# Back vs front vs side sleepers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314 "2006-09-11T18:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/21 "2006-09-11T22:23:33Z")
::sigh:: Have reached that _certain_ age; am developing sleep issues. Been married almost 25 years, but am now such a light sleeper that I can’t sleep without my snoring husband, yet cannot sleep with him. Anyway, I **always** go to sleep on my right side, and \*\* inevitably\*\* awaken on my back. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/22 "2006-09-11T22:41:44Z")
I alternate between sides, usually starting on the left side. ---
**Author:** ![Aunt\_Flow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Aunt\_Flow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aunt_Flow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/23 "2006-09-11T22:46:53Z")
I absolutely can NOT get to sleep in any position but on my stomach with one arm under my pillow and the other under my head. Any other position will give me nothing but a night of tossing and turning. I sleep on my stomach and stay on my stomach. Here’s to hoping I never get pregnant 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gundhilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecc23a/32.png) [@Gundhilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundhilde)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/24 "2006-09-12T02:29:30Z")
I have a “routine.” When I go to bed, I stay on my back for a few minutes until I decide to fall asleep, at which point I switch to my right side. When I wake up, I set the alarm 10 minutes ahead and lay on my left side. After I wake up the first time, I’m not “allowed” to be on my right side anymore, as that is my “falling asleep” side. When it goes off, I set it 15 minutes ahead and lay on my back. When it goes off, I set it 10 minutes ahead again, and lay on my left side. If the alarm clock goes off at this point and I realize I don’t have work, I turn it off and am allowed to sleep however I want, including my stomach which is not an option at other times 🙂 …hmm, yeah. When I write it all out like that, it sounds pretty bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/25 "2006-09-12T03:05:19Z")
I sleep on my sides just about 100% of the time; I don’t prefer one to the other, just whichever one I’m on when I finally stop tossing and turning and pass out. I used to sleep on my belly as a kid, but like **Anastasaeon** mentioned, it stopped being comfortable after puberty. I’m a bit surprised that other side sleepers lie on their backs too before falling asleep. I can’t sleep on my back (my parents have a picture of me sleeping on my back as a toddler - they were so shocked they decided a picture was in order) but I like to lie on it. My legs feel all wrong after more than a few minutes of it, so onto my side I must go. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/26 "2006-09-12T03:16:02Z")
I’m a side sleeper but I tend to flip over several times during the night. I use pillows on either side to support my “top” arm. I will rarely, if ever, sleep on my back or stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/27 "2006-09-12T03:32:52Z")
I, too have a complicated-sounding system, but really it’s simple. First I have to lie on my right side, until I decide to fall asleep, and then I turn over on my left side. (Once in a while I have to lay on my stomach for a couple of minutes, if I feel ‘uneven’.) Once on my left side and ready for slumber, my right hand curls up under my chin, and my left hand makes a fist and puts in the cup of the right hand, both of them now resting underneath my chin, and my arms slightly entwined. The feet and knees rest at a comfortable angle, with the legs slightly drawn up. My position is feels so comfortable, natural, and perfect for me to fall asleep that I wonder if I was positioned like that in the womb at the end. Once I’m asleep, I change positions many times. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/28 "2006-09-12T03:38:12Z")
[Previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321219) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/29 "2006-09-12T08:48:48Z")
Mostly on the side, but I flip sides in my sleep. I need weight on me to fall asleep but kick it away once I’m zz. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/30 "2006-09-12T12:56:09Z")
[QUOTE=Aunt Flow] I absolutely can NOT get to sleep in any position but on my stomach with one arm under my pillow and the other under my head. Any other position will give me nothing but a night of tossing and turning. I sleep on my stomach and stay on my stomach. Here’s to hoping I never get pregnant 😛 [/QUOTE] My \*first \*clue that I’m pregnant (three times now - two babies, one miscarriage) is that I start sleeping on my stomach. Before peeing or puking or sore breasts, I find myself on my stomach, and know It’s Happened. Just my body’s little self-flagellation, as of course sleeping on my stomach when I’m pregnant isn’t physically possible for long, but I long to do it. The rest of the time, when I’m not pregnant, I sleep on my side or the side/front leg sprawl mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Wnabtokio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Wnabtokio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wnabtokio)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/31 "2006-09-12T16:12:07Z")
I sleep on my stomach when I’m by myself, my side (mostly) when I’m with my boyfriend, and on my back when my cat insists on sleeping in my arms. (Cute, but it wakes me up a lot.) When I sleep on my stomach, I must have two pillows, and I have to have one arm under the pillow supporting my head, and the other arm must be above the pillow next to my head. No other way will do, but it doesn’t matter which side my head is facing. I also sleep better if I’m near a wall, and I don’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![Aunt\_Flow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Aunt\_Flow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aunt_Flow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/32 "2006-09-12T16:25:35Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] My \*first \*clue that I’m pregnant (three times now - two babies, one miscarriage) is that I start sleeping on my stomach. Before peeing or puking or sore breasts, I find myself on my stomach, and know It’s Happened. Just my body’s little self-flagellation, as of course sleeping on my stomach when I’m pregnant isn’t physically possible for long, but I long to do it. The rest of the time, when I’m not pregnant, I sleep on my side or the side/front leg sprawl mentioned above. [/QUOTE] That’s what I’m afraid of…that once I get to the later stages of pregnancy where it’s impossible to sleep on my stomach, I would never get any sleep. Because I honestly cannot sleep on my back or sides. I’ve actually spent time planning out a special bed setup with a hole and sling so that I CAN sleep on my stomach. Of course I don’t plan on getting pregnant anytime soon, but it never hurts to be prepared! ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/33 "2006-09-12T17:44:28Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon] First I have to lie on my right side, until I decide to fall asleep, and then I turn over on my left side. . . .Once on my left side and ready for slumber, my right hand curls up under my chin, and my left hand makes a fist and puts in the cup of the right hand, both of them now resting underneath my chin, and my arms slightly entwined. The feet and knees rest at a comfortable angle, with the legs slightly drawn up. [/QUOTE] I sleep almost exactly like that, except for the fact that my hands/arms don’t touch, 'cause they’re snuggled in blankets. But. . .yeah. . .I lie on my right side, then turn over to my left side to sleep. Legs and everything else are the same. I almost always wake up on my right side, or on my back. Usually on my right side, though. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/34 "2006-09-12T18:23:46Z")
[QUOTE=lavenderviolet] I almost always sleep on my side. The particular side I favor depends on the layout of the room/bed, but usually there is only one side that I feel comfortable on for any given setting. [/QUOTE] Me too. I tend to face away from whoever I’m in bed with, and away from the closest wall if the bed is pushed up against a wall (for instance, if I’m sleeping on a couch I never face the couch/wall). On my own bed, this means right side; on the one at my parents’ house, left. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/35 "2006-09-13T06:08:37Z")
I would prefer to sleep on my stomach, but I have back problems, including a broken vertabra, which prevent it. So I have to sleep on one side or the other, with a large pillow under my leg to keep my spine perfectly aligned and not allow the vertabrae to move forward. My doctor would prefer that I sleep on my back, but I can’t sleep that way. So it’s either right side or left. It took me a looooong time to get used to not being able to sleep on my stomach anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/36 "2006-09-13T07:06:19Z")
Most often I sleep on my side, curled up like a shrimp in a blanket. If I want to sleep lightly, I’ll try to sleep on my back or sitting in a chair. That reminds me, sometimes I can just go to sleep in a sitting position by sliding my butt forward a bit in the seat of the chair and then resting my chin on my chest. I have also been known to be laying belly-down on a couch, sprawled out with my upper body bent upwards, my head on the armrest and whichever hand being closest to the front of the couch wedged under my chest. Yeah, I can actually sleep like that with no ill effects (aside from the occasional sleeping arm), yet if I try to sit that way while wide awake, I give myself back problems. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/37 "2006-09-13T07:58:40Z")
I sleep on a couch, and usually fall asleep watching TV or reading, so it ends up being all over the place. I almost always wake up on my side And I almost always fall asleep on my front, with my arms under my pillow or folded under my chest, my feet propped up backwards on a big couch cushion, and a small pillow under my hipbone/stomach area. Sometimes I let one arm and/or one leg hang off the couch, especially if my dog is next to me. When I was a little kid (six or seven), my friend told me a story that still freaks me out. It’s super super dumb, but the story was that she was asleep and she woke up and turned over and there was a man standing by her door (I always pictured him with a short pointy cap, glasses, a black beard, striped stockings with leather boots, and a big overcoat) and he said, “I seeeeee you Danielle” and just stayed there staring at her. Since then, I can’t sleep with my back to the door or to the open area without feeling extremely uneasy. I wonder how that girl would feel if she knew that her stupid story scarred me for life. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/38 "2006-09-13T11:21:39Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] My \*first \*clue that I’m pregnant (three times now - two babies, one miscarriage) is that I start sleeping on my stomach. Before peeing or puking or sore breasts, I find myself on my stomach, and know It’s Happened. [/QUOTE] When I was pregnant (twice), before I even knew it, before I’d even missed a period, I rolled over on my stomach and couldn’t figure out why my boobs were so tender and sore. There were a few moments of, “What the heck?” before the light bulb went on. “Oh, I bet I’m pregnant!” ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/39 "2006-09-13T13:47:27Z")
How I sleep is all dependent upon where my pets are positioned on the bed. - Because Gog forbid I should disturb their slumber. :rolleyes: This usually results in me sleeping in the rarely known “pretzel” position. Yes, I know. I’m pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314/40 "2006-09-13T15:41:46Z")
When I lie in bed reading, I’m on my back. When I sleep, it’s generally on my stomach or side (curled up into a fetal position when it’s really frickin’ cold and the heat’s not on in the dorms and the windows let in every stray breeze). By the way, Target has pillows for the different sleep positions for way less than $80. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-vs-front-vs-side-sleepers/372314.md?page=1)