What's your favourite position in bed?

No! Not that kind of position.

Get your head outta there - although we could revisit that topic for another conversation.

I'm talking about your sleep position.

Do you sleep on your stomach?

Back?

Right side?

Left side?

What's the best way?

People ask me this all the time.

Actually, sleeping on your stomach with your head turned to the side (with no pillow) and your arms at your side is a good position in which to sleep.

(Cue the shock horror music)

The structure of your neck bones naturally allow for that movement of turning your head to the side.

This is a normal (and comfortable) position.

But let me get into more detail here.

It's not so much your position, rather, it's the posture in which you sleep.

For one thing, most people don't have a good firm bed.

And I'm not a huge fan of the memory foam beds.

Think about it.

If you already have a crazy crocked spine with horrible posture, why would you want your bed to constantly mold to that posture all night long, every night?

Doesn't make sense to me.

Your bed isn't supposed to fix you.

It's supposed to support your spine in the best way possible while you catch your Zzzzzzzzz.

Your bed needs to be slightly firm, with good even support as you lay down.

You could have a firm mattress, and then have a soft thin layer on top to 'cushion' the firmness of the mattress.

Your pillow shouldn't be this huge lump that distorts and contorts your head into a forward posture.

Kinda like this guy: he's not looking very happy.

Here's what laying on your back should look like.

Having a firm pillow underneath your knees would be very good for your low back.

And the pillow should have an indent in the middle so the bulk of your head sits in there allowing for your neck and spine to be aligned without having your head pushed up and forward.

Here's a good picture of how you should NOT be sleeping. Take a look at how while sleeping on their sides, their heads are STILL in the forward position!

That's a no-no.

When sleeping on your side, with a proper pillow, try to straighten your whole body out, give your body a nice big stretch as you allow yourself to prepare your body to fall asleep.

This is my favourite part of my bedtime.

Laying down, ON MY LEFT SIDE (which is the better side for better circulation due to the location of the heart), stretch the body out straight, legs straight, point your toes and flex all your muscles to pull and extend you into a straight line.

Think about it: all day, your body is in a forward hunched position.

Sitting at your desk.
Texting
Reading
Slouching

We're in a constant state of poor forward posture.

When you get into bed at night, while lying on your left side:

stretch yourself out straight
bring your head back,
clench your butt muscles and leg muscles to pull your body into big stretch,
then assume a relaxed position once you release that stretch.
make sure your head isn't in a forward position.
train yourself to fall asleep like this
your body will relax into a nice comfortable position

A good way to know how to sleep in a proper position is to observe a baby sleeping. They usually assume a good natural position.

Since you're spending 30% of your life sleeping, I think it's a good idea to 'learn' how to sleep well.

After all, we spend so much time learning how to improve ourselves while we're awake running around all day, so it's important to learn how to sleep well!

— Dr MaryAnne

The position you're doing in your bed isn't ideal