The sleeping position is the body configuration assumed by a person during or prior to sleeping. It has been shown to have health implications, particularly for babies.
Sleeping preferences
A Canadian survey found that 39% of respondents preferring the "log" position and 28% preferring to sleep on their side with their legs bent. A Travelodge survey found that 50% of heterosexual British couples prefer sleeping back-to-back, either not touching or touching. Spooning was next, with the man on the outside 20% of the time vs. 8% with the woman on the outside. 10% favoured the "lovers' knot", though all but 2% separated before going to sleep. The "Hollywood pose" of the woman with her head and arm on the man's chest was chosen by 4%.
Health issues
Sleep position in babies
In the 1958 edition of his best-selling bookThe Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, paediatrician Dr Benjamin Spock warned against placing a baby on its back, writing, "if vomits, he's more likely to choke on the vomitus." However, later studies have shown that placing a young baby in a prone position increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. A 2005 study concluded that "systematic review of preventable risk factors for SIDS from 1970 would have led to earlier recognition of the risks of sleeping on the front and might have prevented over 10,000 infant deaths in the UK and at least 50,000 in Europe, the USA, and Australasia."
Sleep position and snoring
It is recommended that people at risk of obstructive sleep apnea sleep on their side and with a 30° or higher elevation of the upper body. Snoring, which may be an indicator of obstructive sleep apnea, may also be alleviated by sleeping on one's side.
Modern scientific studies have suggested a beneficial effect of the rightlateral decubitus position on the heart. In particular, one study assessed the autonomic effect of three sleep positions in healthy subjects using spectral heart rate variability analysis. The results indicated that cardiac vagal activity was greatest when subjects were in the right lateral decubitus position.
The right lateral sleeping position results in much more reflux in the night than the left lateral position and prone position
Islam
In Islamic culture, some sleep positions are encouraged while others are discouraged based on the practice. Sleeping on stomach is prohibited in Islam reference "It was narrated from Qais bin Tihfah Al-Ghifari that his father said: "The Messenger of Allah found me sleeping in the masjid on my stomach. He nudged me with his foot and said: 'Why are you sleeping like this? This is a kind of sleep that Allah dislikes,' or 'that Allah hates.'" حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنِ الأَوْزَاعِيِّ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ طِخْفَةَ الْغِفَارِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ أَصَابَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ نَائِمًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ عَلَى بَطْنِي فَرَكَضَنِي بِرِجْلِهِ وَقَالَ " مَا لَكَ وَلِهَذَا النَّوْمِ هَذِهِ نَوْمَةٌ يَكْرَهُهَا اللَّهُ أَوْ يُبْغِضُهَا اللَّهُ ". Grade : Sahih Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 3723 In-book reference : Book 33, Hadith 68 English translation : Vol. 5, Book 33, Hadith 3723"
