Does your sleeping position reveal anything about you or your personality? Can you learn anything about you or your partner by observing and discussing sleeping patterns? Science says sleeping positions reveal plenty about one’s personality – we just need to pay attention. According to Doctor David Greuner, managing director and co-founder of NYC Surgical Associates, it makes sense that our sleeping pattern reveals hidden personality traits: we sleep for at least six hours every day for our entire life.
Analyzing the way you sleep may offer you insights on some of your personality strengths and features. Of course, one cannot ignore individual differences, but science admits we can understand more about a person if we learn how that person sleeps. Are you curious yet? Let’s see what this is all about!
- The Fetal Position
The director of the UK’s Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, Dr. Chris Idzikowski, studied sleep positions for quite a while. His findings are congruent with other psychological research focused on sleep position and personality correlations. Idzikowski talked to the BBC about the Fetal Sleep Position, mentioning it is one of the most common ones: 41% of the study subjects adopted this position, with women adopting it twice more than men do.
Your Personality
If you sleep in a fetal position (your knees curl in towards your chest), you show that you have a tough exterior, but have a warm and sensitive heart. While you need your fair share of protection and understanding, you are a tough shell to break. You may come off as shy or cold when you meet new people for the first time, but you open up quickly, charming them with your strong, open, no nonsense personality.
- On the Side with Arms about Your Upper Body
Another common sleep position is the one where you stick your knees out while lying on the side and keeping your arms around the upper side of your body (one arm under the pillow, the other resting naturally across your ribs etc.). You may consider this a variation of the fetal position, with the difference that a fetal position makes you look coiled, with your back almost completing a circle, whereas this one looks more relaxed and natural.
Your Personality
This position suggests you are a calm, relaxed, and reliable person. You do not offend or scare easily. Your high level of adaptability and optimism help you see the light in the darkest of days. You probably wake up fresh from your slumber and see every day as an opportunity to grow as a person.
- The Log
According to Dr. Chris Idzikowski, lying on your side with both arms down by your side means that you sleep in a log position – one that is common to 15% of the study subjects. This is a rather stiff position, but it says plenty of your personality. It may be an uncomfortable position for some, but if you prefer it to others, make sure you check out the BestMattressReport to learn how to pick a mattress that suits your body and sleeping needs perfectly.
Your Personality
Science says that if you naturally choose the log position for your sleep, you are a very likeable person. You make friends easy and everybody feels drawn to you. Carefree and easy-going, you tend to naturally trust people, which may be sometimes to your detriment, as some will try to take advantage of you.
- The Yearner
We can describe this position as follows: a person who is sleeping on the side, but who also stretches her arms far in front of her. This position is as almost as popular as the log one and is frequent among men and women alike, with no significant differences.
Your Personality
Your sleep position suggests you yearn about something or somebody, but in fact is you are more complex than that. You are open, but cynical at times, and clearly less gullible than the logger is. Moreover, you are the type of person making up her mind slower and with more analysis. However, once you made a decision, you stick to it. This can make you a very reliable person, but also incredibly stubborn.
- Sleeping on Your Back with Arms by Your Sides
This is a basic sleeping position, common to many people. It looks stiff – hence the nickname The Soldier – almost lifeless. More importantly, sleeping on your back usually causes snoring, so your bed partner is not extremely happy with you sleeping this way.
Your Personality
This rather stiff and limited sleeping position describes a reserved person, usually quiet, one who keeps to herself. You may come off as strict, pedantic, with clear demands and goals in life. You hold yourself and others to high standards and you are a good listener.
- Sleeping on your Tummy
Dr. Chris Idzikowski calls this position The Freefaller. As its name suggest, when you sleep you look like you have fallen from the sky. You may keep your arms under your pillow, on the sides, or spread on the bed. Your feet may be close to each other or spread all over. Your head is on the side and your body is lying in a relaxed position.
Your Personality
As erratic as this position looks, it actually describes one of the most defensive personalities of them all. Such a person does not have a thick skin. On the contrary, she responds badly to criticism, surprises, or absurd situations. You may usually come off as narrow-minded, unspontaneous, control-obsessed, and dominating. While you are bold and open in social interactions, you also seem to take your leadership traits excessively seriously.
- Sleeping on Your Back and All Over
In comparison to the Soldier, the Starfish sleeps on his back but with his arms and legs apart, and spread all over. Not surprisingly, people who sleep alone splurge in their sleep in this manner, enjoying their queen beds and the freedom coming with them.
Your Personality
This sleeping position tells that you are a life-loving individual, loving freedom and spontaneity. You are a great friend and one who helps everybody in need. You have a strong personality, do not accept nonsense kindly, you offer and require honesty.
Variations of the most common sleeping positions
Surely, we do not sleep all in the same manner. This is why we have many variations on these main sleeping positions. You may sleep with your entire body and head under the pillow, suggesting you are a bit of an introvert who does not trust people a lot. You may also sleep with one knee bent and raised, meaning you are the fun and adventurous type.
Conclusion
Tell us how you sleep so we could tell you how your personality likely unfolds! Do you recognize these features in your own sleeping position? Do they match your personality traits?
