What position do you sleep in? | Arthritis Information

For me there are only two positions...starting position on right side with pillow between knees and ending position on left side with pillows between knees.  I switch back and forth several times during the night (especially if hands/arms go numb) unless I'm having acid reflux problems...then I have to stay on right side because left side makes it worse.  But I always start on the right and almost always end on the left.  Interesting that my hubby seems to do the same thing (with more variety of positions in between), so in the morning when he's snoring in my direction, I am facing away from him.

 

Before disease-and-pain onset, I mostly slept on my back (with a pillow under my knees), but I can't do that anymore due to pain, and also snoring (gained weight since disease onset).

I sleep on one of my sides, even if I am in pain... I cannot sleep any other way! I use to prop my leg up on hubby's back to fall asleep, but it started effecting my hip. I start on my right side. Tiny pillow at the small of my back. Bed pillow between my knees, 2nd bed pillow I hold. Nice Tempurpedic pillow under my head. lol   Due to pain i toss and turn.  usually start on left side, then back, then right side and rotate over and over all night.Used to sleep on my side, but now my shoulders have been hurting so much, I can't.  I try to sleep on my stomach, but always wake up with various limbs asleep (and seem to wake up panicked more when I sleep on my stomach...)?  So usually on my back.  Which hurts my lower back, but I try to arrange my legs to avoid that.  Which is problematic now that my hips are out of whack.  Running out of sleeping positions! :)i usually sleep on my sides with pillows and one side is better than another for the stomach reason too.  pillow between legs, one for head, and a lumpy squishy one to hug.  sometimes i sleep on my stomach as well but this is later in the night.  then i snore and my husband fusses ;-)   wonderwoman  I start on the right side and switch back and forth.  Sometimes I try to sleep on my back for short periods of time with my arms overhead but then I wake up because either 1) my arms have fallen asleep or 2) I have a bad dream.  I've tried to train myself to sleep on my back like my sister.  She's 16 years older than me and has fewer wrinkles because she doesn't squish her face into a pillow.  She's always on her back.  For me, sleep with minimal pain has been my priority so the side position has been it, along with the wrinkles that come with it.  according to hubby I am everywhere, the nights the pain is really bad I really toss and turn. I do have a killer sleep med that knocks me out for a long time, can't take it much because of that, but I don't move with that. Sleeping hurts!Go to sleep on left side, arm under my head, other arm propped on pillow.  Once asleep, the tossing and turning starts, one side to the other but exact same position.  Every once in a while I'll wake up and I'm laying on my back and I'm struggling to breathe. My legs are asleep because the cat is laying on them, arms are asleep, other cat is laying on my chest and I'm in panic mode!!!  Arggggh!!!  LindyI'm a side-sleeper and tend to switch sides quite a bit when my hip and/or shoulder is acting up.     I usually start out on my right-side, except for those nights when my husband is snoring a little too loudly, then it's the left-side.  I battle all night trying to find a position to sleep in.  The first position is usually pretty good, on one side with a leg pillow between my legs.  I fall asleep quickly and sleep for a couple of hours.  But then I wake up and want to turn over, and that sets up the rest of the night.   My hip and knee start screaming because they have been in one position for a long time and do not want to straighten out or move.  I toss and turn, get up go the bathroom, try sleeping on my back with pillows propping me up so my lower back doesn't hurt, and basically flop around like a fish because now I'm hurting so bad I can't get back to sleep. Wow, I thought I was the only one with sleeping position problems, glad to hear I'm not.  I always slept on my sides but now I can't because of shoulder pain.  It takes me FOREVER to get to sleep because I have to sleep on my back now and I HATE that.  If I ever do get the chance to sleep on my sides I have to put a pillow between my legs because of my hips. I tend to roam about the bed... which is one of the reasons my husband and I sleep in separate bedrooms.  I have a half dozen pillows on the bed different firmness/thickness, plus a 5' body pillow.  I usually sleep on my side (either one), half draped over the long pillow.  But if I'm having a bad allergy/sinus night, or if my hips/shoulders are bothering me, I'll surround myself with the pillows (to lessen the amount of roaming I do) and sleep on my back.

Sometimes I play an ocean/rainfall CD for white noise.  I always have to have the lights out (including all the bright/blinky LED lights on the computers, power adapters, UPS, etc).  In the summer I often use a fan to stay cool - the window air conditioner is too noisy!
I sleep on my left side in a fetal position supported by pillows, i have slept like this since my first pregnancy 20 years ago, unfortunetly it does nothing for  stiffness trying to uncurl myself...I sleep in the FLamingo position... top leg up (as far as i can bend it) and bottom one down... on my side but leaning forward....  and I have to position my head just so to keep my shoulder from hurting..