According to studies, only 16 percent of people sleep on their stomach, 10 percent on their back, and the remaining 74 percent on their side. But the question remains, what is the best way to sleep, on your belly, your back, or your side? 

Before we dive into what the best sleeping position is, let's talk about the pros and cons of sleeping on your stomach. For the most part, sleeping on your stomach is not recommended. When you sleep on your stomach, you're in a prone position and it can cause:

  1. Back and neck pain
    When you sleep on your stomach, the center of your back tends to sink which causes improper spinal alignment. Most of your body weight is in your core, so this isn't healthy.

  2. Nerve Pain
    As we highlighted above, when you sleep on your stomach you're causing unnecessary strain to your spine, which can lead to pinched or distress nerves along your spinal column. If you have lower back pain, it could be because you aren't sleeping correctly.

However, there are some potential benefits to sleeping on your stomach. For those who snore or have sleep apnea, sleeping this way can keep your airways open. Might be a life saver for some couples!

Psychology with Stomach Sleeping

There may be an underlying reason to why you sleep on your stomach and British body language expert, Robert Phipps, says that people who sleep in this prone position have shared traits. In his article, he refers to stomach sleepers as Free fallers, here's what they have in common:

  1. Lack of Control
    Feeling like life happens around them and they are hanging on for the ride.
  2. Anxiety
    Feeling anxious like things about the incomplete things from the previous day.

Tips For Sleeping Better On Your Stomach

Sleeping on your stomach may be the most comfortable position for you. If that's the case, there are some ways you can make the experience more comfortable. Your primary goal is to maintain proper spinal alignment, you can do this by:

  1. Raise Your Core
    Place a pillow vertically underneath your pelvis. Doing this supports your hips and raise your lower spine for better alignment

  2. Don't Use A Head Pillow 
    When sleeping prone, it's better not to use a pillow for neck alignment. If you must have a pillow, adjust the filling or use a low-profile pillow

Selecting A Mattress for Stomach Sleeping

When it comes to selecting a mattress for stomach sleeping, firmer is better.  Most of your weight is in your core and if a mattress is too plush, it will only worsen spinal alignment -- lower back aches will be a common occurrence. 

Memory foam mattresses are by far the best, in our opinion, for stomach sleeping. The body glove effect does a good job of supporting your body and providing the necessary pressure relief. The right memory foam mattress will be comfortable without a pillow as well, as the memory foam will contour the shape of your head.

Selecting A Pillow for Stomach Sleeping

As we've mentioned earlier in the article, a pillow is not recommended for most stomach sleepers. But if it's something you absolutely need, we recommend using a soft, low profile latex pillow, or shredded memory foam or latex pillows. With shredded foam pillows, you can adjust the amount of content and if you slowly start to change your sleeping position, you don't have to buy a new pillow, just add more filling (make sure you don't throw it away).

Wrapping Things Up

Stomach sleeping isn't recommended but hopefully with our tips you've learned some ways to improve your experience. We do suggest you slowly start to adapt a back or side sleeping position, because wellness is the core of what we are about. By changing to a different position, you position yourself to wake up happier and with less aches and pains.

If you're looking for a new mattress to help you start your journey to better wellness, check our out Wellness Hybrid Memory Foam Mattress. Try it for 100 nights, we guarantee you'll love it or we'll pick it up and refund you everything back