Is there a "best" position for sleep? What are the pros and cons of sleeping chest down, up or sideways?

Question

Erin Carson · Answer

Hi, Eduardo, I think the best position for sleeping. Obviously. A number one is that the athlete is sleeping? Well that you're sleeping. Well, it's hard to argue with anybody who's sleeping. Well, and doesn't have any pain. However, when athletes respond that they are not sleeping. Well, then we are going to look a little bit deeper into position. So the face up position, sleeping on your back, with your arms, to your side, is the preferable position, because it creates a neutral and Unity for a neutral position of the spine. One of my least favorite positions for athletes to sleep on is on their side, unless they have support and because there's there's wedge pillows that you can purchase to help you support yourself in that position on your side, but it puts a lot of pressure on the shoulders, and the hips. So side sleeping is a rough one for me. It's not to say, it's not a good option for many people, but I prefer face up. I try to have people avoid sleeping on their side. I'd and face down is also very difficult to maintain a neutral spinal position.

Jess Racz · Answer

Yeah, I want to talk about, specifically, kind of a different topic is nasal breathing. So there's a bunch of research coming out about nasal breathing and just breathing through your nose at night and how much healthier it is for you. They have these new nasal strips, or they have these strips where it closes your mouth so you only do nasal breathing throughout the night because we're a lot of mouth-breathers-- just like I am now, just as I breathed in-- and so we want to be able to be nasal breathers only. That requires, probably, to have your chest up, or just to the side. I know a lot of people say certain positions hurt their lower back, so it's finding the one best for you. I just wanted to add that because I know a couple of people probably answered about what the best position for sleep is, but the nasal breathing is going to be huge, and teaching your body how to just breathe through your nose at night has a lot of good health markers, or good health benefits, in just making you a better breather and increasing lung capacity and stuff like that.

Emma Pallant-Browne · Answer

So ideally I've always been told that the best position to sleep in is as mutual as you can get, which is obviously on your back. And I think, yeah, so I broke my clavicle and for me and my pecs, if I sleep too much on my back, my pecs always get super tight. So I actually find it more comfortable, I sleep better on my front. But obviously, then you're either going your neck to one side or the other. So I just try and vary which way I'm going. But I think it's very individual. You can say there's an ideal, like for example, an ideal aerodynamic position. But if it's not comfortable for you and you can't hold it, the same thing with sleeping, if you can't sleep one way, then it's finding out what gets you the best quality of sleep. And also just trying to make sure your body is even, I think that's the most important thing.

Roland Schoeman · Answer

Hey Eduardo, the best position is the one where you get the most sleep, different people sleep different ways and they sleep. Well that way from stomach sleeping side, sleeping back sleeping. It really doesn't matter, you know, different people will say different things. I tend to sleep on my back and on my side when I had really bad shoulder injury years ago, sleeping in my stomach, really wasn't an option at all. So I think, you know, think in terms of What really elicits the best sleep for the individual as opposed to, you know, the best pillow, the best blanket, the best sleeping position?

Kim Brackin · Answer

Hey Eduardo. This is the last question I'm going to ask because I'm getting ready to go to sleep and I will start most likely on my stomach and then I go to a side and then I usually go to my back and let my side. I'm 360 sleeper, it's awesome. I have no idea if there's a best position but I would say that the position that you're most comfortable comfortable in and the one that you sleep, the longest tonight, I think it's really important to be an also in a room that is the right temperature for you. And the right kind of pillow. Sleep is so important. So figure out a great sleeping routine and stick with it.

James Guy · Answer

For sleep. I don't really know me. I think for me don't overthink it people. See how they want to sleep. I sleep on my back but everyone's different.

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"Is there a "best" position for sleep? What are the pros and cons of sleeping chest down, up or sideways?"