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Part Foetus, Part Soldier, All With A Starfish Attitude

by Emily
(UK)

I always find it really disconcerting that I seem to be the only human being that sleeps this way: on my front, lying on one arm (placed in my hip so as to not cut off circulation) with the leg of the same side straight, and on the other side hunching all the duvet or hugging a pillow near my chest to the side with my arm, hand on or slightly under the pillow under my face, and the leg on the same side bent, foot on the knee of my other leg.


I know this kind of position is really bad for my back, and I have very bad back pain as a result - I just can't think of any way to train my body to be comfortable in any other position. I have a history of insomnia, and if I spend too much time on my back, not feeling at all sleepy, or on my side feeling my arms go numb, I just relapse and don't sleep we'll for a few days and have worse health problems than if I just put up with a bad back! But my back is really becoming an issue, my less than helpful doctor just suggested I get my dad to give me massages (I'm 18 and only live with my dad, but only for a few months until university) which is so awkward I cannot begin to explain. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can change/improve my position so as to make my back less painful?

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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.

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