# How weird is it that I can't fall asleep on my back? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982 "2009-11-10T01:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/41 "2009-11-11T19:16:05Z")
I used to always sleep on my stomach, scooched all the way down to the end of the matress so my toes could hang off. After a couple of surgeries I wasn’t able to lie on my stomach any more so I mainly side sleep. I wake up on my back a lot. Flat on my back is uncomfortable, but I have a couple of pillows I prop under my legs. I end up propping myself with pillows regardless of my position any more. One light blanket, lots of pillows. Another thing against back sleeping - I can’t stand the blankets bending my toes down. I have to have the bottom of the blanket loose so I can stick my toes out 😛 ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/42 "2009-11-11T20:14:12Z")
I prefer to fall asleep on my side, and for years could not fall asleep on my back. I went through a time where I had back and neck pain, however, and during that time I trained myself to sleep flat on my back because it improved my pain so much. It only took a few uncomfortable nights to get used to it. It is the sleep position recommended by health professionals. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/43 "2009-11-11T23:51:13Z")
If I fall “asleep” on my back during a nap I’ll have hypnagogic paralysis and freak out, which is to be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![sulawesi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@sulawesi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sulawesi)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/44 "2009-11-12T04:37:11Z")
I came in here to post what capybara said. I’ve managed to fall asleep on my back twice that I can remember, and woke up with sleep paralysis both times. ---
**Author:** ![Sine\_Nomine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sine_nomine/32/513_2.png) [@Sine\_Nomine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sine_Nomine)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/45 "2009-11-12T05:01:11Z")
I’m actually a little afraid of falling asleep on my back – I have this weird fear that I won’t be able to breathe throughout the night… or any length of time. really. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled in college, I was sincerely praying that the dentist would not decide to put me out completely for that reason – that would lead to me sleeping on my back. Fortunately, he only did a local. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/46 "2009-11-12T17:23:30Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > I prefer to fall asleep on my side, and for years could not fall asleep on my back. I went through a time where I had back and neck pain, however, and during that time I trained myself to sleep flat on my back because it improved my pain so much. It only took a few uncomfortable nights to get used to it. > > It is the sleep position recommended by health professionals. I thought that was only for infants. There’s a benefit to it? ---
**Author:** ![CrimeThink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@CrimeThink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrimeThink)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/47 "2009-11-12T18:49:22Z")
I always fall asleep on my stomach and find it awkward to try to fall asleep on my back. However, when I wake up in the morning I always find myself on my back. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/48 "2009-11-12T19:19:58Z")
> [@Runs With Scissors](#): > > I remember as a kid being terrified I’d have to go to the hospital. I wouldn’t be able to sleep! People in hospitals always sleep on their backs! In my life, I’ve probably spent a total of 60 nights in the hospital (not counting the nights I’ve spent in the ER; you _can’t_ get any sleep in there, no matter what!), and the _worst_ thing is that there’s no choice but to sleep on your back! Oh, sure, you can have nurses bring you pillows to tuck in behind your back on one side or another so you’re _sort of_ up on one side, but back-sleeping is what it is. And even with morphine and a sleeping pill, I’m no damned good at it! At home, I vacillate between sleeping on my stomach and on my side. ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/49 "2009-11-13T00:20:54Z")
I used to sleep on my back, but I got used to sleeping on my side during pregnancies (I seem to remember being told to sleep on my left side, for some reason) and then I would sleep on my side curled around an infant while they were still waking in the night to feed. Yes, I know…but all three of mine are healthy and hearty, and as tall as me. Of course, with my RA, I turn from side to side all night long, because the joints bitch at me if I stay in one position too long. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/50 "2009-11-13T02:01:18Z")
I used to always sleep on my side, until I got a CPAP. Now turning sideways presses on the mask, which is uncomfortable, while sleeping on my back gets me more air than I used to get. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/51 "2009-11-13T02:32:45Z")
I can’t fall asleep on my back or stomach. Always one side, usually the right, but I know I toss and turn a bit. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/52 "2009-11-13T04:11:54Z")
I almost never can fall asleep on my back. Something feels very strange about my lower legs and knees (I can’t articulate it any better than saying it’s a sensation of them feeling “loose”) that creeps me out. I fall asleep on my belly only after I’ve woken up and rolled over onto it. So I sleep on my sides, though I can’t really tell if I favor one over the other. A few people in the thread have wondered how we can: sleeping with a stuffed animal keeps my arms comfortably apart. I used a pillow when other people might see me sleeping, though. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/53 "2009-11-13T06:37:16Z")
As a teenager I would wake up suddenly with the sensation I was suffocating if I tried sleeping on my back. I can sleep on my chest, but I tend to always sleep best on my right side. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/54 "2009-11-14T11:33:17Z")
As a youth I rationalized that sleeping on my back was the way to go (I was into survival-style camping etc. and sleeping on one’s back is the most efficient way to retain heat; also, often the only way to sleep in the bush). So I made a concerted effort to learn the skill and got it. Sleeping on my back is the most comfortable and least straining position - no back or neck ache, no limbs fallen asleep etc. Unfortunately I’ve started to experience sleep terrors (some sort of sleep paralysis?) when I fall asleep on my back and now have to sleep on my side. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/55 "2009-11-14T11:55:46Z")
I can’t vote, because unless I’m just absolutely dog-tired, I flop around a lot. But I generally cannot fall asleep on my back either. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/56 "2009-11-14T12:28:08Z")
I usually sleep on my side and never deliberately fall asleep on my back. However if I lay down on my back to “rest for a minute” when I am absolutely exhausted I sometimes doze off. So if ever I am asleep on my back I am fully clothed. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/57 "2009-11-14T15:47:28Z")
I usually toss and turn a bit from side to side, but ultimately, my back is the only place I’m comfortable. I will NEVER understand how people can sleep on their sides! The shoulder you rest on gets squashed and pushed into weird angles. The top leg feels out of joint, like it shouldn’t bend that way. I can curl up on my side, but only with my down shoulder pushed behind me somehow, and I worry that my shoulder will pop out of joint if I fall asleep that way. I remember an old mattress commercial which showed how side sleeping throws the body out of alignement - I couldn’t agree more. Stomach sleeping is acceptable. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/58 "2009-11-15T02:23:02Z")
I can’t sleep on my back either. Once I got surgery and had to for a night or two and it was soo hard. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/59 "2009-11-15T17:19:49Z")
I ended up on my back last night and woke up with aches, pains, tingling, and a dry mouth. ---
**Author:** ![YourAdHere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/65b543/32.png) [@YourAdHere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourAdHere)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982/60 "2009-11-17T00:42:20Z")
I had always assumed that animals evolved to be less inclined to sleep on their backs because it leaves vital organs vulnerable, apparently that isn’t true. When I’m very tired I can fall asleep in a lot of odd contortions, but in general on my stomach. Unless, of course, in homage to the previous thread, I am spooning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-weird-is-it-that-i-cant-fall-asleep-on-my-back/516982.md?page=2)