The Relationship Between Sleeping Position and Personality

The posture of a person while sleeping has been known to reflect their personality.

Some people sleep flat on their tummies with both or one hand under the pillow, one hand stretched out, or both hands spread out wide, etc.

They are bold, brash, out-spoken, narrow-minded, self-centered, dominating, and make people compromise and adjust to their views, do not take criticism well, and are arrogant, impudent, and thin-skinned.

When you sleep on your tummy, you are 'inaccessible'. For example, if someone had to tickle you, they wouldn't be able to, or if someone wanted to hit you, they would have to hit you on the back, where it hurts lesser.

Sleeping on the Belly

Sleeping on your belly also means people can't see your face. This is a defensive posture between you and other people - and that is how you are in real life, always ready to fight!

Why are certain sleeping positions more comfortable than the rest? Why is it that we keep tossing in our bed till we land up in the correct position and only then do we fall asleep?

Sleeping Position and Personality - The Connect

The answer is simple - because our sleeping positions reflect our personality; and it is always difficult, strenuous and tiring to try to be someone we are not!

In the 'waking' life, we have to put on many masks as we go about living our lives as a part of the society. We suppress our emotions, or hide them at times.

Doing so is something unnatural. However, when we sleep we are in our intimate, personal spaces, and there is no one encroaching upon us. Hence, this is the time when the body restores itself to factory settings and goes into sleep mode! This is why we feel most comfortable sleeping only in certain positions.

Prerequisites For a Good Sleep

There are two kinds of people in this world - those who sleep because they are tired, and those who sleep because they love to sleep!

We are the ones who actually look forward to going back home and hitting the bed irrespective of whether it has been a long tired day or a short relaxed one. We love to sleep and often tend to spit fire at anyone who tries to wake us up when we don't want to!

For us, deep slumber is an indulgence - and we love to indulge in it. We are among people who are quite particular about sleep - The pillow -  soft, the blanket - warm, and the hands and legs spread out at just right angles. Have you ever noticed yourself when you go to bed?

You never actually fall asleep unless you are resting in a particular position - on your back, on your stomach, arms around the pillow, etc. Let's take a look at a few other sleeping postures.

These people spread out on the entire bed/mattress - much like Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man! The arms are usually spread out in such a way that they are never above the head.

Legs are spread out in a comfortable inverted V shape. Such people are Liberal, free-thinkers, relaxed, comfort-loving, peace-loving, connoisseurs of beauty, need their space in life, believe in freedom of expression, are nosy, and love to gossip.

This sleeping position is with the least number of physical constraints ... and that is exactly how these individuals lead their lives, devoid of any norms or rules.

However, you will also notice that the individual is completely sprawled out with no room for another individual on the bed! This can become a problem to people around them.

These people sleep on one side and pull one of their knees close to their chest.

Either both arms are kept together over the pillow, or one of them is stretched out straight while the other is over or under the pillow. Such people are fussy, finicky, whiny, complaining, nervous, excitable, particular for their belongings, conscious of their appearance, and may get tensed about problems.

These people are always on the edge, ready for action, prepared for impact - like someone is going to hit them on their head wherever they go! If you look again, you will notice that it is quite a particular, and complicated position to be sleeping in.

These people, even if they roll over onto the other side, will pull up the other knee close to their chest. Relax, the world won't stop if you took a day off and took the time to smell the roses.

It's a mystery how these people breathe! They pull up the covers right over the head, be it winter, rain or summer; and they tend to clutch the edges of the blanket tightly.

Such people are known to be deceptive, shy, weak, secretive, scheming, and they do not share their problems. They are never what they appear to be, carry their own personal hell within, tough on the outside but are actually quite weak.

This posture is easy to understand. The blanket conceals the person entirely. These people are nothing like what their family, relatives, friends, peers and colleagues know them to be. They get intimidated easily, but they put up a brave face to hide their insecurities.

These people sleep like they are lying down on a magician's bed - absolutely straight and still.

They barely move in their sleep, and still manage to get up the next day without any stiffness at all in their muscles! (HOW???) They are usually quiet, observant, shy, reserved, introverted, high-aiming, good listeners, and are always there to give someone an ear.

This reflects their introverted nature. They like to be in the background rather than under the spotlight. As such, there is nothing wrong in this personality, but people are not going to be very happy if they are extrovert, talkative types.

The person is rolled into a ball! The sleeping position resembles how the fetus looks in the mother's womb. They curl up and pack themselves into a small space on the bed.

On one side curled like a fetus

These people are known for being selfish, jealous, vengeful, without forgiving or forgetting. They are protective about themselves, and appear tough on the outside but are sensitive within.

Women are twice as likely to sleep like this than men are. Most of the time these people tend to hold something to their body when they curl up. They tend to cling to things that belong to them.

They also cling on to emotions, hence they find it difficult to forgive and forget. However, once they become comfortable with the person in question, they open up and can be quite fun to be with.

This is probably the most chilled-out sleeping position. Both hands may be tucked under the head or pillow, or one may be tucked while the other may lie on the stomach; the hands usually alternate their positions.

These people are relaxed, friendly, helpful, giving, intellectual, enthusiastic, caring, full of ideas, out-of-the-box thinkers, compassionate, loving parents and caring partners.

The people who sleep like this often also like to sit with their fingers intertwined behind their heads. They hence, tend to look approachable, and they are. They are people that everyone runs to when they have a problem, or when they want to talk things out, etc.

Benefits of Comfortable Sleep

Apart from being an indulgence, sleep is absolutely necessary for every individual. A good night's sleep can have you ready to take on the world. When we sleep, our body and mind relaxes.

It is also believed sleeping helps improve and rejuvenate our nervous, skeletal, and immune system. It is hence important to sleep in a position that we are most comfortable to help ourselves relax and rejuvenate, and if you do not want to wake up with a stiff neck!