be causing unnecessary strain across your back and neck. Dr Breus explained, ‘Sleeping on your back is usually the best sleep position. It disperses your weight over your entire frame.’ He continued by saying that, if your weight is distributed evenly, you can ease this muscular pain and reduce the strain that you may otherwise put on your body.
So that’s the best position for your body, but what about the worst? Surely, sleeping on your stomach would be similar to sleeping on your back – it’s just the same, only upside down, right? In fact, Dr Breus warned that sleeping on your stomach is the worst position for your body. He says, ‘The biggest problem is that you have to turn your entire head almost 90 degrees and that causes tremendous strain across your neck.’
Dr Breus concluded that the best sleeping position can vary from person to person, and he recommends individual consultations to see what is best. However, if you’re thinking that, once you’re out for the count, there’s little you can do about your sleeping habits, don’t worry; there are other things that affect your body at night which you can control. Dr Breus noted that an older mattress that sags or an over-stuffed pillow can cause even further problems, so make sure you get a good night’s sleep by ensuring your bed is worthy of one.