According to Dr. Isogai, a Japanese doctor who developed a proven back therapy program to promote a healthy spine, says that sleeping on your back is healthy for the spine. While in this horizontal sleeping posture your spine has the best ability to align itself naturally. Granted, sometimes one's back may be so out of place that merely lying on the back cannot adjust the spine correctly. If that's the case, you'll need to participate in some exercises to promote the healthy curvature of your spine.

There are also additional techniques that can be added during a nights sleep to reinforce a good sleeping posture. I use these techniques daily to promote the healthy curvature of my spine. I learned these proven techniques from Dr. Isogai while I was recovering from a broken back. His techniques cured me from a serious back ailment.

Meanwhile, I encourage you to do the best you can to sleep on your back. Invest in a good firm mattress, it'll pay off down the road. We purchased a memory foam mattress pad from Costco and simply put it on our existing mattress. It's an inexpensive approach yet provides a quality means to acquire a good mattress for sleeping.
Craig Dahl - BACK PAIN FREE, Senior Editor

Sleeping posture is very important, because your rest depends on it. It is important to have a pillow under your had, but not under your shoulders. Don’t use more than one pillow, because it could disturb your natural spin position, which is very important.

If you sleep on the side, a pillow between your knees will help maintain a neutral spine position. You can’t have a good sleeping posture if you have a sagging mattress. Your neck and back probably hurt because you don’t sleep in the right position. All these things are equally important for remaining the best sleeping posture. It’s not easy to change your habits, and maybe you will not be able to sleep in the first couple of days, but it will be worth all the effort.

What is the best sleeping posture (position)?

Research reveals that, in average, North Americans sleep seven to eight and a half hours a day. We can say that, in average, we spend around 1/3 of the day lying in bed. A good sleeping setting is, therefore, very important to ensure proper recovery.

The first important factor that influences sleep is the mattress quality. Sleeping on a sagging mattress puts the back in an unbalanced, stressful position that can cause problems to develop. A good mattress should be firm, not too hard, and the bed should also be large enough to allow freedom of changing positions frequently. Waterbeds can be satisfactory if adjusted properly.

The most important point in the sleeping position is to find a position that is comfortable for you and not to assume the same position for a long period of time. There is no unique position that has been proven to be best for everybody, but suggestions are given to help people find their most comfortable position: lying on the side, try a body pillow between the knees and arms and alternate sides during the night; on the back, put a pillow under the knees to release the tension on the back muscles; on the stomach (usually not a recommended position because it puts a strain on the neck muscles), change head position during the night.

The pillow should also be comfortable and fill the natural curve of the neck. Try many different pillows if the one you have does not let you have a good sleep. There are many choices of pillows with various materials and forms. Replace your pillow when it is flat or becomes uncomfortable.

Sleep is very important in the well being of all living things, especially for a healthy human being. Sleep rests the brain so it can replenish itself for the next day's activities, and studies show that at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep is recommended for an adult.

All of us have our own definition of the proper sleeping position to look for when we find ourselves in bed. There are various position most people find themselves in such as:

• One or both legs up
• Face down
• Sideways
• Hands on our heads
• Hands up
• Spread legs or arms
• Flat on the back

These are just some of the known positions that we find ourselves in and each one would provide us feedback on what total relaxing positions in sleeping is all about. They are not followed practices although most of them come from habits that people carry on since their childhood. The central point of it all is that people are simply looking for the best means possible to relax and unwind themselves. People may find them weird at times but as a whole, it all boils down to how a person would be able to maximize total rest and rejuvenation. People may call them awkward positions, but for most who live alone, they would not be able to notice that the way they sleep is indeed something to be taken notice. Being comfortable on how we sleep is important. Forcing ourselves to sleep in a certain array will deprive us of overall comfort. Sleep is important. But it is also important to note on how we sleep freely to be assured of overall relaxation.
sleepzine.com

The best sleep position during pregnancy is "SOS" (sleep on side). Even better is to sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left side will increase the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your baby. Keep your legs and knees bent and a pillow between your legs.

If you find that you are having problems with back pain, use the "SOS" position and try placing a pillow under your abdomen as well.
If you are experiencing heartburn during the night you may want to try propping your upper body with pillows.
In late pregnancy you may experience shortness of breath; try lying on your side or propped up with pillows.
These suggestions may not sound completely comfortable, especially if you are used to sleeping on your back or stomach, but try them out and you may find that they work. Keep in mind that you may not stay in one position all night and rotating positions is fine.

sleeping positions
Individuals

From his survey of 1000 people, Idzikowski identified six positions and claimed to detect personality traits based on them:
Fetus (41%) – curling up in a fetal position. This was the most common position, and is especially popular with women.
Log (15%) – lying on one's side with the arms down the side.
Yearner (13%) – sleeping on one's side with the arms in front.
Soldier (8%) – on one's back with the arms pinned to the sides.
Freefall (7%) – on one's front with the arms around the pillow and the head tilted to one side.
Starfish (5%) – on one's back with the arms around the pillow.
The remaining 11% stated their position varied or did not know. A Canadian survey found very different preferences, with 39% of respondents preferring the "log" position and 28% preferring to sleep on their side with their legs bent.
"Sleep position gives personality clue". BBC News. 16 September 2003.
"Good health rests on a good night's sleep". CBC News. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2010.

Study proves sleep positions affect
your relationship health
A new study has found that couples who sleep closer are more likely to have a happier relationship. Best cuddle up in bed this evening then...

Being close, literally, affects how happy couples are in their relationship.
A new study conducted as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival has claimed that the distance between couples as they sleep has a direct impact on their relationship's health. It revealed that 86% of partners who snoozed less than an inch apart were more content with their relationship compared with 66% of those separated more than 30 inches apart.

According to the survey looking at responses from 1,000 people, touching was also really important, with couples reporting being happier than those who had a "no touching rule" while sleeping. It even delved into the most popular positions, with almost half of dreamers lying back to back, and nearly a third facing the same way, leaving 4% facing one another.
handbag.com