Top 10 Sleeping Postures and Their Pros and Cons

Sleeping is something that all of us love to do. However, most of us do not know how to make the most of this really awesome time that we spend on the bed. We think that it is just about crashing on the couch and wasting time. This is why we are unmindful of the many tricks that can actually make the sleeping experience a really worthwhile one. Here is a small list of the various sleeping postures that can really help you a great deal.

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Top 10 Sleeping Postures

10. With your beloved in your arms

The best possible remedy for insomnia is to sleep with a near and dear one wrapped in your arms. It may sound too cheesy but ultimately it is true that no matter what posture you are lying in, unless you are happy and have peace of mind, you will not be able to sleep well.

9. The objections with supine position

As has already been described, the pure prone position is when one sleeps with the face into the pillow whereas the supine position is when one sleeps with the face to the wall. The problem with this posture is that it actually causes the tongue to collapse in the airway space and obstructing it, thereby increasing instances of sleep apnea. This can result in snoring and hence sleeplessness to the person sleeping next to the concerned individual.

8. Sleeping with your arms folded behind your head

This is really commonly done especially when one does not have enough space to sleep. The tight situation may call for desperate measures but one must be cautioned – that this method can actually cause a certain amount of harm for the nervous system as well as muscular system. One would therefore be better advised to avoid this pattern of sleeping as the entire weight of the head typically falls on the hands.

7. Placing a pillow near the hips

The lower part of the spine often has to endure lots of hardships! This is because any jerking in a vehicle will typically affect the two parts of the body the most – the neck and the waist. The spine near the hips will be protected from further damage during sleeping by this tactic.

6. Sleeping with the hand under your ear

If there is a fan or machine that is operating in the floor right under, it might not be a good idea to actually sleep on the side, unless of course one is choosing to put a hand under the ear when the sound from below will be muffled considerably.

5. Lying with your face to the wall

This is the neutral position but what can really make the difference is how you put your legs and hands. The best way to sleep in this posture is to cross your legs as well as your hands while the latter are on the chest. The head should be planted well into the pillow so that the neck is also resting on the soft pillow.

4. Lying with your face into the pillow

This is a very common posture whereby you are basically have your face planted into the pillow and you have the two hands on either side of the pillow. This will actually help the blood circulate in the body. The one caveat of this posture is that the blood flow to the face will be slightly restricted as well. Besides, if you have gastric problems or if you have overeaten, you might not want to put so much pressure on your stomach.

3. Lying on the side with no pillow and legs folded

As the title suggests, the only difference in this case is the folding of both legs while you are still on your side. The hands can be on top of one another and since the legs are folded, they are ideally to be folded just by the side of your face as well. This will help provide overall balance to the body.

2. Lying on your side with no pillow

This is a simple variant of the previous type of sleeping posture. In this case, the idea is to stretch both the arms outside so that there is no obstruction to the blood flow in the arms. This will be accompanied by the outstretched legs as well. There is no flexing of any muscles unnecessarily in this posture. This is ideal if you think you have some niggles here and there.

1. The classic pillow between legs

In this posture, you are basically lying on one of your sides. The idea is to keep the balance right so that you do not end up going back in the neutral position, that is the posture when you are simply lying with your face towards the wall. You should be able to embrace pillow and it must be between your legs. One of them must be in a higher posture while the other one will be straight.