The Best Sleeping Positions for a Perfect Beauty Sleep

Everyone knows that health and beauty all starts with getting a good beauty rest. Before you can get your makeup just right, you have to have a well-rested body, and before you can kill it at work you need a well-rested mind. There are a lot of myths about what different sleeping positions can do to your body, but here are the facts about which positions will guarantee you the best rest.

Different positions can help with different discomforts as you sleep. Sleeping on the left side helps improve circulation to the heart, which is why this is not only recommended for women who are pregnant, but also to those suffering from heartburn or acid reflux. Sleeping on your stomach can help alleviate snoring and sleep apnea. However, both sleeping on your side and sleeping on your stomach can cause a host of other health problems.

Side sleepers have an increased chance of developing wrinkles from their pillowcases, and the constant pull of gravity can cause sagginess in your breasts. Aside from cosmetic concerns, sleeping on your side can put a lot of strain on your organs, particularly your stomach and lungs. And we’ve probably all experienced the arm numbness that can sometimes occur when you’ve fallen asleep with your arms squished—though this is initially annoying, it can actually cause more serious issues in your muscles and nerves.

Sleeping on the stomach is largely though to be the worst position to sleep in. It doesn’t allow your spine to curve the way it’s meant to, and it puts strain on the neck as it’s constantly turned to the side. These factors can result in lower back and neck pain.

So that’s leaves sleeping on your back—though it doesn’t help with any quick fix relief while trying to fall asleep, it’s widely regarded as the best sleeping position. Back sleeping allows the spine to lie straight, and lets the mattress support it as it was designed to. Though the prospect might sound uncomfortable, it’s also best to use as few pillows as possible, as this allows your neck to rest in its natural position. Unfortunately sleeping on the back is not the best position for anyone who snores or has sleep apnea, but overall it is the very best for back and neck health, leading to most healthy and restful sleep.

While it’s nearly impossible to control the ways our bodies try to contort themselves while we sleep, try your best to fall asleep on your back for the healthiest and happiest beauty rest possible.