What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Personality And Your Health
Are you a yearner or a star fish?
Stock-Asso / Shutterstock Could the way you sleep be linked to your personality? Is it possible that your preferred sleeping position makes you the unique individual that you are? Well, according to science, the answer is yes.
Apparently, the position we sleep in says a whole lot about our personality type. Articles like this have been circulating around the internet for years, but a long-used study actually puts some science behind the blogs.
Director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, Chris Idzikowski, took a survey of about 1,000 people to look into how their sleeping positions correlated to their personalities.
He broke his findings into a list of different sleeping positions and what they generally say about your personality, as well as their health effects on sleepers.
He said, "We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious posture says about us. What's interesting is that the profile behind the posture is often very different from what we would expect."
So, what does your sleep position say about you?
Here is what sleep position says about your personality and your health:
1. Fetus or the thinker
This position is characterized by the sleeper having their knees bent and arms curled up somewhere by the chin or head.
Personality: It is the most popular of sleeping positions and people who adopt it are said to be tough on the outside, but emotional on the inside. It was also found that women are more likely to sleep in this position than men.
Health: This position can sometimes put a strain on the back, so it should be accompanied by a pillow between the knees. However, it can be good for people with hip pains, spinal stenosis, or osteoarthritis in the spine.
2. The log
Sleepers in this position sleep on their side with their legs straight, arms by their side, and cheek on the pillow.
Personality: These sleepers tend to be social, easy-going, slightly gullible, and trusting of strangers.
Health: Since sleeping on one of the hands puts the head and neck in an awkward position, these types of sleepers often find it difficult to get a comfortable pillow.
3. The yearner
This is when a person sleeps with legs slightly bent, a straight back, head slightly off the pillow and arms outstretched along the pillow.
Personality: These types of people are generally open, but have a tendency to be cynical and suspicious. They make up their minds quite slowly but stick to their decisions once they are made.
Health: Many of these sleepers find it difficult to get a proper pillow that supports their neck and head.
4. The soldier
A person in this position sleeps on their back with their legs straight out and their arms pinned down by their sides.
Personality: These people are reserved and quiet, but hold people and themselves to high standards.
Health: It’s important for these kinds of sleepers to find a supportive pillow. Both soft and firm pillows have their advantages for the soldier sleeper, so it is really up to personal preference.
Researchers concluded that the soldier position could lead to snoring and overall poor quality of sleep.
5. The freefall
This person sleeps on their front with their cheek to the pillow and both arms wrapped under the pillow.
Personality: This kind of sleeper does not like criticism and can often be brash, nervous, and thinned-skinned.
Health: Sleeping face-down is not recommended, because it can strain the arch of the back. Try sleeping with a pillow under your abdomen.
However, this position can be beneficial for people suffering from a herniated disk or a degenerative disease in the spine.
6. The Starfish
This is where a person sleeps on their back and has their arms lying upwards by their hand with elbows bent and legs spread out to the side slightly.
Personality: These sleepers are good listeners and great friends. They don’t like to be the center of attention and will always help people who are in need.
Health: This position can be bad for the back, so starfish sleepers should try to put a pillow under their knees to achieve a proper back curve.
Shannon Ullman is a writer who focuses on travel and adventure, women's health, pop culture, and relationships. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, MSN, and Matador Network.