The Relationship Between Sleeping Position and Personality

There are two kinds of people in this world - those who sleep because they are tired and their mind and body needs to sleep at the end of the day, 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 also the kind of people who are quite particular about how we sleep - just the way someone who is fashionable would always make sure their clothes, footwear and accessories are well coordinated. The pillow has to be soft enough, the blanket warm enough, and the hands and legs spread out at just the right angles. I do not know about the former two, but the latter - angle at which the hands and legs are spread out - is a point of much concern to most people. 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. You feel most comfortable in these sleeping positions. It is only in these positions that you "sleep like a baby", as I like to say. Ever wondered why?

Sleeping Position and Personality - What is the Connect?

Sleep - even apart from being an indulgence - is absolutely necessary for every individual. A good night's sleep can have you get up and be ready to take on the world. Imagine what would have happened if Napoleon Bonaparte would have gotten up feeling all stiff and achy before he went on the battlefield! When we sleep, our body relaxes. Our voluntary muscles - who have been at work all day - relax. Our conscious thoughts - which tend to clog our minds through the length of the day - cease. Our senses - which help us constantly gauge our surroundings - are in a state of suspension. It is also believed sleeping helps improve and rejuvenate our nervous, skeletal, and immune system. The importance of sleep cannot be stressed enough. It is hence important that we sleep in a position that we are most comfortable in to help our body relax and rejuvenate, and if you do not want to wake up with a stiff neck!

So why are certain sleeping positions more comfortable to us than the rest? Why is it that we keep tossing in our bed till we land up in the correct position and only then fall asleep? The answer is simple - it is because our sleeping positions in fact reflect our personality; and it is always difficult, strenuous and tiring to try to be someone we are not! In the 'waking' life, we may have to put on many masks as we go about living our lives as a part of the society. We may have to suppress our emotions, or hide them at times. We do it for the sake of many things. But it is something unnatural that we are doing when we are not being ourselves. However, when we sleep we are in our intimate spaces, in our personal spaces, and there is no one encroaching upon us. Hence, this is the time when the body restores it's factory settings and goes into sleep mode! This is why we feel most comfortable sleeping in certain positions and those only.

Personality Traits Associated with Different Sleeping Positions

Find out below what your sleeping position is... does it reflect who you are?

*Click on images to enlarge

On Your Tummy

Description - Tummy-sleepers are those people who sleep flat on their tummies with both the hands under the pillow, one hand under the pillow and the other stretched out, both hands spread out wide, etc. Personality Traits - Bold, brash, out-spoken, narrow-minded, self-centered, dominating, make people compromise and adjust to their views, do not take criticism well, arrogant, impudent, thin-skinned. Explanation - 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 less than when you are punched in the stomach. Sleeping on your back also means people can't see your face. All of this goes on to create a wall of defense between you and any person looking at you sleeping - and that is how you are in real life, always ready to fight! I guess it's about time you changed your sleeping position, don't you think? It is not that difficult...

On Your Back with Arms and Legs Spread Out

Description - 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 level of the head. Legs are spread out in a comfortable inverted V shape. Personality Traits - Liberal, free-thinkers, relaxed, comfort-loving, peace-loving, connoisseurs of beauty, need their space in life, do not like to be in crowded places, believe in freedom of expression, nosy, love to gossip. Explanation - Just look at the picture alongside; need I say anything at all? This sleeping position is with the least number of physical constraints... and that is exactly how these individuals like to lead and live their lives, devoid of any norms or rules. However if you look at the picture again, you will notice that the individual is completely sprawled out. There is hardly any room for another individual on the bed! This reflects the nosy tendency of these people. They always 'want to know'. This can become quite intimidating to people around them (or next to them on the bed!). But it can be used to advantage as well - turn nosiness into inquisitiveness.

On One Side with One Knee Bent

Description - These people sleep on one side and pull one of their knees close to their chest. Either both the arms are placed together over the pillow, or one of the arms is stretched out straight and the other may be placed over or under the pillow. Personality Traits - Fussy, finicky, whiny, complaining, nervous, get excited quickly and easily, particular about their belongings, conscious about their appearance, tendency to get tensed and worked up about problems. Explanation - Look at the picture, doesn't the guy look like he is ready to run the minute someone even so much as whispers "BANG!" into his ear? That is how these people live their lives. They are always on the edge, always ready for action, prepared for impact - like someone is going to hit on their head wherever they go! If you look again, you will notice that it quite a particular, picky 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 dude - the world won't stop running if you took a day off and took the time out to smell the roses. Chill...

Blanket Pulled Over the Head Clutching the Edge

Description - I wonder how these people breathe! They tend to pull up the covers right till the head and over the top of it be it winter, rain or summer; and they tend to clutch the edges of the blanket. Personality Traits - Deceptive, shy, weak, secretive, scheming, do not share problems, Lot of parallel-thinking, not what they appear to be, carry their own personal hell within, tough on the outside but are actually quite weak. Explanation - This is not a hard one to get. The blanket conceals the person entirely. These people are nothing like what their family, relatives, friends, peers and colleagues know them to be. These individuals also never share their problems but keep them within and keep on ruminating them. On the outside these people appear to be regular individuals, but they are in fact quite shy and weak. They get intimidated easily. But they put up a brave face to hide their insecurities. You are killing yourself if you are doing this! Open up, speak up; the world is not as bad as you think it is.

On Your Back with Arms Sticking To Your Sides

Description - These people sleep like they are lying down on the magicians bed - absolutely straight and quite still too. They barely move in their sleep, and still manage to get up the next day with all muscles intact and not tender at all! (HOW???) Personality Traits - Quiet, observant, shy, reserved, introverts, aim high, good listeners, like to observe people, always there to give someone an ear, set high standards for themselves, high expectations from people as well. Explanation - This may seem to be a tough one to relate and figure out - but it isn't in reality. As you can see, these individuals do not move about much when they sleep. They restrict themselves - in movement, in the space they occupy, in the position. This reflects their introvert nature. They like to be in the background rather than under the spotlight. This is also reflected in the way their sleeping position is so simple and basic. Such people are also quite shy. As such, there is nothing wrong in being the way you are - but your girlfriend is probably not going to be very happy if she is the extrovert talkative types. No harm mixing up, no? Go ahead...

On One Side Curled Up Like a Fetus

Description - Rolled into a ball! The sleeping position of these people resembles how the fetus looks in the mother's womb. They curl up and pack themselves into a small space on the bed. A cat sleeping next to them in the same bed would be absolutely safe! Personality Traits - Selfish, jealous, vengeful, do not forgive or forget, protective about themselves, defensive too, appear tough and unfazed on the outside but are sensitive within. Explanation - Most women sleep like this. They are also twice as likely to sleep like this than men are. Most of the time people who sleep like this tend to hold something close to their body when they curl up; a pillow, or a teddy bear even. This speaks for their selfish nature. They tend to cling onto things that belong to them. They also tend to cling on to emotions, hence they find it difficult to forgive easily, and also to forget. These people are also very shy around someone new - a lover or a friend even. But once they become comfortable with the person in question, they open up and can be quite fun to be with.

On Your Back with Hands Tucked Under the Head/Pillow

Description - This is probably the most chilled-out of the different sleeping positions. 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. Personality Traits - Relaxed, friendly, helpful, giving, intellectual, enthusiastic, caring, full of ideas, out-of-the-box thinkers, compassionate, loving parents and caring partners. Explanation - The people who sleep like this often also like to sit like this, with their fingers intertwined behind their heads. These people hence, tend to look approachable - and they are. They are those people that everyone in the family runs to when they have a problem, or when they want to talk things out, gain clarity over an issue, etc. However, their helpful nature is quite deceptive, since these people are not very deeply attached to those around them, even though they may go out of their way to help everyone. Good to have a friend like this - but do not expect anything from them, you may be deeply disillusioned.

I do hope you have not taken all the above words too personally... for these are simply hypotheses. One cannot really prove such things. At the same time, don't judge your partner or your kids and friends based on this article. Almost everybody has more than a single sleeping position. Making allegations at a persons nature based simply on how they sleep is like saying all fruits must be red because apples are red! Take the time to get to know people, and only then form an opinion. In fact - don't form an 'opinion' even then, I will say. People change, but we find it hard to change our opinions about them once they are formed. And this only creates complications in any relationship. So why do it? Take it in your stride... and keep walking!