REM sleep occurs three to four times a night, and the final stint of REM sleep, when dreams are most vivid, takes place late in the sleep cycle, usually in the morning before you wake up. Dreams usually happen during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when the brain is very active. The sleep position you find yourself in when you wake up could be the one that’s influencing your dreams. Of the 670 Shue Yan University students surveyed, 194 reported sleeping in two or more positions with a similar frequency. Many people sleep in more than one position, changing positions during the night. Sleeping prone, on your stomach, may also put strain on your lower back and cause neck pain. People who sleep on their stomachs report increased restlessness caused by frequent tossing and turning to get comfortable. Despite the reports of erotic dreams, “you should avoid sleeping face down with your face against the pillow,” says Yu. “Breathing-related sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, have been found to have significant impacts on the intensity of dreaming.” “Studies have shown that people who sleep on their backs experience more nightmares and find it harder to remember their dreams,” says Yu. The face-up position may lead to snoring, encourage sleep apnea, and interfere with restful sleep. Sleeping supine, or on your back, may lead to lower back pain, and it could cause other problems that may alter your dreams. Sleeping on your right side may cause you to dream of swallowing or burning.” “Sleeping on the left side keeps your stomach below your esophagus, and gravity may help with reflux. “GERD is a frequent cause of sleeplessness and could affect dream content,” explains Breus. Breus, PhD, because people sleeping on their bellies may be more restricted in their movement than those on their sides or backs.įor people with heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), doctors say the left side is best. The findings make sense to New York clinical psychologist and sleep expert Michael J. “Different sleep positions may create pressure to different parts of the body, and body feelings may be the sources of dream elements,” says Yu. Lead researcher Calvin Kai-Ching Yu, PhD, says that physical pressure on the body when sleeping facedown could be the reason for the erotic dreams. Students who slept face down also reported dreams of being “tied,” “locked up,” or “unable to move.” Dream experts at Hong Kong Shue Yan University studied surveys from 670 students, two-thirds of them female, and found that students who slept on their stomachs described their dreams as more intense, vivid, and sexual. In fact, a study published in the journal Dreaming found that switching to your stomach might be better than reading Fifty Shades of Grey. Though stomach sleepers are in the minority, they seem to be having the most erotic dreams. More than half of the 2,000 Americans surveyed for mattress maker Tempur-Pedic reported that they slept on their sides, 17 percent slept on their backs, and 11 percent on their stomachs. For many people, that means starting off on one side. The first rule for sweet dreams and a restful night of sleep is to be comfortable. Do you sleep on your side, your back, or your stomach? There's new evidence that changing your sleep position could influence your dreams, but this kind of change might not be the best idea for your health.Įxperts say there is no perfect sleep position.
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