Sleeping on Your Stomach | Is It Harmful to Your Health? 

It’s quite a general habit for people to sleep on their tummy. But is sleeping on your stomach affected badly? Yes, it is. 

Of course, it has some good sides, like decreasing your snoring and reducing sleep apnea. However, sleeping on your tummy has more bad than good sides.  

Sleeping on your tummy may feel like giving you the most comfortable sleep, but no. It mostly leads to poor sleep and a strained back and neck. 

You will also face other casualties besides experiencing discomfort in your neck or lower back. Not to mention, if you are pregnant, you must be very careful with sleeping in or avoiding this posture.  

To make things easier, I’ll inform you about the wrong sides of sleeping on your tummy and what you should do.

 

Bad Causes When You Sleep on Your Stomach 

Sleeping on your tummy is a widespread bad habit. Also, waking up with discomforting back/neck pain in the morning is quite normal. 

This discomforting pain may come from previous sickness or underlying chronic health issues. But it can also be caused by bad sleeping habits like lying on your stomach. 

That is not all. A lot of things can happen when you sleep on your stomach. Which affects you very severely over time. So here the potential drawbacks are- 

Starting with a Misaligned Spine

When you sleep upside down on your stomach, the position of your spine becomes very misaligned. A proper sleeping position helps your spinal posture stay in a healthy alignment.

But, while sleeping in your tummy, the torso in your back sinks deeper. It cannot withstand its weight being pressed downwards and fails to keep a healthy alignment.

Consequently, the spine of your back gets arched and stretched, straining the spine to the point of losing the neutral alignment. That is how you experience lower back discomfort and worse regular pains and aches.

Next Comes Neck and Shoulder Pain

The spinal misalignment due to sleeping on your tummy doesn’t only end with back pain. When the spine gets misaligned, it also causes your shoulders and arm bones to strain a lot. This leads to shoulder pain as well as arm ache.  

Further, this poor sleeping posture makes you experience neck pains more frequently. As you keep lying on your stomach while sleeping, you can’t sleep on your face. You turn your head right or left, whereas your body stays straight on the stomach. 

This makes your neck and spine alignment twist and out of position. Well, that is how you get neck pain and shoulder aches. So you need to know about the healthiest side of sleep.

Facial Skin Issues

Sleeping on the stomach also makes you sleep flat on your face. No matter how you turn or twist your neck, a side of your face always gets pressed with the pillow. Therefore, the pulling, stretching, and compressing pressure on your skin the whole night may cause you to get pimples, acne, and wrinkles.

Chances of Risks in Sleeping on the Stomach During Pregnancy 

This is precisely for the to-be moms newly pregnant or soon expecting a lovely baby. As there is a new life inside your stomach, and you’ll be sleeping for the two of you, you must be cautious. 

Well, in the early stage of pregnancy, you can sleep on your stomach as you usually do. However, gradually, your stomach will grow, and you will not be able to sleep on your tummy at all.  

Therefore, doctors and healthcare consultants recommend that it is better to sleep sideways during pregnancy. 

According to the BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Study, sleeping left sideways is the best sleeping posture to avoid casualties during pregnancy. It also ensures more blood flow and oxygen supply, which are great for your unborn baby.

You can also use pregnancy cushions and pillows to support your body for a comfortable, sideways sleep. 

Suggested Reading…

• Best Healthy Sleeping Positions
• Types Of Pillows You Should Sleep On
• Signs You are Sleeping on a Bad Pillow

 

How Do I Change My Sleeping Position?  Improve Sleeping Posture 

A lot of people may face a lot of health issues after sleeping on their stomachs for the long term. Therefore, to make your sleeping experience better, you can do the things below we suggest- 

• Sleep Sideways: Use a body pillow between your thighs and knees.
• Sleep on your right or left side by lying in the Curl or Fetal posture.
• Sleep on your stomach by putting a thinner body pillow beneath your Pelvis, Torso, or Abdomen.
• Sleep on the Backside: Use a body pillow beneath your thighs or knees.
• Sleep on the backside by lying in the supine position.
• You will enjoy the best sleeping experience with proper alignment of your body. 

Tips for Making Your Sleeping on The Stomach Less Harmful 

Changing sleeping positions suddenly is quite complex and requires long-term patience. It was hard to change my sleeping posture since my body was so used to sleeping on my tummy. No matter how often I tried, I couldn’t get comfortable enough. 

So, as old habits die hard and you cannot get used to sleeping on your back or side, here is a way out. 

Improve your sleeping on your tummy for the better by using these methods –  

• Either use a Thinner Pillow or none at all – Well, the thicker or higher your pillow is, the more your neck and spine strain. Using a thinner or no pillow while sleeping on your tummy keeps your neck and spine in a moderate alignment. Further, you can place a thinner pillow under the lower part of the torso, diminishing the misalignment. 
• Get a Firmer Mattress – A medium-firm mattress can support your prime pressure points. (Depends on your weight, height, and other things). And your sleeping experience will get better. 
• Stretching Out in the Morning – Performing some stretch-outs in the morning will allow you to get your body back in shape. Your body’s (neck, spine) all-over alignment will return to its proper state. Moreover, it will strengthen your body muscles and spines and even reduce neck/backache. 

 

Final Words 

I told you all there is to know about sleeping on your stomach. As well, I hope that you now know what to do if you are experiencing troubles or health issues while sleeping on your tummy.

Further, you should not be careless about these things. Moreover, it would help if you kept in mind that no matter what, sleep enables you to get a sound brain, and it provides you with a good body.

You can be cautious about your sleeping postures and get the right pillow/mattress. Then, you are good to sleep appropriately with content.

FAQ