How to Stop Sleeping on Your Stomach

Co-authored by Alex Dimitriu, MD

Last Updated: October 26, 2022 References

Why is it bad to sleep on your stomach?

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Tips to Stop Stomach Sleeping

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Different Sleeping Positions

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

After a long day, you're ready to roll onto your stomach and catch some zzzs. Unfortunately, this sleeping position is hard on your body and is a common cause of low back pain, neck pain, shoulder issues, and headaches.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} There's no need to worry, though. You can switch your sleeping position if you put your mind to it, and we're here to show you how. Keep scrolling for an in-depth look at what stomach sleeping does to your body—and more importantly, how you can make a change.

Section 1 of 3:

Why is it bad to sleep on your stomach?

Stomach sleeping creates an unnatural position for your spine. It causes too much extension in the low back, potentially irritating the small facet joints of the spine, and too much twisting in the neck because you need to rotate your head to one side in order to breath. Neck rotation for long periods of time leads to muscle strains and mild joint sprains, which can trigger headaches and dizziness. Laying face-down also puts more pressure on your jaw and tends to promote facial wrinkles. Furthermore, because most people raise their arms above their heads while stomach sleeping, shoulder joints are put under more stress. If any of these issues apply to you, then it's time to stop stomach sleeping.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- A study of women between the ages of 20-44 found that 48% sleep primarily on their back (supine), 41% on their sides (fetal position) and 11% on their stomach (prone).
- Stomach sleeping for babies is discouraged because it's linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).^{[3]
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- Sleeping on your back or side is better for your posture.^{[4]
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Section 2 of 3:

Tips to Stop Stomach Sleeping

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Use positive affirmations before bedtime. Changing a habitual sleeping position is difficult because you're not conscious (awake) during the night to constantly monitor it. However, once you start to associate some negativity (such as back pain) to stomach sleeping, then your desire to change positions may start to sink into the subconscious part of your mind, which is active during sleep. To help this process along, use positive affirmations just before bedtime. Positive affirmations are positive directions or self-statements (spoken aloud or thought) repeated many times over.^{[5]
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Research source} The idea is to drive your conscious desires into your unconscious mind.
- Start by saying or thinking, "I will sleep on my side (or back) tonight because it's best for my body" at least 10 times.
- With positive affirmations meant to affect the subconscious mind, it's best not to use negative language, as in "I won't sleep on my stomach tonight." Keep all language directive and in the positive form.
- Affirmations have helped many people make significant changes, but they don't always work for everyone or all conditions.
- Relax before bed. The more comfortable and calm you are, the more likely you are to easily fall asleep.^{[6]
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  Expert Source
  
  Alex Dimitriu, MD
  Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional
  Expert Interview. 16 October 2019.}
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Use an orthopedic pillow. An orthopedic pillow is meant to maintain the natural curves of your neck and is typically made of contoured foam. Orthopedic pillows make your neck and head feel good when you sleep on them while on your back or side, but may feel awkward or uncomfortable during stomach sleeping. As such, an orthopedic pillow might act as a deterrent to stomach sleeping, while encouraging a different, more physiologically beneficial position at the same time.^{[7]
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- Orthopedic pillows can be purchased at medical supply and rehabilitation stores, as well at the offices of some chiropractors and physiotherapists.
- Buy a pillow with obvious supportive contours and not the flat ones merely made from memory form. Remember, you're trying to make it uncomfortable to use while on your stomach.
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Ask your partner for assistance. If you're married or sleep with a significant other, ask them for assistance during the night if they happen to be awake and notice you're sleeping on your stomach. Ask them to give you a gentle nudge, so you roll onto your side or back. Ironically, your partner may sleep better while you're on your stomach because the position helps to ease or prevent snoring, which is about its only benefit.
- People (especially infants) who sleep on their stomachs tend to be less reactive to noise, experience less movement and have higher arousal thresholds.
- Stomach sleeping helps prevent heat dissipation from your internal organs, so the position retains more heat during the night. In contrast, sleeping on your back allows you to cool down easier.
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Try hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy uses suggestive commands to impact a person's behaviors while they are in an altered state of consciousness, also known as a trance. People in deeply relaxed and focused states are unusually responsive to suggestion and imagery. As such, if you're having great difficulty changing your sleeping habits, then find a reputable and well-established hypnotherapist in your area and schedule a few sessions. Hypnotherapy has a good track record for stopping other negative behaviors, such as smoking and alcoholism, so using it for stomach sleeping isn't so far fetched.^{[8]
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- If you're feeling a little nervous or vulnerable about being hypnotized, then get the hypnotist to video record your sessions. They may also make you subliminal audio MP3s / CDs to take home and listen to.
- Alternatively, ask a friend to join you and keep an eye on things while you're hypnotized.

Section 3 of 3:

Different Sleeping Positions

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Sleep on your side. From a musculoskeletal (functional) perspective, sleeping on your side provides the most benefit because it keeps your spine in normal alignment. It can alleviate neck pain (assuming your pillow is an appropriate size) and low back pain, reduce the incidence of acid reflux (heartburn), prevent snoring and ease the burdens of pregnancy. ^{[9]
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Research source} However, from an aesthetic perspective, side sleeping can promote facial wrinkles and saggy breasts, as they get a little squished.^{[10]
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- If side sleeping, select a pillow that fits between the tip of you shoulder and the side of your head. Thus, thick pillows are best for broad-shouldered people and thin pillows for the narrow shouldered — a pillow of the appropriate thickness will keep your neck aligned and help prevent tension or cervicogenic headaches.^{[11]
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- To promote sleeping on your side, get a body pillow to hug, which might replace the sense of security and warmth you were getting from stomach sleeping.
- Everyone who sleeps on their side should use a pillow between their legs to promote hip alignment.^{[12]
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  Trustworthy Source
  University of Rochester Medical Center
  Leading academic medical center in the U.S. focused on clinical care and research
  Go to source}
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Sleep on your back. Sleeping on your back (supine) is generally better for your spine compared to stomach sleeping, especially for your neck, but care must be taken if you have a history of lower back pain. As such, consider putting a small pillow underneath your knees for elevation, which will take pressure off your lower lumbar spine. Sleeping on your back is also good for reducing acid reflux, minimizing facial wrinkles (nothing is pushing against and creasing your face) and maintaining perky breasts, as their weight is fully supported. On the other hand, being supine promotes snoring because it can cause the soft tissues in your throat to collapse, which constricts the airways.^{[13]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- If your back feels stiff after sleeping supine, put a small pillow (wedge-shaped ones work well) or rolled-up towel under the small of your back (lumbar area) and keep it there during the night.^{[14]
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  Trustworthy Source
  University of Rochester Medical Center
  Leading academic medical center in the U.S. focused on clinical care and research
  Go to source}
- While your head is elevated above the level of your stomach, heartburn is minimized because stomach acid has a much harder time coming up against the effects of gravity.^{[15]
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- Warning: Factor in any physical ailments before you switch sleeping positions If you've had back surgery, sleeping on your side in the fetal position may be the most comfortable, while sleeping on your side may be better if you have a history of snoring or sleep apnea. On the other hand, if you have chronic shoulder pain from an old sports injury, then sleeping on your back might be the best position.^{[16]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Johns Hopkins Medicine
  Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Go to source}

Expert Q&A
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Question

What is the healthiest sleeping position?

Alex Dimitriu, MD
Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional
Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine.

Alex Dimitriu, MD

Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional

Expert Answer

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Generally speaking, whatever keeps you comfortable is ideal. Sleeping on your stomach isn't ideal, but basically whatever position keeps you asleep and pain-free is fine.
Question

I sleep on my stomach and I have a sore ribs all the way up to my sternum, only on my left side. What should I do?

Chris M. Matsko, MD
Family Medicine Physician
Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.

Chris M. Matsko, MD

Family Medicine Physician

Expert Answer

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If sleeping on your stomach causes pain, I recommend trying to sleep on your back or your side. However, if any pain persists, I suggest seeing your doctor.
Question

I snore, but I can't tell if it's from breathing with my mouth open, or just from sleeping on my stomach. I am also not sure if I have sleep apnea. What should I do?

Chris M. Matsko, MD
Family Medicine Physician
Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.

Chris M. Matsko, MD

Family Medicine Physician

Expert Answer

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In order to determine if you have sleep apnea, you need to have a sleep study. This is when you go into the hospital or a special clinic and they monitor you sleep including brain wave, breathing, and quality of sleep. This will determine if you have a sleep pathology that needs treatment. Treatment for sleep apnea includes CPAP machines and dental mouth guards.