Best And Worst Sleep Positions For Your Health

Your preferred p.m. pose could be giving you back and neck pain, tummy troubles, even premature wrinkles. Discover the best positions for your body--plus the one you may want to avoid.

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The Best: Back Position

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Good for: Preventing neck and back pain, reducing acid reflux, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts Bad for: Snoring The scoop: Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck and spine to maintain a neutral position. You're not forcing any extra curves into your back, says Steven Diamant, a chiropractor in New York City. It's also ideal for fighting acid reflux, Dr. Olson says: "If the head is elevated, your stomach will be below your esophagus so acid or food can't come back up." Back-sleeping also helps prevent wrinkles, because nothing is pushing against your face, notes Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., a professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University. And the weight of your breasts is fully supported, reducing sagginess. Consider this: "Snoring is usually most frequent and severe when sleeping on the back," Dr. Olson says. Perfect pillow: One puffy one. The goal is to keep your head and neck supported without propping your head up too much. More from Health.com: 7 Tips For The Best Sleep Ever The 6 Best Pillows For Every Sleep Position 6 Smart Shopping Tips For Buying A Better Mattress

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Good for: Preventing neck and back pain, reducing acid reflux, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts

Bad for: Snoring

The scoop: Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck and spine to maintain a neutral position. You're not forcing any extra curves into your back, says Steven Diamant, a chiropractor in New York City. It's also ideal for fighting acid reflux, Dr. Olson says: "If the head is elevated, your stomach will be below your esophagus so acid or food can't come back up."

Back-sleeping also helps prevent wrinkles, because nothing is pushing against your face, notes Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., a professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University. And the weight of your breasts is fully supported, reducing sagginess.

Consider this: "Snoring is usually most frequent and severe when sleeping on the back," Dr. Olson says.

Perfect pillow: One puffy one. The goal is to keep your head and neck supported without propping your head up too much.

More from Health.com:

7 Tips For The Best Sleep Ever

The 6 Best Pillows For Every Sleep Position

6 Smart Shopping Tips For Buying A Better Mattress

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Swear you don't move at all at night?

Think again. While you generally spend the most time in the position you fall asleep in, even those who barely have to make their beds in the morning move two to four times an hour, which may add up to 20 or more tosses and turns a night, says Eric Olson, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. "That's completely normal, and you'll still go into deep REM sleep, the restorative kind," he says.

Comments

[marilyn888]

06:15 PM on 05/24/2011

I love this post..I am so going to reference it to my blog about Organic beddign and Futons if you do not mind... I will link it back to you..I just think this would be great to be able to use for people who are buying sleeping products!
http://www.thefutonshop.com/index.aspx

[Victoria Marie Miller]

04:11 AM on 05/15/2011

Too many long nights with that top arm hanging down across chest with no support will take its toll on good old anterior deltoid folks. Dont do it!

[cliffhammond]

02:07 AM on 05/10/2011

I'm sure the guy in picture #1 is worried about maintaining perky breasts.

[adrastia9]

02:04 AM on 05/05/2011

I can't sleep on my back and never could. It's the most awkward and uncomfortable position for me. I usually sleep in a fetal position with no problems. It's the most comfortable for me.

I've never heard that certain sleeping positions are bad for your breasts. Wearing a bra at night sounds weird, especially since I dislike wearing clothes to bed to begin with. Ehh... Sorry for the TMI moment.

[sierraseven]

08:25 PM on 04/28/2011

Several comments have ridiculed the concern over having breast ligaments and skin stretched while side-sleeping. If you are a woman over the age of 18 and well-endowed, it's not a joke, and can be uncomfortable as well as discouraging. There's nothing wrong with wanting to avoid having one's breasts sag prematurely.

There's devices sold to place between the breasts while sleeping to give side support, but they're not necessary. Wear a good sports bra ( a "uni-b00b") and place a rolled-up cotton sock - or two rolled together, if you are very well-endowed - in your cleavage.

[Narayan Chandra Sahoo]

08:06 AM on 04/28/2011

It is a normal thing that everybody try to sleep on the leftside of the body to give some rest or pressure on the heart. I wish to have comments on this please.

[Cow-town]

01:10 PM on 05/31/2011

I have heard that sleeping on the right is best for the heart...I have also heard that sleeping on the left is best for mid-night digestion and gas flow....

[klbrz]

10:23 PM on 04/26/2011

Okay, I can't resist, on the back -- "And the weight of your breasts is fully supported, reducing sagginess." Huh? They fall to the sides, unless you're sleeping in a pretty fierce bra. And, sleeping on my back hurts my lower back and knees.

[emmeaki]

04:20 PM on 05/05/2011

Sleeping on my back is painful for me too, especially now with arthritis in my lower back. But, even as a kid it still hurt! Have to sleep on my stomach, perky breasts be damned!

[klbrz]

05:01 PM on 05/05/2011

And, really, perky breasts are highly over-rated, imo.

[kylie523]

08:29 AM on 04/26/2011

i resent the perky breast comment and i think the writer should resign. perkygate. thankyou

[midwesthousewife]

02:28 PM on 04/26/2011

Agreed.

[Cassandrawept]

04:33 AM on 04/26/2011

Wear a night bra. It's looser but give support.

[myviewsofnow]

01:44 PM on 05/01/2011

Don't know about the rest of you women but it's hard for this well-endowed woman to wear a bra while sleeping. Gosh, I guess my supermodel status will be limited...LMAO

[french queen13]

03:02 AM on 04/26/2011

That model in the pic isn't going to do his back any good sleeping on the couch!

[Devontate]

11:03 PM on 04/25/2011

Great. Now we have to worry about what we do in our sleep so we don't lose our 'perky breasts.'

Please.

[gnorrfa]

04:43 PM on 04/25/2011

what's next, proper breathing? we're SO afraid.

[Dham4201]

12:32 PM on 04/25/2011

what about sitting on the john

[LovingFit]

08:44 AM on 04/25/2011

Yep, I already sleep on my back only :), Thank you for the post

http://www.lovingfit.com

[lloydc1231]

08:15 AM on 04/25/2011

There is some evidence that sleeping "on one's side, knees toward the chin is good for some back conditions. Evidence comes from an MD who studied the issue.

[midwesthousewife]

02:29 PM on 04/26/2011

My personal philosophy is to sleep in whatever position is most comfortable for you, thereby ensuring a good night's sleep!