Is it Better to Sleep on Your Side, Back, or Stomach?

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On average, a person spends one-third of their life asleep. Sleep is a good break from everyday life, but it’s surprising how much a one’s personality affects the way they sleep.

We surveyed 1,000 Americans and asked them how they get their best sleep. Whether it’s cuddling close with a partner, stretched out on their back, or curled up in a ball, we wanted to see how personality types influence rest.

Most of our survey participants sleep like a baby – in the fetal position. With over 26 percent of participants choosing the fetal position, it’s the most popular sleeping position.

Following the fetal position, nearly 22 percent of participants prefer to fall asleep on their stomach with their legs outstretched, gently cradling a pillow.

The top five sleeping positions are a pretty fair mix of sleeping on one’s side, stomach, or back. These five sleeping positions account for 78 percent of our survey participants.

Your body language says a lot about you, even when you’re sleeping. According to survey results, a majority of introverts prefer tighter sleeping positions, such as the fetal position. Similarly, sleeping on your side, with arms hugging a pillow and knees together, received similar results. For both positions, over 63 percent of respondents who preferred that position were introverted.

Of the participants who chose the fetal position, 38 percent were introverted thinkers, and nearly 26 percent were introverted feelers.

Most of the extroverts we surveyed preferred to sleep on their stomachs. Over 30 percent of extroverts either preferred sleeping on their stomach hugging a pillow with their knees bent, or with their arms over a pillow and their legs crossed.

Of the participants who chose to sleep on their stomach while hugging a pillow with their knees bent, 21 percent were extroverted thinkers and nearly 9 percent were extroverted feelers. In addition, of the participants who prefer to sleep on their stomach with their arms over their pillow and their legs crossed, over 19 percent were extroverted thinkers and 11 percent were extroverted feelers.

According to The Myers & Briggs Foundation, feelers tend to be more compassionate and warm, which could explain why feelers prefer tighter sleeping positions, including the fetal position and sleeping on one side while hugging a pillow with knees together. In addition, feelers want harmony. Of the top five positions, those two are the most symmetrical. Of the top five sleeping positions, the greatest number of feelers preferred sleeping in the fetal position (31 percent).

More thinkers preferred sleeping on their stomach or back, as opposed to feelers who prefer sleeping on their side.

The fetal position is definitely in the top spot, with over 20 percent of each personality type choosing this position as their go-to. Nearly 28 percent of introverts preferred the fetal position, followed by 25 percent of extroverts and just over 21 percent of equally introverted and extroverted participants.

A higher percentage of introverts than extroverts preferred sleeping on their stomach with their arms over a pillow and one knee raised (22 percent).When it came to sleeping on their back or on their stomach with their legs crossed, those who were equally extroverted and introverted made up the majority of the respondents.

The fetal position remained the top sleeping position, even between couples. Over 23 percent of both thinkers and feelers said they preferred sleeping in the back-to-back fetal position with their backs close to each other.

Feelers and their partners said they tend to sleep in a more intimate position than thinkers. A higher percentage of feelers prefer to sleep in a close spooning position, with one partner’s back to the other’s stomach, while thinkers sleep in a similar position, but further apart from each other.

More thinkers preferred to sleep in a back-to-back fetal position and close to their partners (nearly 28 percent), while 21 percent of feelers chose a back-to-back fetal position that was further away from their partners.

Over 30 percent of introverts choose to sleep in the fetal position close to their partners, while 22 percent prefer the fetal position but with some distance from their partner. Sleeping this close to your partner could lead to inadequate sleep, especially if one partner is shifting more throughout the night due to finding the mattress uncomfortable. Check out our post on the best mattress for couples, for tips on how to find a mattress that works right for people with different sleep styles.

Between sleeping in the fetal position and spooning, both positions ranked similarly among equally introverted and extroverted survey participants. At least 20 percent of participants chose either of these positions.

Over 16 percent of extroverts said they preferred spooning with their partner while getting some sleep, while nearly 13 percent preferred spooning with some space apart from their partner.

The least popular position among partners was where one partner sprawled on their back with the other on their stomach, with less than 3 percent of introverts and 4 percent of extroverts preferring it.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer to sleep in the fetal position or any of the other top sleeping positions, do it on the best mattresses available. Whether an introvert or extrovert, a feeler or thinker, find the right mattress and tips to improve your sleep from Best Mattress Brand.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,000 Americans and gave them a shortened Myers-Briggs personality test, presenting them with 10 questions to determine if they were an extrovert or Introvert, and 20 questions to determine if they were a thinker or feeler. Respondents were then shown images of sleeping positions and asked to pick the one that best matched their sleeping form.

Commonly Asked Questions

When you’re asking yourself what you can do to improve your sleep quality, you may have a few questions you don’t know the answers to. We tackle a few of the more frequently asked questions to make sleeping well an easier task.

How do you know if you’re sleeping well?

One sign you got a good night’s sleep is waking up shortly before your alarm goes off. This is a sign that your body has developed a sleep-wake routine and knows when you’re expected to be awake. It’s also good if you feel alert rather than tired when you wake up and start moving around.

Another sign you’re sleeping well is waking up at most once during the night, to use the restroom or get a drink of water. If you wake up more than once or have difficulty falling back asleep, you might need to improve your sleep hygiene.

Is it better to sleep on your back or stomach for back pain?

Sleeping on your back is one of the best positions for back pain, while lying on your stomach is one of the worst. Back sleeping mimics your position when you stand up straight, keeping your spine aligned. Stomach sleeping can cause your spine to stretch out of alignment, worsening back pain.

Is side sleeping bad for your back?

Although side sleeping is arguably the healthiest sleeping position, it can be difficult on your back if you don’t take precautions. The greatest concern is that your legs may pull your hips out of a alignment, which you can solve by sleeping with a knee pillow. The fetal position can also soothe back pain from a herniated disc.

Why does my back hurt after waking up?

The reason could be your sleeping position is causing your back discomfort. For example, stomach sleepers are likely to develop chronic back pain because gravity pushes their stomachs down and pulls their spines out of alignment.

However, it’s also possible that your mattress has lost support and is ready to be replaced. You can try sleeping elsewhere, such as on your couch, to see if you get a better night’s rest. If you do, it’s probably time for a new mattress.

Is it better to sleep without a pillow?

For most sleepers, a pillow is necessary for a good night’s rest. A pillow provides neck and head support, reducing strain on your neck muscles. If you sleep without a pillow, you’ll likely wake up with a sore neck.

Stomach sleeper are the only ones who may benefit from sleeping without a pillow, although this idea lacks sufficient testing.

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