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I've had no problems after sleeping on my stomach for multiple decades.
If it feels good for you, it is probably good. The warnings are about the sleeping position, which is unnatural (meaning your body wasn't built for it) and may lead to pain, joint ache, breathing problems etc.
However, laying on your back can be a huge relief for your back, I know that from experience. Especially if your lower back hurts, it's a very good way to work against the painm but I guess your reading position is also different to a sleeping position, your neck is bend upwards and also you push your back more through.
Laying on the stomach can also help with stomach pain and ingestion problems.
In the end everybody is different. Carefully listen to your body and how it responds.
Also I can really recommend going to the gym and strengthen your torso, especially back and stomach muscles. I feel so much better than before, I think I can never go back to not working out.
If it feels good for you, it is probably good.
(For the record, I do think it’s really good advice but that instantly came to mind) :)
As a programmer I can relate :D
But honestly, at the desk what counts is moving and changing your posture from time to time. Nothing worse than sitting or standing 8 hours in the same position.
How do I train myself to sleep on my back or side?
I sleep on my stomach everynight
How on earth are you reading while lying on your stomach??
Anecdotally, I had a quenching desire to lie on my stomach after giving birth. Like, I was exhausted and sleep deprived and you could have told me that this would kill me and I'd still sleep on my stomach in the hospital. I later looked it up and apparently lying on your stomach helps with the back formation of the uterus.
Usually propped up on an elbow or two. Holding the book out or letting it lay flat in the ground.
Sometimes resting with my chin on the ground, my elbows splayed outward so I can hold the book upright in front of me and my knees bent with my feet up in the air like a fleshy scorpion.
Hell yes bro (or chick-bro whichever you identify as). Socks off and toes wiggling in the air. That's the only way to do it.
That's exactly what I do. Sometimes a pillow under my chin when my elbows get sore.
I've always wanted a massage table so I could lay flat on my stomach with my head in a neutral position and read by looking through the hole.
Sometimes I lay on my stomach with my head hanging over the edge of the bed and the book on the floor. My bed is only like a foot tall though. My ex sat on one of the corners and it broke the leg so I took the rest of the legs off and made it into a low rider.
Laying on your stomach is good if it reduces your back pain, but variety is the spice of positioning. Lying on your stomach extends your back and for some people with the right type of bulging disks it will bring pain relief. Possibly more so with pushing up on your elbows or for the maximum stretch pushing up on your hands while holding your hips down and arching your back. Just don't overdo it.
If I'm laying for more than an hour I'll usually spend some time on my sides when my shoulders and elbows get sore. I would know if I had bulging disks right? Like I would be in considerable pain?
Not necessarily. Spinal disks can bulge to different degrees. It can be a temporary thing, like you've been bent over a computer all day, or a major thing like you fell 8 feet on to concrete. The later would probably result in a herniated disk which would likely lead to severe pain. The former can be fixed with light stretching.
Ooook, ya I definitely have some shrimpy posture throughout the day which is what originally led me to try to shrimp the other way to balance things out
I believe that feeling is decompression and depending on your body different positions will decompress the spine and thus feel good
It probably depends on your specific physiology and also what you’re doing all day
I highly doubt it’s bad for you to temporarily lay on your stomach. Like any posture you should shift position somewhat often just to relieve and shift around the compressive forces on various parts of your body.
For example, I know someone who sat cross legged for too long and it compressed a nerve in their ankle causing permanent nerve damage.
I can't say more than anecdotal, but after a broken neck and back (shoulder blades and up), I cannot sleep on my stomach at all. I haven't been fused or anything, but I lost around 1/2-1/3rd of my neck rotation to the left.
Sleeping on my stomach used to be a thing, but now it will leave me in terrible shape for days. The deviation in alignment of the spine is more significant than it seems. When your range of mobility is reduced significantly, the effect is far more noticeable as abnormal. It is about like falling asleep in a yoga pose. Those are some of the most fatigued muscles in the body, just to hold up your head. Damage some and it becomes extremely evident.
If it feels good you’re fine. It felt freaking awesome when I was recovering from a herniated disc as prescribed by a physiotherapist. Lying that way is at least as effective as “decompression” from a chiroquacker. I can’t imagine why it would be harmful.
If you’re scrolling and your neck isn’t supported your neck muscles will not thank you.
Do my hands count as support?
Sure.
this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2025
40 points (100.0% liked)
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