When you get to bed at night, you’re probably not consciously thinking about the position that’s most comfortable for you to sleep in. Maybe you instinctively curl up into a fetal position or you flop over onto your stomach sometime during the night. Have you ever wondered if there was a connection between how you slept and who you are? You may have done online quizzes to find out what your cravings say about your personality, but did sleep positions ever cross your mind?
Sleep experts may not have arrived at very conclusive results linking sleep positions and personality, but there are some theories out there. If sleeping on your back is your go-to, you may possess a quiet, reserved, and no-fuss personality. You might also have high standards for yourself and those around you, according to the director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service and the Edinburgh Sleep Center, Professor Chris Idzikowski (via BBC News). Idzikowski, who analyzed six different sleeping positions among 1,000 participants in a study, calls lying on your back with your legs stretched out straight below you and your arms pinned to your sides, the “soldier position.”
“We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious posture says about us. What’s interesting is that the profile behind the posture is often very different from what we would expect,” shared the sleep expert.
Back sleepers might make irritating sleep partners
Despite having a charming personality, back sleepers could end up snoring louder or more frequently, making them difficult partners to sleep next to. According to an advisory board member of SleepScore Labs, Dr. Michael Breus, (via Reader’s Digest), “When you’re lying on your back, your throat is more narrow, making snoring louder and more frequent.”
Plus, there are also surprising ways your sleep position can impact your health. Although sleeping on your back could prove beneficial for those with acid reflux and maybe even prevent premature aging in the form of fine lines and wrinkles, it can lead to lower back pain if you leave your legs flat on the bed. “If your legs are flat, it can cause your lower back to arch too much. That’s especially true if you have tight hamstrings (the muscles at the back of your thigh), which is pretty common given how many hours a day most of us spend sitting,” shared chiropractor, Dr. Andrew Bang (via Cleveland Clinic). So if you’re a strict soldier sleeper, you may want to think about slipping a pillow under your knees and giving your legs a little lift. Also, place your head pillow at a neutral height to avoid spraining your neck.
What about when you sleep on your back but don’t keep your arms and legs strictly straight? This is called the “starfish” position.
Starfish back sleepers are good listeners
Maybe you’ve gotten complaints from your friend who shared a hotel room bed with you when you were on vacation that your desire to stretch your arms and legs wide apart from your body as you lay on your back made them fall off the bed. However, according to Idzikowski, starfish back sleepers are great listeners who offer help when you need it, making them good friends (via BBC News). Plus, you won’t have to worry about them stealing your thunder because they don’t enjoy being the center of attention (despite them taking up a considerable amount of space in the bed).
Starfishers sleep with their hands up and away from them, usually placed around the pillow and their legs spread apart. Again, just like with the soldier position, being on your back is beneficial when it comes to acid reflux and preventing wrinkles, but it can be problematic for those who snore or people who have sleep apnea, per Healthline.
What do you think? Has what you learned about sleeping on your back revealed something you didn’t know hitherto about your personality? Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. At the very least, taking the health implications into mind could make you decide if you want to change your sleeping position or not.
