This guide shows the best sleeping positions and how each one can affect your sleep, breathing and comfort.
The best sleeping position can make a real difference to how well you sleep. It affects your breathing, comfort, pain levels and how often you wake in the night.
Whether you sleep on your side, back, front or even sitting upright, it is worth checking if your position is helping or making sleep easier or more difficult.
Key Takeaways
- Side sleeping is the best sleeping position for most people
- Left side may help reflux and digestion
- Back sleeping can worsen snoring and mouth breathing
- Front sleeping can strain your neck and back
- Small changes with pillows can improve comfort and sleep quality
Practical ways to improve your sleeping position
Small changes to how you lie in bed can make a noticeable difference to your sleep. Below are the main sleeping positions, along with simple ways to make each one more comfortable and supportive.
Sleeping on Your Side
Side sleeping is widely considered the best sleeping position for overall sleep quality. It is also the most common position.
Side sleeping benefits include:
- Better breathing and reduced snoring
- Fewer aches and pains on waking
- Support for digestion
- Improved sleep quality
Researchers are exploring whether side sleeping may support the brain’s natural waste-clearance system during sleep. This system helps remove proteins and other waste products from the brain
Left side sleeping
If you struggle with reflux, indigestion or gut issues, sleeping on your left side may help. This position uses gravity to keep stomach contents where they belong.
Right side sleeping
Some people with breathing issues, including asthma, may find right side sleeping more comfortable.
Making side sleeping more comfortable
A supportive pillow is essential. Your head and neck should feel aligned with your spine.
If you tend to roll onto your back, try placing a pillow behind your pelvis.
Curling Up in the Foetal Position
Sleeping curled up on your side is very common.
It can:
- Reduce snoring
- Ease lower back discomfort
- Feel safe and comforting
However, curling too tightly can restrict breathing and lead to stiffness.
Tip
Keep your body relaxed rather than tightly curled, and try placing a pillow between your knees to support your hips and spine.
Sleeping on Your Back
Sleeping on your back is often seen as the “ideal” position, but it has some important drawbacks. It can
- Worsen snoring
- Encourage mouth breathing
- Can increase reflux
- May lead to blocked sinuses
When you lie on your back, it is easier for your mouth to fall open. This can affect how you breathe at night.
This is one reason why sleeping position and breathing are so closely linked.
Sleeping on Your Front
Sleeping on your front can put strain on your neck and spine, as your head is turned to one side for long periods.
However, it may help in specific situations, such as when people need support with breathing or oxygen levels.
For most people, though, it is not the best sleeping position for long-term comfort or sleep quality.
Tip
If you sleep on your front, try using a thin pillow or no pillow to reduce strain on your neck.
Sleeping Sitting Upright
Sleeping upright usually gives the poorest sleep quality.
It often leads to:
- Neck and back discomfort
- More frequent waking
- Difficulty changing position during the night
If you regularly fall asleep sitting up, try using pillows to support a side-lying position for at least part of the night.
How your sleeping position affects your breathing
The position you sleep in doesn’t just affect comfort — it also affects how you breathe at night.
If you wake with a dry mouth or throat, mouth breathing is the likely cause. Many people who snore also breathe through their mouths.
Mouth breathing can disrupt sleep because the air is not filtered or balanced in the same way as nasal breathing. This can leave you feeling unrefreshed, even after a full night in bed.
Where possible, start to switch to gentle nasal breathing. This might involve addressing nasal congestion, adjusting your sleep position, or using simple supports such as a chin strap, lip glue or mouth tape.
As mouth breathing allows you to take in far more air, you may need to get used to the reduced air from nasal breathing.
Don’t worry if it seems you have a blocked nostril. Our nostrils naturally take turns being more open than the other. This is called the nasal cycle and it usually shifts every few hours. It’s a normal part of healthy breathing and one reason nasal breathing can feel different at different times of day.
You can read more about this in my guide to breathing for better sleep.
Which sleeping position is best?
For most people, side sleeping is the best sleeping position overall.
However, there is no single “perfect” position. Your body will naturally move during the night, and that is completely normal.
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How to get used to a new sleeping position
It can take time to get used to a new position.
Pillows can help to stop you rolling over.
Some people advocate strapping a tennis ball to your back – I am not sure I fancy that!
If you want the change to feel easier, relaxation or hypnotherapy can help your body settle into new habits more naturally.
Some more practical ways to sleep better
- How to breathe for better sleep
- Snoring and Sleep Disruption: Why It Disturbs Both of You
- How I Can Help You Sleep
- The Sleep Well – ideas and techniques to help you sleep
