Rising temperatures can quickly disturb your sleep, making sleeping in the summer a constant challenge. There are plenty of techniques for sleeping when it’s hot (and you’re likely to make sleeping mistakes due to the heatwave), including spending money on the situation and buying one of the best cooling mattresses. But even if you find yourself waking up regularly at night feeling hot and irritable, you probably haven’t thought about how your sleeping position is affecting things.
Tom’s Guide spoke to sleep position expert James Lienhardt to find out how sleep position affects how effectively your body cools itself, the best way to sleep when it’s too hot, and how to train yourself in this position if it’s not usually the case.
What is the best sleeping position when it’s hot?
To help keep your body as cool as possible, you should lie on your side. “The part of your body that generates the most heat includes your forehead, followed by the area below your spine,” explains James. “If you’re sleeping on your back, there’s nowhere for that trapped heat to escape. By changing your lying position, turning on your side, you’ll have the least amount of contact with the bed, so the heat will naturally rise much faster than if you were lying on your back.”
Is any side sleeping position good?
In terms of keeping calm, yes, but there is one specific mode you can choose to ensure not only a restful night’s sleep, but a healthy afternoon. “The semi-fetal side lying obviously puts the least amount of stress through your spine, so to improve your sleeping position, you should adopt the ‘dreamer’ position.”
‘Dreamer’ is semi-fetal position, with legs, knees and ankles bent, hands in front of face – no under your pillow. (“Basically, you’re replicating a good sitting position, just on your side,” says James.) We’ll go over some top tips for training your body into this position, including the nifty pillow technique below.
Can you lie on your forehead too?
In terms of heat dissipation, technically speaking, yes. But stomach sleeping is the absolute worst position in terms of spine health, which is why we don’t often recommend it.
“You’re rotating your neck and it reverses all the natural curves of your spine, which can lead to a whole host of aches and pains, and may cause you harm in the long run,” says James.
If you’re someone who feels more comfortable with stomach sleeping, James suggests you might confuse comfort with intimacy. “I always describe it like this: Imagine you’re lounging in a chair, you might think you’re relaxed, but after 20-30 minutes you need to reposition yourself,” he explains. “This is because pressure builds up on the top of the sacrum (at the base of the spine). Improper curvature of the spine will cause increased pressure and discomfort.”
He notes that there are exceptions to this rule for certain medical conditions, but for most of us they should be avoided.
Sleep specialist James has spent more than a decade working with NHS Trusts providing specialist sleep solutions for bed-bound patients with complex neurological conditions and injuries. He can be found sharing his message about the importance of the sleeping position on TV, TikTok, and as a university lecturer. James is also the founder of UK-based pillow and mattress brand Levitex.
How can I train myself to sleep in a new position?
Side sleeping is the most common sleeping position, but if you’re someone who naturally adopts a different position, James has some tips for training yourself in the cool, spine-friendly ‘Dreamer’ position.
1. Place a pillow between your knees
Try placing another pillow (it doesn’t have to be anything special) between your knees and ankles. This should prevent you from slithering forward and out of alignment at night. If you have wider thighs, as many women do, this can also help make the legs more parallel.
And if you have last A spare pillow, James has a use for that too. “If you keep retracting on your stomach, it may help to hug another old pillow in front of you.”
2. Get the right mattress
To keep things comfortable, it is important to make sure that you get the best mattress for your sleeping style. The best mattresses for side sleepers tend to be medium or medium-firm, and allow the hips and shoulders to sink in slightly, preventing pressure from building up (as happens with a very firm mattress). However, there are exceptions—heavier people should learn toward something firmer and better mattresses for back pain They tend to be on the stiffer side, too.
3. Make sure your pillow is the correct height
“There should only be one pillow, supportive, placed under your head,” says James. “If you sleep with more than one, it may be time to buy a new pillow.” You’re looking for a pillow that fills the depth between your ear and the surface of the bed, which might be too deep for a side sleeper (especially if you’re broad-shouldered.
james sleeping company, Levitex, has a cushion It comes in four different heights. It’s been a sleep editor’s favorite pillow for over a year, (which is saying something because we’ve tried so many options), and we can personally vouch that it’s a really great choice. This is a British brand, but readers in the US will find plenty of alternatives in Tom’s Guide’s official roundup of the best pillows).
4. Stick with it
Most people turn naturally at night, which means that even if you put yourself to bed in the Dreamer’s position, you may wake up in a different position. According to James, that’s fine — and doesn’t mean your efforts aren’t working.
“It’s all about repetition,” he says. “Each night, make sure to put your body into this sideways position. Even when you wake up throughout the night and find yourself pulling back into your old habits, position yourself back into this original position. The more you do this, the more familiar the position will become, and your body will automatically revert to this when you fall asleep.”
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