Expert shows why you should never sleep on your stomach
Claire Reid
An expert has shared the worst position to sleep in and I’m afraid it’s bad news for a fan favourite.
When it comes to our sleeping habits most of us have a go-to position that we’ll nod off in every night, but it turns out that not all sleep positions are equal and some could actually be putting unnecessary strain on your body rather than providing you with a restful night of sleep.
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Sadly, we're talking about sleeping on your stomach. For those of you reading this who prefer to sleep on their stomachs, you may not be doing yourself any favours.
Sleep expert, and founder of mattress and pillow brand Levitex, James Leinhardt, took to TikTok to share his advice with the help of a model wearing a rather disturbing full body muscle suit.
“When you lie on your front like this, these muscles have to extend for prolonged periods of time to maintain this position,” he explained.
“Muscles don’t like to be tense for long periods of time.”
He went on to explain that we choose to watch TV in such a position, so it makes no sense that we spend ‘hours upon hours’ like that during our sleep.
James goes on to say that sleeping on your belly puts extra pressure on your spine, that will cause back problems 'very, very soon' if continued. Not what you want.
If you must sleep on your front, James says you should do yourself a favour and at least ditch your pillow as this will relieve some of the pressure on your neck.
However, he recommends sleeping in a different way altogether.
Sharing an optimal sleeping position, James directed: “First of all, you want a pillow between the tip of your ear and the tip of your shoulder – one that fills that space.
“The second thing you’re gonna do is put a pillow between your knees and ankles. That’s gonna support and stabilise this hip and keep you feeling safer, and you’re less likely to bring that leg over.
“The third thing you’re gonna do is you’re going to hug a pillow – you're gonna de-weight that top shoulder.
“Hug it, and again you’re more stable and less likely to roll over.”
He encouraged people to try it for 30 minutes that night, adding: “If you don’t like it and it doesn’t work out, go back to that car crash of a sleeping position and start again tomorrow.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely willing to try it if it gives me a better night’s kip.