Better Sleep: Finding the Right Position for You

Is your preferred sleep position hazardous to your health? You may not realize it, but how you sleep — on your back, your side, your stomach — not only can determine whether you get a good night’s rest, it can make you more likely to snore, exacerbate back pain and acid reflux disease or cause heart issues. So is there a best sleeping position? What are the benefits and downsides of each one? And just how detrimental can the wrong position be? In this episode, we explore a little talked about aspect of sleep’s health impact: the position most people settle into without thinking about it. 

Expert: Dr. Mas Takashima, Sleep Medicine Specialist 

Interviewer: Todd Ackerman 

Notable topics covered: 

• All the aspects of health your sleep position can affect 
• The study that showed how sleeping on your back facilitates snoring 
• Is sleeping on your stomach definitely the least healthy position? 
• Aligning the spine: side sleeping with a pillow between the knees 
• How do you know if your position is affecting you if you sleep alone 
• Restless sleepers: the effect of moving from position to position 
• Can you train yourself to sleep in a different position? 
• Advice on what to do with your hands in different sleeping positions 
• If you’re sleeping well, do you need to change your position? 

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