What your sleep position says about you (and your relationship)

WHETHER you're curled up like a baby or occupy half the bed with your arms and legs stretched wide, each of us has a preferred sleeping position. But what does it reveal?

Sleeping spooning

MAYBE you're a starfish or like spooning with a partner.

Whatever your choice, scientists say your preferred snooze mode reveals much about you and your relationship.

Whether you're curled up like a baby or occupy half the bed with your arms and legs stretched wide, each of us has a preferred sleeping position. Add a partner to the mix and we still arrange ourselves in a favourite configuration. But do these positions reveal secrets about the way you conduct yourself during the day?

More than 40 winks

"Just like our waking posture and position can influence our emotions - for example, if you are leaning forward and clenching your fists, you are most likely to feel angry - our sleeping position is thought to influence our emotions or represent our personality," says Dr Mark Kohler from the University of South Australia's Centre for Sleep Research.

Many people sleep in the same position as they did as children and teenagers. "They seem emotionally and physically invested in their positions and when they need to change for some reason, they are quite resistant to it," says Janet Kinosian, author of The Well-Rested Woman: 60 Soothing Solutions For Getting A Good Night's Sleep (Conari). "I find analysis of the sleeping position similar to handwriting analysis. One's personality is clearly invested in the position."

But since there have been few comprehensive studies on the subject, psychologists say generalisations need to be made carefully. "Some observational studies show that sleep positions indicate a silent body language. But it's more intuitive and since we don't often discuss our sleep positions with other people, little can be said with certainty," says Nick Petrovic, a psychologist with Sydney's Mind Profile Psychology Clinic.

Solo sleep

According to the British Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, most people sleep on their side or in the foetal position. Kohler believes people who sleep on their sides are likely to be balanced or well-adjusted.

"People who sleep in the foetal position, as well as those who go to sleep face down [prone], are more likely to be anxious. Those who sleep on their back [the ‘royal' position] have higher self-confidence," he says.

The royal position is the geometric opposite of the prone. The royal sleeper lies supine, fully on the back, with arms slightly akimbo at the sides.

sleeping baby

Additionally, "people who go to sleep on their stomachs [face down] were found to be more anxious and less self-confident," he says.

Whatever your preference, since we spend close to 25 years of our lives sleeping, it would benefit everyone to learn more about our sleeping positions.

His and her habits explained

Body language gurus Allan and Barbara Pease can dissect the meaning of you and your partner's snooze positions. "By observing a couple and their sleeping pattern, a lot can be said about the current state of their relationship," Barbara says.

+ In each other's arms

"How romantic! But how totally impractical and unrealistic too," Allan says. "Very few couples continue sleeping like this beyond nine months together. For one thing, the position restricts blood flow to your arms, but psychologically, it's a sign you're still new to each other." This is a honeymoon position.

Sleeping arm

+ Spooning and cuddling

Nothing can be more wonderful than being wrapped around your partner. Both partners lie on the same side facing the same direction, one behind the other, like a set of spoons. "But the person doing the wrapping tends to be the stronger, more confident and most giving in the relationship," Barbara says. When men are the ones who do the wrapping, they tend to show they are in control, while women do it to show their nurturing nature.

Sleeping spooning

+ Bottom huggers

When you are sleeping separately and letting your bottoms touch, it shows you probably give each other space in your relationship, without fear that you will lose one another. "This is such an intimate part of the body to touch one another with, it really does suggest that you are very close," Barbara says. "After all, there probably aren't that many people in your life with whom you could imagine sleeping like this."

Sleeping bums

+ Distant sleepers

Sleeping apart may not necessarily mean your relationship has come to an end - as long as you snuggled up first or had a warm kiss good night, before moving into your own space. According to Allan, "The average double bed doesn't give you all the space you need. Separate beds or even bedrooms bode best for sleep, but that doesn't mean you lack any intimacy within your relationship."

Sleeping apart

+ Looped Legs

Whatever position you choose to sleep in, you link your leg with your partner's. "This mere brushing of the legs says, ‘I love you'," Allan says. "Couples who sleep with their legs looped are demonstrating their togetherness, but they are also showing their sense of independence and respect for each other's individuality."

Sleeping legs