Surprisingly, how you sleep can be a pretty controversial topic. People have many opinions about what you should and shouldn’t do while you’re sleeping — and sleeping positions can be a super hot topic.
Maybe you haven’t given a second thought to how you sleep at night, and you’ve always just cozied up in whatever way was most comfortable. However, what might be most comfortable might not always be the best for you. For example, for some people sleeping on their sides or stomachs can really hurt their backs.
Recently, TikToker and doctor Dr. Sadovskaya made a video ranking popular sleeping positions from best to worst, and her ranking stirred up some pretty headed opinions online. In the caption of her video she wrote, “Did you know that sleeping in the last position will give you acne, wrinkles, face puffiness and back problems”
Sadovskaya then went on to rank four popular sleeping positions: Sleeping on your back, sleeping on your side, sleeping on your stomach, and sleeping on your stomach with your leg bent.
Read on to find out how Sadosvkaya ranked the sleeping positions, what people had to say, and which position is really the best for you to sleep in.
How Did Sadovskaya Rank the Sleeping Positions?
In her video, Sadosvkaya ranks the sleeping positions as follows; she ranked back sleeping first, side sleeping second, stomach sleeping third, and sleeping with on your stomach with one leg bent fourth.
This means, according to Sadosvkaya, that sleeping on your stomach with your leg bent will give you “acne, wrinkles, face puffiness and back problems.”
What Did People Think of Sadosvkaya’s Ranking?
Needless to say, users had some pretty spirited reactions to Sadosvkaya’s rankings. Some commenters vehemently disagreed with her, writing, “Sleeping positions but they get more comfortable,” and “Can we just be left alone for once?”
Other commenters expressed their distaste for back sleeping with one user writing, “I wish I could sleep on my back but I am terrified of getting sleep paralysis.”
Some commenters took the stance that no matter how you’re sleeping, it’s best to get a full night of sleep. One commenter said “the best sleep position is the one that allows you to get a full night’s rest.”
People were pretty negative on Sadosvkaya’s rankings of sleeping positions, but what do scientists and health professionals have to say about sleeping positions?
Which Sleeping Positions Are Really the Best and Worst?
According to Sleepopolis’s experts, there’s not a single sleep position that is necessarily better or worse than one another. However, sleeping positions can become dangerous if you’re not supporting your spine while you sleep.
Additionally, not everyone recommends back sleeping, Robert Hayden, DC told Sleepopolis that, “I coach my patients to sleep on their side with a body pillow. This keeps the spine straight and aligned during the hours of sleep. A pillow under the head should be just high enough to keep the head level with the mattress.” Hayden also stressed the importance of good sleeping posture, saying, “Maintaining good posture while you are sleeping — which is 25 percent or 30 percent of your lifetime — is a good idea, but more than that it will help prevent stress points that may aggravate joints and connective tissue.” (1)
Despite a split on which sleeping position is the best, it seems pretty unanimous that positions where you would be sleeping on your stomach are not the best for you. Karen Erickson, DC told Sleepopolis that “Stomach sleeping necessitates that your head is rotated to one side or the other, causing strain, muscle and range-of-motion imbalance.” Erickson recommends “that stomach sleepers try to sleep on their side with a full body pillow, which recreates the feeling of pressure against the abdomen.” (2)
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Sources
- Hayden, Robert. Personal Interview. September 10, 2024.
- Erikson, Karen. Personal Interview. September 10, 2024.
