Changing the position you sleep in?

I sleep in a really stupid and annoying position, involving being propped up by another duvet or couple of pillows. I can only drop off like this.

Which means that whenever I sleep away from home (hotel, tent, whatever), I have a crap nights sleep. But even with my extra support, I wake up with a sore back and stiff shoulder.

So I'm trying to sleep without my usual props. And this morning I'm tired because it didn't work.

So how easy is it to change the way you sleep, and is there a best way?

just do it for a week and you'll soon get into it, I used to used a few pillows now i use 1 small one, I almost certainly always sleep on my side tho which annoys me as its not great for posture so trying to get used to lying flat

I used to lie on one of my arms and it would be numb the following moring. I did it for years, but it caused problems and I had to change the way I sleep. I don't remember it being too hard. I'f I'm tired enough, I can sleep anywhere, and I still sleep on my front, in the 'recovery position', basically

There was a bloke like this on that Elephant Man film; he died when he slept in a more sensible position. Something to think about.

Wow, is it that dangerous? Should I just put up with the backache?

I guess I'll stick it out and risk it.

Seem to remember reading somewhere that adults should sleep on their side, not on their back, as it was "better" for them in some unspecified way.

Can't be arsed to google it right now tho 🙂

Wow, is it that dangerous? Should I just put up with the backache?

Well if you're built like the Elephant Man you might want to see a doctor.

You could try using sleeping pills from somewhere like Boots – I use them when I need a decent sleep but just take 1 instead of the suggested 2. This might help get you into a new pattern.

Sleep on your back. The snoring is spectacular. 😆

good luck, I had to change from sleeping on my back to my side.

I had better sleeping pills than any boots counter could provide yet could not sleep for weeks, literally weeks in the new position (on my side)

after about 3 weeks it felt kinda normal and I didn't need to be off my face to fall asleep (which was nice)

Good luck and I hope you have a better time of it than I 😉

Sleep position gives personality clue (BBC News, 2003)

From GrahamS's link:

The research also found that most people are unlikely to change their sleeping position.

Still going to try. Hopefully without the Pik n Mix pill approach.

Sleep on your back. The snoring is spectacular.

A bottle of red with your cheese supper helps too.

I've found with over 2 months of sleeping in different and random places, no tent or roll matt either, a bad nights sleep certainly effects the next day.

However with centipedes and other critters crawling around and over me, perhaps its best if i didn't sleep…

Also my old shoulder injury means i can't really sleep on my preferred side, and if i try to sleep on my side when using the hammock i fall out.

On occasions i take out all my spare clothes from the rucksac and spread them out, the odd rock/cave/cliff edge i've slept under/on sometimes aren't too flat and smooth.

I'm wondering if your bed is too soft or hard for you, or perhaps your not relaxed when you go to bed, by being tense about things you'll not settle into a natural comfortable position.

My wife never sleeps on her front, I asked her if I could.

I changed my sleeping position last night. Normally sleep on RHS to spoon wifey, but wake every morning with pain in my back alongside my spine and towards my lower ribcage. Just been away for a week and slept in 3 different hotel beds and realised that one night I'd slep on my left, and no pain. So tried it at home last nigth, and it worked!!!!!

Just try again, I'd say for me without being away from home for a week it would have taken me a lot longer to adjust, it is off the back of being away & sleeping in hotel beds that I've been able to make the change.

nobody knows how to go to sleep.

You might be right about the bed being too soft Sharki, but I reckon part of it must be psychological.

A dose of SleepTFU needed 🙁

dont worry too much about your position, youll move in your sleep anyway. get rid of the extra props, one pillow is best IMO, then let your body find its own position. Memory foam matresses are comfy, but well hot, and rubbish as trampolines.

Starfish or Free-faller best describes how I sleep, trouble is, that's how the missus sleeps as well, we end up in a tangled heap…

I regularly sleep on my back, arms folded over my chest and eyes wide open. On more than one occasion I've been thought to be dead!

(I explain that as far as I'm aware its the undertaker which puts you in this position but they still think its weird…)

I found that becoming pregnant stopped me from sleeping on my front, and have not gone back to that sleeping position after having the sprogs!

HTH 8)

Tried again last night, didn't work.

Guess I'll keep trying 😐

missingfrontallobe – Member

I changed my sleeping position last night. Normally sleep on RHS to spoon wifey, but wake every morning with pain in my back alongside my spine and towards my lower ribcage. Just been away for a week and slept in 3 different hotel beds and realised that one night I'd slep on my left, and no pain. So tried it at home last nigth, and it worked!!!!!

Are you saying you fall asleep and then don't move? I'm all over the place when I'm "asleep"

Are you saying you fall asleep and then don't move? I'm all over the place when I'm "asleep"

I'm certain that I do move, but good doses of anti-epileptic drugs & general fatigue mean sleep comes really easy to me – and often if I fall asleep in a given position, I'll wake in a similar position. Wifey often keeps half an eye on me, she's paranoid about me having seizures, so she'll often comment to me about sleeping well/disturbed etc.

At the moment it is more of a semi-conscious effort that I'm trying to ensure I am on my left hand side while trying to sleep, if that makes any sense!

nobody knows how to go to sleep.

I can usually get to sleep in around 20 seconds anywhere, any time 🙂 If I want to.