When it comes to sleep, your posture can make or break how you feel in the morning. A good sleeping posture supports your spine, eases breathing, and reduces pain—while a bad one can leave you sore, stiff, and grumpy before your first cup of coffee. But the sleep game is more than just your poster: it’s your pillow and your mattress. The wrong ones can undo even the best posture, while the right one can turn your bed into a cloud of ergonomic bliss.
Here’s a quick guide to the best (and worst) sleeping posture—that is, if you don’t need any help sleeping (we have tips here if you do).
Sleeping on Your Back: Best Overall for Spinal Alignment
Sleeping on your back is basically the “gold standard” for sleeping posture—if your goal is to wake up feeling like royalty and not a crumpled piece of paper.
- Spinal support: Sleeping on your back with a small pillow under your head and knees supports the natural curve of your spine. It keeps your head, neck, and spine in a neutral position, reducing the risk of back and neck pain. The key is to sleep with a flat-ish pillow so that your neck isn’t forced to bend, otherwise you’ll get some serious neck and shoulder aches.
- Reduces acid reflux: Elevating your head slightly while lying on your back can help reduce acid reflux symptoms.
- Minimises wrinkles: With no facial contact with a pillow, this posture may help prevent skin compression and facial wrinkles. You can simply look at the faces of those who sleep on their side – you can see wrinkles around their ears, and sometimes at the corners of their eyes!
Ideal Pillow: Go for a medium-loft, memory foam or contoured pillow that cradles your neck without pushing your head too far forward. A small pillow under your knees can also help maintain the spine’s natural curve—like a throne for your legs.
The downsides of this position:
- Back-sleeping can worsen snoring! If you snore like a leaf blower, you may want to try a wedge pillow to elevate your upper body slightly.
- It’s not recommended for people with obstructive sleep apnoea, as gravity may cause the tongue and soft tissues to collapse backward into the airway.
Sleeping on Your Side – Best for Digestion
Side sleeping is great for digestion, breathing, and keeping snoring to a minimum. It’s also the preferred pose of pillow-huggers and starfish impersonators. You have to alternate sides if possible, to prevent asymmetry and too much pressure on one side of your body.
- Improves digestion: Especially the left side. Sleeping on the left can aid digestion by allowing gravity to help the stomach drain into the intestines. A 2022 study found that sleeping on your left side was associated with significantly shorter acid exposure and faster esophageal clearance than sleeping on your right side.
- Reduces snoring: Sleeping on your side helps keep airways open, reducing snoring and improving breathing in those with mild to moderate sleep apnoea.
- Recommended for pregnancy: Left-side sleeping improves blood flow to the placenta and helps reduce pressure on the liver.
Ideal pillow: Choose a firm, thick pillow that fills the space between your ear and shoulder to keep your neck aligned. A bolster can help prevent your spine from twisting like a corkscrew during the night.
The downsides of this position:
- Prolonged pressure on one side can cause discomfort or pain in the shoulder or hip, even when you’re already awake.
- Sleeping with your face against the pillow can lead to sleep lines – and induce wrinkles, especially in the corner of the eyes and the ears! – and even contribute to asymmetry over time.
Sleeping in the Foetal Position – Comforting but Not Ideal
Curled up on your side with knees drawn in, the foetal position offers a sense of comfort and security for many sleepers. This position is especially popular among introverts. Coincidence? We think not. People find it emotionally comforting, but importantly, don’t curl too tightly—unless you want to wake up with all the flexibility of a cardboard cutout.
- Comfort and security: The curled-up position is naturally calming for many and common among young adults.
- Good for pregnancy: Like side-sleeping, this position on the left side is safe and often comfortable for pregnant individuals.
Ideal pillow: Use a thick, supportive pillow much like side sleeping, and try placing a bolster or folded blanket between your knees to keep hips aligned.
The downsides of this position:
- Restricted breathing: Curling up too tightly can limit diaphragmatic breathing, meaning you won’t be able to take in deep breaths.
- Joint and muscle stiffness: This posture can put strain on your neck, back, and joints, particularly in the knees and hips.
Sleeping on Your Stomach – The Worst Posture Overall
Stomach sleepers, we need to talk. This position is the rebellious teen of sleep styles—it goes against all the rules. It strains your neck, flattens your spine, and squishes your face like a pancake. Sure, it might reduce snoring a bit, but that’s about all it’s got going for it.
- May reduce snoring: Gravity can help keep the airway slightly open for some individuals, but the risks outweigh this tiny benefit.
Ideal pillow: If you must sleep this way, use a very thin or soft pillow, or no pillow at all, to keep your neck from craning. Consider putting a flat pillow under your pelvis to reduce pressure on the lower back.
The (many) downsides of this position:
- Neck strain: To breathe, you must turn your head to the side, which puts pressure on the neck and can lead to stiffness or pain.
- Spinal misalignment: The stomach-sleeping position flattens the natural curve of your spine, causing back pain.
- Facial pressure: Sleeping face-down presses your skin into the pillow, increasing the risk of wrinkles and acne. So if you’ve got skin concerns, this position isn’t doing you any good.
Combination Sleepers – The Toss-and-Turn Experts
If you wake up in a completely different position from how you fell asleep—congrats, you’re a combination sleeper. This is one of the most common sleep styles, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Your body instinctively shifts to stay comfortable, avoid pressure points, or sneak in a better dream. The downside? Constant movement can lead to aches and poor-quality sleep if your mattress and pillow can’t keep up.
Best mattress: Look for a medium to medium-firm hybrid or latex mattress with good responsiveness (bounce), so you can change positions easily without getting “stuck” in one spot. Zoned support is a bonus—it keeps your spine aligned whether you’re on your side, back, or somewhere in between.
Best pillow: Go for a medium-loft pillow that balances support and flexibility. Too thick, and it’ll strain your neck when lying on your back; too thin, and it won’t cushion your shoulder when you turn to the side. Adjustable fill pillows (where you can add or remove stuffing) are a great option for shape-shifters like you.
Tips for Improving Sleep Posture
- Use a supportive pillow that keeps your neck aligned with your spine, and if you’re a side sleeper, use a bolster to align your hips.
- Invest in a good mattress that supports your body’s natural curves.
- If you’re a stomach sleeper, try gradually transitioning to side-sleeping by using a body pillow for support.
Your sleeping posture can have ripple effects throughout your day, influencing everything from your energy levels to chronic pain. Understanding and adjusting how you sleep could be one of the simplest and most effective ways to boost your long-term health.
Sweet dreams—preferably not face-down in a pillow crease.
