What Sleeping On Your Side Says About Your Personality

On average we move between 40 to 50 times during a night’s sleep. Yet despite all this moving around, we tend to get ourselves into a particular sleeping position to fall asleep in. Some people like to sleep on their backs, some on their fronts, some on their sides, some curled up like a baby, and some like to go full on starfish. In this article I’m going to focus specifically on those of you who like sleeping on your side and discover what sleeping in this position says about you as a person. Because yes, apparently the position you sleep in can say a whole lot about your personality. So, let’s find out what it means if you love sleeping on your side:

Side Sleep Positions

Sleeping on your side is the most common position for people to sleep in, however there are a few variations in the exact side position you may sleep in. We’ll take a look at the different side positions in a moment, as each one tells us something slightly different about ourselves. But for now, I want to look at some of the health benefits of sleeping on your side.

Side sleeping is considered the healthiest position for us to sleep in and even more so if you sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left can decrease the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and it is also recommended during pregnancy. Alternatively, if you prefer to sleep on your right side this can be beneficial to people who have heart conditions, as sleeping in this position places less pressure on the heart and helps stabilize blood pressure and heart rate. People who sleep on their sides are also less likely to snore and less likely to suffer from sleep related breathing difficulties such as sleep apnea.

Did you know that as children we spend equal amounts of time sleeping on our front, back, and sides? It’s only in adulthood that we begin to have a preference with the most common sleep position being on our sides.

Side sleepers on the whole are generally calm, optimistic, reliable, active and highly adaptable. They look forward to the future and are astutely aware of themselves. It takes a lot to offend a side sleeper, as their easy-going nature looks for the good in everything.

Now look, you can take this whole sleeping position as an indicator of your personality as seriously or as unseriously as you like. Scientists have done a bit of research on it, but nothing is conclusive. It’s a bit like horoscopes I think, you either believe in it or you don’t. But hey, it’s a bit of fun, so I say let’s go with it and see if any of it rings true. Let’s now take a closer look at the different variations of sleeping on your side.

Foetal Position

As you would expect, the foetal position mimics the position of a baby in the womb i.e., legs and arms are bent and the sleeper is curled up into a ball on their side. Foetal side sleepers tend to be shy and sensitive, especially around new people and new environments. They soon grow comfortable, but this comes with time and trust.

People who sleep in this position can also be quite guarded, which makes sense if you think about the shielded nature of the position itself. They seek protection and look for comfort and care in others, especially trusted family members and friends. This is one of the more emotional sleepers, although they can struggle with expressing their feelings and often use their artistic creativity as an outlet.

Log Position

So called because the sleeper takes on the shape of a log and probably where the expression ‘sleeping like a log’ comes from. Log sleepers sleep on their side with arms and legs extended straight, although some may only extend with one arm out and the other one tucked underneath their head.

Log sleepers are a lot more sociable than foetal sleepers and are generally way more trusting and open. They interact with other people easily; it comes very natural to them. However, this acceptance and willingness to trust everybody can leave them slightly vulnerable at times if people take advantage of their gregarious and generous nature.

Yearner Position

Sleeping in the yearner position means that you sleep on your side with your arms outstretched to the sides as though you are reaching, or yearning, for something. Which gives you a bit of a clue as to what the personality traits of this sleeper might be. Yearners are seeking deep, long lasting relationships with the people around them. In their quest for this, they are very open, wearing their heart on their sleeve, but can also be stubborn and unaccepting of others’ opinions.

Yearners are less gullible than log sleepers, mainly because they like to take their time to fully assess a situation before jumping in headfirst. But also, because they are more cynical and fixed in their mindset. However, once you have been let into the yearners inner circle you have earnt yourself a place for life.

Pillow Huggers

And finally, we have the pillow huggers, the people who sleep on their sides and either hug a pillow or have it tucked between their legs. These are the people who love to be hugged in life. They’re the nurturers, the carers, the ones who are always there for you when you need a shoulder to cry on. Human interaction is hugely important to them and the personal relationships they form outweigh any other aspect of their life.

Pillow huggers can also be a bit scatty and forgetful, mostly because they’re daydreaming about new opportunities. They place great value on long-lasting friendships and are the most loyal of the side sleepers. People who sleep in this position like to feel safe, but don’t mistakenly think that makes them weak, as they can be incredibly strong especially if they need to defend someone they love or they are fighting for something they feel strongly about.

How Do You Sleep?

Are you someone who sleeps on their side? What do you think, does any of this ring true for you? Like I said, you can probably take a lot of it with a pinch of salt, but it’s interesting none the less. I’m going to be exploring the back and front sleeping positions in future posts, so keep an eye out for them, but in the meantime my side sleeping beauties, sleep tight!