The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

I Sleep On My Back With My Knees Bent

by Dola
(France)

This position enables me to sleep very deep,to me it is very relaxing, but my husband thinks it is weird to sleep on ones back with the knees bent facing the ceiling/roof.

Comments for I Sleep On My Back With My Knees Bent

Click here to add your own comments

Nov 12, 2014
I do the same thing!! NEW
by: Melissa

My husband thinks its so weird and well I kinda do too. When I go to sleep and wake up, I'm on my stomach.. but somehow in the middle of the night I end up doing this.. He so kindly calls the sleeping position "the birthing position".. (I have never gone through childbirth or intend to do so)..
I wonder what it means sleeping like this?

Sep 02, 2015
Me too! NEW
by: Pami

I'm the exact same for the last few nights, but the problem is, I wake up when I am in this position, turn back on my side, go back to sleep and a moment later wake up on my back with bent knees again. It's causing me to sleep badly. I have never given birth to a child either, nor do I intend to, so I wonder what it means and where it comes from. I just want to stop looking for this position in my sleep.

Oct 02, 2016
Someone please help me NEW
by: Momof1

My daughter just turned 10 and she is now doing this over the years she has slept many different ways bottom in the air, starfish (which I like to call mommy are you there? Well I am just going to put my arms and legs on you to make sure you stay there )when she was a infant and a toddler she slept with me and now she does sleep in my bed with me from time to time when she is scared and so forth,so I was shocked to wake one night to see her like this, I have gone into her room to find her sleeping like this and wondered how long she was like that. I am concerned about this position I think about poor blood circulation, her growth being affected (she is tall for her age) but still what is going on and how can I stop it?

Nov 14, 2017
Girlfriend does this NEW
by: Anonymous

Gf does this was wondering if it’s anything bad?

Nov 26, 2017
It indicates APT NEW
by: Anonymous

Due to weakness in abdominal muscles, hamstrings and hip flexor some people develop APT(Anterior Pelvic Tilts). This makes a slight curve in the back. While laying straight on back, the person may feel discomfort because of the curve. Bending of knees helps the back to be in neutral position, so this position seems more comfortable to people with APT. Visit my blog for more tips: 247personaltrainer.blogspot.com/

Jan 23, 2018
I do this too NEW
by: Jake

My gf has made
Me aware that I’m bending my knees while sleeping on my back just to start relaxing the legs so that the feet slides down and I end up with straight legs, just to start over. She’s very annoyed by this and when we talked with my mom about this, she said I’ve been doing it ever since I was young.

I’ve had an ACL Surgery on my left knee, don’t know if this is connected?

Jan 23, 2018
Same thing for me... NEW
by: Vic

Though I never go to sleep on my back, my partner shared that multiple times in the night I end up on my back with my knees bent. My feet slide down away from me and I just pull my knees back up. Apparently this happens over and over, although I had no clue. She is a light sleeper so it keeps her awake. I feel so badly about it.... I was doing some research on sleep websites and there is a condition called Periodic Limb Movement Disorder that can occur only during sleep which could be happening due to other underlying causes like anemia, spinal issues, kidney disease, diabetes, etc. For me it seems more probable that my tight legs/hips/It bands/hamstrings are the cause.

Feb 17, 2018
My mum is a physiotherapist and she thinks it's bad NEW
by: Anonymous

Ive slept like this as long as i can remember and i am twelve so it's probably been about six years of me sleeping like this almost every night. My mum keeps telling me i shouldn't sleep like this because she thinks it's bad for my hips (it's not like i can help it) and it's going to cause my bones to grow wrong. I don't know if this is true but i would really like to know why i do this and if it's bad for me. If it makes a difference when i was born i couldn't straighten my legs for a few days. I don't know if this has anything to do with it?

Feb 22, 2018
APT is an unswer NEW
by: Mom

First:What 12 y old is doing here? Please be aware of the Cyber safety! Second: Someone here pointed at the Anterior Pelvic Tilt. And I want to thank this person. Makes a lot of sense and can be easily corrected.

Mar 18, 2018
I just woke up.. NEW
by: Steph

It is 6 AM and I just woke up and found myself sleeping in that position (on my back with knees up). I remember that I have slept in that position since I was young. However, I go to sleep on my side with legs sprawled out. I don’t know if I sleep with my knees up every night but the thought of it freaks me out a bit. I will say that it is reassuring to see many people are experiencing the same thing.

Jul 26, 2018
Im 35 and have slept this way all my life NEW
by: Scoliosis

Ive always been called a weirdo for sleeping this way. In 7th grade I developed scoliosis. It wasnt until my late 20's that I realized that sleeping in this position alleviates my back pain caused by the curve, it fact it actually hurts to lie flat on my back. Now I am wondering whether sleeping this way could have actually caused me to develope scoliosis 🤔?

Oct 04, 2018
Help lots of pain NEW
by: Sharron

I started waking up with pain in my legs and when I would my legs would be in the bent pointing to the ceiling position but I wake up in pain my legs hurt so bad they feel like a truck ran them over it only started since I started bending my legs in my sleep my husband said it's been going on since Jan this year so I'm not sure what's doing it I hate sleeping on my back but anytime I try to lay on side my hip starts killing me n if I lay on stomach my back dose idk what to do but the pain is horrid please any one give me some advice or place to look into it

Oct 07, 2018
Sleep on my back with my knees bent NEW
by: Anonymous

I often wake up to find myself sleeping on my back with my knees bent. I would rarely ever fall asleep in this position. I am aware of this pattern only after I had a lower back muscle injury. I must experience discomfort through the night & my body adjusts itself to sleep like this.

Oct 21, 2018
I struggle with this NEW
by: Anonymous

My gf says i do this and last night she kicked me in my nuts and now i cant have kids. Please make your significant other aware if you do this because my gf got freeked out.

Nov 18, 2018
Could it be a ghost? NEW
by: Anonymous

I just started doing this yesterday! I was a little weirded out by it, I've never woke up like it before and it makes my legs ache. I woke up with it this morning too, I told my mum who said "thats odd, your Dad was asleep like that this morning." and he'd never slept like it before. Could it be something spooky? that something/someone gets into my bed at night and curls up at the bottom to go to sleep so I move my feet up for them? (Over active imagination, too many horror films, sorry).

Dec 05, 2018
Both my daughter and I do this too.
by: Anonymous

I watch my daughter do this almost every night and she has back pain if she is flat on her back. I also have pain but I also have a difficult time breathing if my legs are down. That also goes for sitting. If I'm on a chair and my feet are hanging down its hard to breath. Weird isn't it!?? But if I place my feet or even one foot under me breathing is easy. At night same thing . I bend my knees I can breath and back pain is manageable enough to sleep for a bit.with that said though it has caused some pretty bad pain in the knees when rain is on the way . any one know why this could be causing difficulty breathing? Oh and pressure like sensation in my legs when I stand! I have to sway back and forth from one leg to the other or my heart races and its hard to breath also.

Jan 07, 2019
This position instantly healed my back pain
by: Anonymous

I have just started sleeping in this position when lower back pain wakes me up in the small hours of the morning.
It miraculously helps my pain. Could it be to do with anterior tilt as others have mentioned?
I pit it down to tight hamstrings that pull on the back

Mar 02, 2019
Me too! NEW
by: Anonymous

Hi!! I’m 14 and I’ve been finding myself doing this too. I sleep on my side, and most mornings I wake up on my back with either one leg bent towards the ceiling or both of them doing this. I researched a little bit and I might have a reason to why this happens. The original sleeping position you have been in, could possibly push on your blood cells, causing a lack in circulation. So your body (during the night) moves around a lot finding a way to accommodate this. Maybe waking up on your back with your knees bent is the best for blood circulation?

Mar 25, 2019
I sleep on my back with knees up too, BUT...
by: jaloglow7

I get so DAMN frustrated because me feel slip down the bed with each breath! I hate wearing socks to bed so wearing something with rubber is not the solution. Maybe putting some type of grip tape would help, by I just thought I'd chime In because I am EXHAUSTED right now and was trying to take a nap when my feet kept slipping down! Nap time over now.

Jun 03, 2019
Hello
by: Darren

Thank you for this thread. I have an YI Home Camera (£25) which i normally have pointed outside but I had it looking at me sleeping late night. it has night vision. I have sort legs just beside the back of my knees... every day. And I have elevated my head to help this (Some state that elevating your legs is more ideal) I also have an condition called pots. Anyway this camera has motion sensors and I was able to see I had my knees bent towards the ceiling for about an hour. So I did a Google search for it and here I am. I'm wondering if i could get to sleep with some knee braces.. the soft type... would make me sweat though.

Jul 10, 2019
Knees bent during rem sleep NEW
by: Anonymous

Has anyone figured out why this is happening?

Did anyone find out what was the cause for this?

Aug 14, 2019
I feel good sleeping like this
by: SS

I have always been doing this. When I lie straight on by back with legs flat, after some time I start to feel uncomfortable and my thigh muscles becomes stressed. As soon as I bend my knees uo, my thighs feel relaxed and I feel releif as of I got a mini massage. Though later in the night I turn sideways to sleep. Tonight all of a sudden I remembered how in my college day few friends thought it was weird that I slept like this and thought it is wrong. i googled and stumbled upon this thread. Ty people!☺️

Aug 20, 2019
My husband does this
by: Anonymous

My husband does this but then his legs slowly open until they're nearly at the bed and he jolts them back up again, drives me crazy!

From researched I've found it could be PLMS - periodic limb movement I'm sleep.

Oct 13, 2019
It's a better sleeping position NEW
by: Anonymous

Sleeping on your back with knees bent is a better sleeping position. Place a pillow under your knees to support it. No idea why anyone thinks it's a bad idea to sleep this way.

Aug 01, 2021
Stomach Relief? NEW
by: Anonymous

I remember sleeping like this as a child but haven’t done this since I was 9/10. I woke up today on my back with my knees bent from a 4 hr nap. My BF thought I was awake because he’d never seen it before. Did some random googling and found that is can help stomach pain. Makes sense since I have a stomach bug that is causing a lot of cramping.

May 10, 2022
No satisfying answer yet NEW
by: Anonymous

Same here…
It happened when I was a teenager and it happened to me yesterday and I’m now in my late twenties… I feel it’s related to some trauma or something spiritual but I found nothing on the internet. It came with disturbing nightmares…

May 15, 2022
My wife does this NEW
by: Anonymous

I have been reading all night till dawn to understand this. It freaks me out that my wife does it

Aug 11, 2022
“I don’t sleep like that” NEW
by: Anonymous

Sometimes when I’m exhausted I fall asleep with my room light on. My brother would then barge in to turn off my lights. He would notice because he goes to bed later than I do. The next day he would tease me and say I was sleeping weirdly and I would disagree with him. I told him the next time I do it take a picture because I didn’t want to believe I was sleeping "weird". Until last night I randomly got up and saw that indeed I was sleeping on back with my knees pointing upward. I laughed and went back to sleep.

I do remember having random dreams though, but I’m still not sure if it has to do with being really tired.

Jul 08, 2023
Recorded me NEW
by: Anonymous

Omg I don’t know what’s the meaning of this but sometimes I have really weird dreams so I pointed the camera at me while I was sleeping and recorded me sleeping with my knees bent like that. It freaked me out to be honest. I don’t know if it’s my weird dreams or because I had an accident from a very bad fall and my knee was hurt very bad, it hurts to walk sometimes…. I wonder if it’s related or always done that? I don’t know but when I saw the video I was shocked, I don’t know if I still do it because I haven’t recorded myself again but by reading the comments it looks like we all have pain problems?

Jul 08, 2023
The Solution that worked
by: Ananya

I see this thread is still active and lot of people are still looking for solution. My original reply on this thread was 6 years back on Nov 26, 2017(Title: "It indicates ATP"). I was 20 years old back then and was experiencing this. And APT was indeed the reason for that. I started focusing on strengthening my hams, glutes and abdominal muscles. And it worked, I was able to cure this within an year.
(PS: Ignore the linked blog in my previous post, could never maintain it :/ )

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Your Favorite Sleeping Positions.




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?


A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.