Everyone tends to have a favorite sleeping position. For some, it’s curled up on their side. For others, it’s flat on their back, arms spread like a starfish. For me, it’s just making use of the sliver of bed left while my dog lives his best life. But according to sleep experts, one of these positions could be wrecking your health while you snooze.
“Out of all sleeping positions, the worst one—backed by scientific evidence—would have to be sleeping on one’s back,” said Michael Gradisar, head of sleep science at Sleep Cycle, in an interview with the New York Post.
What’s the Worst Sleeping Position?
That’s because lying on your back allows gravity to pull your tongue and soft tissues into your throat, which can narrow your airway, trigger snoring, and increase the risk of sleep apnea. Over time, that disrupted breathing has been linked to heart disease, stroke, and blood sugar issues.
Back sleeping can also make acid reflux worse and may even worsen sinus pressure. Despite all that, it remains surprisingly common. A large Danish study using wearable trackers found that nearly 38% of adults still spend most of their night in the supine position. The same study showed that time spent on your back tends to drop with age and BMI—possibly because the discomfort eventually wins out.
But there’s a flip side. While back sleeping can be bad news for adults, it’s still the safest option for infants. Pediatricians recommend it because babies have proportionally larger heads, narrower airways, and less neck strength. Sleeping on their back reduces the chance of suffocation and significantly lowers the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). For adults, though, the anatomy shifts—and so does the science.
The position with the best track record is side sleeping, especially on the left. It improves digestion, supports circulation, reduces acid reflux, and helps the lymphatic system clear waste. Over half of adults naturally gravitate toward it. Just be aware: it can cause shoulder pain, and smashing one cheek into a pillow night after night isn’t great for your skin.
Still, Gradisar makes one thing clear: “The best sleeping position is the one that feels the most comfortable, such that you get the most sleep.” Meaning? Perfect sleep hygiene doesn’t mean much if you’re not actually sleeping.
But if you’re waking up bloated, wheezy, or wired, your go-to sleep pose might be part of the problem—and switching sides could be a solid place to start. Try the left.
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