Post: #1

I suffered years from horrible posture (rotated pelvis, scoliosis, knee pain,..) which caused a lot of mental grieve.

Turns out the source of all my issues was sleeping on my stomach.

For some reason the idea finally got implanted in my head to start consciously sleeping on my back, and I started feeling brand new. My whole body realigned itself.

I'll tell you I never imagined my issues could be solved so easily, and I wish someone told me.

So here I am doing the universe a favor with this invaluable advice:

Stop sleeping on your stomach.

Stop maintaining your head in a twisted position 8 hours a day.

You're welcome.

Post: #2

Thanks. Also sleep with your feet elevated.

Post: #3

Easier said than done.

I’ve been trying to stop sleeping on my stomach for years. I’ve come to realize my only hope is to be constrained to the bed with straps. I once bought a military cot to force myself to sleep on my back and I still woke up on my stomach.

Post: #4

(07-11-2018 03:09 PM)musicalprodigy1 Wrote:  Thanks. Also sleep with your feet elevated.

Good advice. I do make sure to put a pillow under my knees. Also I don't use a pillow for my head.

(07-11-2018 03:47 PM)LINUX Wrote:  Easier said than done.

I’ve been trying to stop sleeping on my stomach for years. I’ve come to realize my only hope is to be constrained to the bed with straps. I once bought a military cot to force myself to sleep on my back and I still woke up on my stomach.

It definitely takes a serious mental effort. Try putting on headphones; that somehow worked for me. And don't forget to put a pillow under your legs to avoid putting your back in extension. Also recommend using no pillow to rest your head. And have a soft mattress.

Post: #5

Thanks for the great post Rudideviz. I have been suffering from coccydnia(pain in the tailbone area) for almost 10years. I honestly do not even wish my enemy such pain . I have tried every known exercise but still none of then could really relieve the pain.

Also, i have been sleeping on my stomach since when i was a kid until now. But guess what.? I started sleeping on my back around 6weeks ago and the pain has been reduced by 80%. This was just a trial and error that i just decided to carry out and fortunately it has immensely helped me a lot.

When I used to sleep on my stomach, sometimes when i wake up in the morning, i struggle to rise of from my bed. It seems like my tailbone just disconnected from my spinal cord. It is really really painful.

In conclusion, what you are saying is the truth because it has been tried and tested by me.

+1 from me for this thread.

Post: #6

I just find it impossible to sleep on my back. It's ok when you're trying to fall asleep, but sooner or later I get the urge to sleep on my side.

Post: #7

(07-12-2018 04:44 AM)Vladimir Poontang Wrote:  I just find it impossible to sleep on my back. It's ok when you're trying to fall asleep, but sooner or later I get the urge to sleep on my side.

Sleeping on your side (especially if you alternate) is not nearly as bad as sleeping on your stomach. Stomach sleeping is the devil because it fucks so much with the neck position.

Post: #8

(07-12-2018 05:49 AM)Rudideviz Wrote:  

(07-12-2018 04:44 AM)Vladimir Poontang Wrote:  I just find it impossible to sleep on my back. It's ok when you're trying to fall asleep, but sooner or later I get the urge to sleep on my side.

Sleeping on your side (especially if you alternate) is not nearly as bad as sleeping on your stomach. Stomach sleeping is the devil because it fucks so much with the neck position.

I don't know how anybody could sleep on their front. I find it very uncomfortable to be in that position for long, and yes it does put pressure on your neck.

But what I want to know is how do you resist the urge to move when you're trying to sleep on your back? Not to mention that once you're asleep you're going to instinctively move to whatever position will be comfortable in the moment. Is it really possible to stay on your back the whole night?

Post: #9

My dad sleeps on his back. I cannot. My sleep position is something between side and stomach. As for my neck, I use a very slim pillow and I'm fit. I move from one side to another often at night.

I lift heavy weights so my back muscles are strong and I don't feel back pains.

Post: #10

Water discipline is crucial for this. I drink 4 litres of water a day, but make sure that my last intake of water is 2 hours before bedtime. This way, your body has enough time to process it and you pee before you sleep.

Any day I falter and drink water close to bedtime, I invariably find myself waking up on my stomach. Because of bladder anatomy and positioning, it is severely uncomfortable to sleep on your back with a full bladder; you feel a constant urge to pee and only feel relief when you flip over onto your stomach.

Try this and you'll see the difference.

Post: #11

OP, I have some very debilitating postural issues as well.

For awhile, I was dealing with sciatica... pain that was running down the back of my left leg.

I worked with countless physiotherapists who were unable to provide me with any relief.

Finally, I saw an osteopath who discovered the source of all my problems: a pelvis that was constantly pointed to the right.

He prescribed me a few exercises to do daily, and within a week of doing them, my sciatica had completely dissipated:

1. 90/90 hip lift + leg extension




2. Stretch left glutes

Any basic glute stretch will do, but what the osteopath got me to do was to get down on all fours, then push my butt back and shift it over to the left, WITHOUT moving my upper body.

3. Banded single-leg glute bridge

Tie a resistance band around your right leg, and anchor the band around something sturdy on your LEFT.

Perform a glute bridge on your right side, and right side ONLY. Repeat 3x to failure.

Still wanting to sleep on your back?

I haven't tried forcing myself to sleep on my back yet (I usually rotate between sleeping on my back, and on my stomach).

However, and I know this is going to sound weird, but... what I've found is that sleeping on the sofa actually prevents me from sleeping on my stomach.

Just place your pillow against the arm rest, wrap yourself up in your blanket, and lie down.

I think this works because the sofa's arm and back rest actually prevents you from flipping over comfortably. Thus, you stay asleep on your back all night.

So if you're adamant on trying to sleep on your back, sleeping on the sofa may be worth a shot.

Personally, I prefer the osteopathic exercises and have found them to be very helpful in curing my pain and improving my squat form.

Post: #12

I try, but then inevitably a speck of dust gets on my face and wakes me up. I'm an extremely light sleeper.

The neck issue is very real when sleeping on your stomach.

Post: #13

I suggest not using a pillow or using a very thin pillow. At first it will suck but eventually it will feel natural and you'll sleep much better.

Post: #14

Drives me nuts. For the life of me I cannot fall asleep on my back. I know stomach sleeping is horrible but I'm not sure what else to do.

Post: #15

To combat sleeping on my stomach, Ive been sleeping on the ground, laying flat on my back. However, I will wake up in the middle of the night and will have to move onto my bed. There I will sleep on my back until it wakes me up and then just go to side or stomach sleeping.

It is definetely a hard habit to break out of.

Sleeping on my stomach, especially on old or soft mattresses means spinal compression for many hours. In the morning I would wake up 1) tired and groggy 2) with some back pain.

Post: #16

I have recently begun to sleep like a bat - never felt better:


And the best part is that I don't even need a bed anymore.

I personally sleep better on my stomach - whenever I fall asleep on my back it's usually worse and I wake up less rested.

Post: #17

(07-19-2018 04:16 AM)Simeon_Strangelight Wrote:  I have recently begun to sleep like a bat - never felt better:

And the best part is that I don't even need a bed anymore.

I personally sleep better on my stomach - whenever I fall asleep on my back it's usually worse and I wake up less rested.

If you are adamant about stomach sleeping the one thing I would suggest is to switch the position of your head often so that it isn't twisted to the same side 100% of the time.

Post: #18

(07-20-2018 08:52 AM)Rudideviz Wrote:  

(07-19-2018 04:16 AM)Simeon_Strangelight Wrote:  I have recently begun to sleep like a bat - never felt better:

And the best part is that I don't even need a bed anymore.

I personally sleep better on my stomach - whenever I fall asleep on my back it's usually worse and I wake up less rested.

If you are adamant about stomach sleeping the one thing I would suggest is to switch the position of your head often so that it isn't twisted to the same side 100% of the time.

That explains why I sleep so well on my stomach - I am mix of heavy sleeper with a huge amounts of movements during sleep so my head changes position all the time. That also maybe explains why I sleep badly on my back - you have less mobility doing my kind of sleeping - of course the position is far superior if you are in a coma or have to just lie there, but I guess for my kind of sleeping temperament it is worse.