The study of sleep positions is not a clinical insight into a person's personality, but some sleeping positions can be common among people who share similar traits of personality and behavior. Although a person's sleep position can change several times during the night, his preferred sleeping position may reflect his personality.
Types
According to BBC News, Professor Chris Idzikowski documented six common sleep positions among 1,000 people in a survey about preferred sleeping position.
The fetus position involves a person lying on his side with knees bent, one arm cradling the head and the other arm reaching out.
The log position involves a person lying on his side with both arms at his sides.
Lying flat on your back with your arms at your sides is the soldier position.
A position in which a person sleeps on his side with both arms stretching in front of him is called the yearner.
Lying flat on your stomach with your hands on either side of the pillow and your head facing one side is the freefall position.
The starfish position involves lying flat on your back with both arms reaching back around the pillow.
Traits
The fetus position is common for people who appear tough or shy at first, but who are actually sensitive and willing to relax. According to Dr. Samuel Dunkell in The Huffington Post, people who prefer the fetus position can be artistic, conciliatory, and emotional.
Professor Idzikowski suggests that people who prefer the log position are easygoing in social situations, but can be too trusting of strangers.
People who sleep in the soldier position can set high standards for themselves and the people in their lives. Dr. Dunkell calls this the royal position and notes that businessmen, entrepreneurs and workaholics prefer this position. He associates this position with an open nature reflecting self-confidence and self-involvement.
The yearner can be cynical and slow to make a decision but difficult to sway from his decision once it's made, according to Professor Idzikowski.
Freefallers are brash on the exterior, but can be moody and sensitive to criticism and to extreme circumstances. Dr. Dunkell suggests that sleep on your stomach reflects compulsiveness and persistence.
People who prefer the starfish position are willing to listen to others and offer help when friends need them.
Effects
Professor Idzikowski suggests that the freefall position is beneficial for digestion. He further suggests that people who sleep flat on their backs, such as in the starfish and soldier positions, can suffer from snoring and restless sleep.
Function
A person's preferred sleep position can simply be what is most comfortable for him. Traits that often appear in conjunction with a person's sleep position may help add a new insight into a person's character.
Considerations
Sleep position can vary depending on a person's health, such as if they have back or leg pain that prevents them from assuming the soldier or fetus positions. Pregnant women will be unable to sleep on their stomachs even if that is their preferred position.
