Sleeping: the art of the right position

Most people move between several positions during the night, but one dominates. And that one has a say in how you wake up, because the position decides where your weight rests and how straight your spine stays while it does.

On your back the weight is spread most evenly. The spine can keep its natural shape and neither shoulders nor hips press anywhere. A flat pillow matters: too high a pillow pushes the chin towards the chest and turns the best position into the least comfortable one. A small pillow under the knees takes further tension out of the lower back.

On the side is how the majority sleeps. Here the mattress needs to yield at shoulder and hip, otherwise the spine bends sideways. A pillow between the knees keeps pelvis and legs in line. The foetal position on the left side is considered particularly relieving, among other times during pregnancy and with abdominal discomfort.

On the front is the hardest position. The head has to stay turned to one side all night and the pelvis sinks slightly, which pulls the lower back into a hollow. If you cannot fall asleep any other way, a firmer mattress and a very flat pillow, or none at all, will help. A pillow under the pelvis takes further pressure off the back.

Getting used to sleeping on your back takes weeks, not days. What works: consistently falling asleep on your back, even if you turn over later in the night. Placing pillows to your left and right so turning takes more effort. And bending the knees slightly, which makes lying on your back immediately more comfortable. If you still wake up on your side, that is not a failure; the body looks for what suits it at that moment.

One thing cannot be solved by technique alone: if the mattress does not suit the position, no amount of retraining will help. Side sleepers on too firm a mattress wake with an aching shoulder, front sleepers on too soft a one with lower back pain. That is why in the showroom we ask how you lie first, and only then show you beds.