Stomach sleeping is one of the least common sleep positions—approximately 7% of adults report this preference, according to research. Though stomach sleeping may feel comfortable at first, studies indicate that sleeping prone adds stress to the spine, neck, and organs and can result in chronic discomfort and poor quality rest.
It's important to know how sleeping on your stomach affects your body, as poor sleeping posture can affect sleep quality, spine health, and overall well-being throughout life. In this article, we will analyze stomach sleeping's actual influences on both your health and sleep cycle.
Stomach Sleeping: How Does It Affect You?
Sleep positions are more than just a matter of comfort—they can affect spinal positioning, respiration, and blood flow. Back sleeping is a position that is often recommended for spinal support, side sleeping can help to alleviate acid reflux and snoring; stomach sleeping is often discouraged for most, as it causes a great deal of stress to one's physical state. For some, it is the only position that feels natural for them.
Advantages of Sleeping on Your Stomach
While not common, sleeping on your stomach does have a few benefits:
Less Snoring - A face down position will help keep the airway open so this may lessen snoring.
Minor Relief of Sleep Apnea - Some people who have mild obstructive sleep apnea may experience fewer breathing interruptions.
Comfort Preference - For some individuals, sleeping on their stomach just feels more comfortable, relaxed, and allows faster sleeping.
Health Risks of Stomach Sleeping
While sleeping on your stomach may feel comfortable, most sleep experts believe that it is the least healthy sleep position available. The negative effects of stomach sleeping are not always immediately apparent.
But stomach sleeping can lead to chronic discomfort, postural problems and sometimes even physical illnesses over extended periods of stomach sleeping. Let’s examine the main negative effects in detail:
1. Spinal Misalignment and Back Pain
The human spine has a natural curve and during sleep, it needs support for optimal rest. When you sleep on your stomach, your body weight tends to press down into your midsection. This causes the lumbar spine's natural curve to stay unnaturally arched, which takes the lumbar spine out of its normal alignment.
With time, stomach sleeping can:
- Strain spinal discs and ligaments
- Inflame and create stiffness in the back
- Establish chronic low back pain
According to the American Chiropractic Association, misalignment to the spine during sleep is one of the main causes of chronic back problems.
2. Neck Strain and Stiffness
Stomach sleeping is different from side or back sleeping because you must turn your head to one side to breathe. This creates hours of twisting pressure on the cervical spine (neck region) and you could experience long-term effects which include:
- Morning stiffness and limited neck mobility
- Frequent headaches or migraines
- Nerve compression, leading to tingling or numbness in the arms
In fact, physical therapists will even tell you that stomach sleeping can replicate strain that can occur while sitting with your head turned to one side for sustained periods of time - something we normally would not let happen during wakeful hours.
3. Nerve Compression and Tingling
Sleeping face down can place unbalanced pressure on nerves in the neck, shoulders, and arms. This will cause a sensation of numbness or tingling, or a feeling of "pins and needles" when getting up in the morning. Continued nerve compression can even potentially lead to conditions such as herniated discs or chronic neuropathy.
4. Breathing and Lung Capacity
When you sleep face down, your chest is squished against the mattress. The compression makes the lungs have trouble fully expanding, which will cause shallow breathing all night long.
This can decrease oxygen intake and interfere with sleep quality over time. Stomach sleeping could also increase the difficulty of airflow in those with respiratory disorders like asthma.
5. Digestive Discomfort
Stomach sleeping places pressure on the abdomen and can affect digestion. For some, stomach sleeping can lead to:
- Acid reflux or heartburn (as pressure causes stomach acid to rise)
- Indigestion or bloating
- Discomfort after late night meals
This is what makes gastroenterologists often encourage side, or back sleeping as healthier options for digestion.
6. Skin and Facial Problems
Using a pillow while you sleep on your stomach may not seem harmful at first, but it can harm your skin over time. Dermatologists report that stomach sleepers are more at risk for:
- Facial wrinkles and fine lines (because of continuous pressure and friction),
- Acne breakout (because of bacteria and oil that accumulate on pillowcases), and
- Facial puffiness (due to restricted circulation to the face, in the case of stomach sleeping).
This is also called "sleep wrinkles", which can quicken the aging process for your skin.
7. Risks During Pregnancy
Stomach sleeping during pregnancy is not generally recommended. Pregnant women are discouraged against sleeping on their stomach beginning in the second and third trimesters.
Belly weight can generate too much pressure on the uterus, will reduce blood circulation and could reduce oxygen supply to the baby. Most obstetricians tell their patients to sleep on the side, generally with the left side preferred, for maternal and fetal health reasons.
8. Poor Sleep Quality and Restlessness
While you may fall asleep fast on your stomach, you are likely to wake often in the night because of discomfort. Research shows that stomach sleepers typically suffer from:
- Shortened REM cycles (therefore, not getting deep, restorative sleep)
- Frequently turning and flipping over
- Being tired and irritable in the morning
These factors don't just impact your health but also your energy, concentration, and mindset throughout the day.
Impact on Sleep Quality
Stomach sleeping may feel comfortable to start off with, but it tends to spoil overall sleep quality. Effective sleep occurs while the body is balanced, breathing is unrestricted, and sleeping stages cycle smoothly. Stomach sleeping hinders this in multiple ways:
1. Restricted REM Sleep
The Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep is where the brain stores memories, regulates emotions, and recharges mental batteries. By sleeping on your stomach and putting relentless stress on the spine and neck, discomfort only accumulates through the night.
Therefore, if the sleeper stops tossing and turning, they end up waking frequently to alleviate that discomfort and therefore spend less time in restorative REM cycles. Over time, this can lead to:
- Daytime fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Mood fluctuations or irritability
2. Increased Restlessness
Generally, stomach sleepers move a lot more than side or back sleepers. The body instinctively tries to compensate when it starts to feel discomfort in the neck, shoulders, or low back. This constant movement breaks sleep and reduces time spent in deep, restorative stages of sleep.
3. Morning Stiffness and Fatigue
Shoulders and chests pressed into the mattress, stomach-sleepers may find themselves taking shallow breaths all night long. Decreased oxygen uptake can restrict deep sleep and leave you feeling tired the next day. This impact is even stronger if you have asthma, allergies or any respiratory ailments.
4. Breathing Disruptions
Many stomach sleepers spend the night with their chest compressed against the mattress and only take shallow breaths. Decreased oxygen intake may prevent one from entering a deep sleep resulting in lower energy levels when waking up. For someone with breathing issues like asthma, allergies, or respiratory issues, this may be even more problematic.
5. Long-Term Sleep Fragmentation
Over a number of weeks and months of sleeping in this poor posture as a stomach sleeper, the body may develop a pattern of sleep disturbance. This chronic sleep fragmentation will lead to an increased risk of:
- Not sleeping or having insomnia
- Worsening of sleep apnea
- Weakened immune function
- Slower physical recovery from exercise
How to Stop Stomach Sleeping?
It can be difficult to stop sleeping on your stomach because it is such a habitual position; however, there are various techniques and tricks that make it possible if you are consistent. Here are some well-intended and realistic steps:
- When you fall asleep at night, focus on falling asleep on your back or side, which can retrain your body into a more optimal sleeping position.
- If you are falling asleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees; this position will provide proper spinal alignment and may help you avoid rolling forward.
- If sleeping on your side, consider using a body pillow to hug while sleeping. It provides some support for your arms and torso, which decreases your need to roll onto your stomach.
- When lying on your back, use an extra pillow next to your hips or chest which creates additional resistance or barriers that will make rolling onto your stomach less likely.
- Select a firmer mattress; when your bed sinks because it is soft, it can contribute to your rolling onto your stomach, and it is hard to retrain your body when you have a soft bed.
- Use a thin pillow or no pillow under your head while sleeping; you will want your head and neck in a neutral position so it does not naturally tilt toward your chest (generally encouraging stomach sleeping).
- If you are okay with it, try sewing a tennis ball into the front part of your sleep shirt/uniform. When you sleep on your stomach it will feel as though you are lying on something awkward and prevent you from lying on your stomach.
- Do some light stretching moving your back, shoulders, and neck prior to bed to help your body feel more natural and comfortable getting into non-stomach sleeping positions.
- When you wake up on your stomach, simply roll back onto your back or side so that your brain gets used to it.
- Be patient with yourself and stay committed for several weeks as the habit of sleeping on your stomach can take time to break.
Final Thoughts
Stomach sleeping may feel restful, but sleeping on your stomach can strain your spine, negatively affect your breathing, and hinder your sleep quality over time. With some simple changes (such as supportive pillows, firmer mattresses, or physically conscious repositioning) you can retrain your body for better habits.
Retraining your body to sleep with better posture will improve the depth and quality of your rest, reduce pain from injury or overuse, and create a better feeling of well-being overall.
