Twisting your head to either side to avoid suffocating on your pillow is natural with stomach sleeping and while you may not think much of this, it actually places a lot of strain on your neck muscles. It’s probably the same as having to watch TV from the far corner of the room with your head turned sideways for the length of the movie. Both experiences are culprits when it comes to sore necks.
And if you’re in the habit of raising your arms up or tucking them under the pillow while you sleep on your belly, you’re also adding strain to the muscles in your shoulders and rotator cuffs. If you’ve ever woken up feeling like your arms went to sleep for longer than you did (tingly or numb), this could be because of restricted blood flow to your arms.
Some stomach sleepers adopt the three-quarter position with one leg bent up on their side as they doze off. This is not great for your muscles either. Your pelvic region, lower back, and even the extended leg muscles could be strained throughout the night.
If you’ve experienced any of these muscle aches and pains, you may be wondering how you can stop sleeping on your stomach. We have good news for you.