As you get ready to lie down on the mattress in your bedroom in Orange County, you might not have anything else on your mind other than getting a good night of sleep. Maybe you have work early the next morning, or if it’s the weekend, then you’re getting ready to engage in one of your favorite hobbies. The position in which you sleep doesn’t even enter your mind. Probably you’ve slept that way for as long as you can remember, and that’s just how you feel the most comfortable.

However, according to some sleep experts, your position can tell a lot about you, not to mention that it can affect your health dramatically. Let’s look at what they have to say about the various sleep positions that Orange County residents enjoy.

 

Side Sleepers

 

Those who lie down on a mattress and immediately turn on their side have a hard shell on the outside, according to some behaviorists. If you wake up on your mattress in the morning and you’ve contracted into the fetal position, then you present a tough face to the world but inside you’re a caring, nurturing person. These individuals are often shy or standoffish when they first meet someone, but then in time, they begin to trust and open up.

 

As for the benefits of side sleeping, those who sleep on their left sides are doing much better than those who sleep on their right. Left side sleepers will reduce heartburn and acid reflux. The circulation is also improved, and your brain filters out waste and toxins more efficiently. This is because of the way the anatomy lines up when you lie on your left side. If you sleep on your right side, then you’ll lose some of the benefits.

 

As for problems with side sleeping, shoulder pain is the most common. Your arm can also fall asleep unless you switch it up during the night at some point. Waking up with a “dead arm” can be irritating, as you have to hope that it wakes up and becomes functional again during the day. You can also put pressure on your lungs and stomach, so watch out for that.

 

Back Sleepers

 

Those who sleep on their backs with their arms at their sides, according to behaviorists, are very strict with themselves. They hold themselves to a rigid code of conduct that they will rarely break. This disciplined approach allows them to accomplish many tasks that would be daunting to individuals who are more carefree in their attitudes. Moral codes and high standards can carry a person far, but according to experts, these sorts of sleepers can find it challenging to relax long enough to enjoy their lives.

 

Back sleepers are doing well in the health department because they’re getting the most spinal support, and that means that they will have fewer back, shoulder, and neck problems. The less you contort your back as you sleep the better, so you should aspire to rest in this position if you can. If you lie on your back without any pillows, then that’s perfect, because that way your neck and spine are perfectly aligned. Most people aren’t able to do this, though, so don’t worry about it if you need a pillow.

 

However, this position has its dangers as well. The most significant is that you’re more prone to snoring if you lie on your back, and if you’re overweight then you might suffer from sleep apnea if you’re a back sleeper. That can carry risks of high blood pressure, and you’re more prone to stroke, plus you’re going to wake your partner often throughout the night if you sleep with one.

 

Stomach Sleepers

 

According to the experts, stomach sleepers often are sociable and bold on the outside. They tend to be popular at work or school, and they can propel themselves easily up social ladders. The problem is that they can be thin-skinned and they don’t deal with criticism or absurd situations well. The advice of behaviorists for stomach sleepers is to partake in mental exercises so that when a less-than-ideal situation comes up, they will be ready to adjust their thinking to deal with it.

 

Stomach sleepers in Orange County aren’t doing a lot of good for themselves by resting that way. By lying on your stomach on a mattress with your neck turned to the side then you run the risk of developing both lower back and neck problems. You will frequently wake up with back or neck pain, and if you already have pain in those areas, then this will exacerbate it. At least you are not as inclined to snore if you sleep that way.

 

Other Variations

 

There are also sleep positions like the starfish, where you’re on your back and spread-eagled on the bed, with your legs and arms far out to either direction. These people are always eager to help a friend by listening to their problems. They like to avoid being the center of attention.

 

There’s the pillow hugger position, where you lie on your side with a pillow pressed tightly against your body. These people supposedly cherish relationships with family and friends above all else.

 

There’s the thinker, where a person is in the fetal position but has one hand resting gently on their chin. These individuals are often quite emotional and often experience either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows.

 

How accurate any of these assessments are is anybody’s guess, as they are more or less the equivalent of trying to tell a person’s horoscope by the way that they sleep. What a sleep position does to a person’s body is not theory, though. It is a fact, so if the way you lie on a mattress at night is causing you problems, Orange County residents, then you should endeavor to change your habits. As for whether your personality follows the trends that we identified, we’ll leave it to you to judge that for yourselves.