The best positions in bed revealed: Why curling up when you sleep is ruining your health - and which posture will get you a great...

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The best positions in bed revealed: Why curling up when you sleep is ruining your health – and which posture will get you a great night’s rest AND help with your digestion.

Finding the most comfortable position while lying in bed can be difficult, with many hours spent tossing and turning.

Now studies have revealed there are certain bedtime poses people should stop adopting due to the negative effects they have on their health.

Here, FEMAIL reveals the four main positions people tend to fall asleep in and whether they’re good or bad for people’s overall wellbeing.

CURLING UP IN THE FOETAL POSITION

Sydney-based sleep coach Elina Winnel from My Sleep Coach said that people need to avoid falling asleep in the curled-up foetal position because of how detrimental it can be.

‘What we may not realise is that we are putting our body into a fight or flight posture,’ she said.

‘If we go to sleep in this position, we may be signalling to our nervous system that we are in fight or flight, and that it is not safe to go to sleep.’

She recommends sleeping with an open posture instead as it helps to open up the lung area, allowing people to take deep breaths.

SLEEPING ON YOUR SIDE

Dr Ehrlich believes sleeping on your side is one of the better positions you can fall asleep in.

He recommended using a supportive pillow for the head and down the side of the body.

‘From a structural, neurological and muscular perspective, as well as for your airway it is kinder to the body,’ he said.

‘It also happens to be better for digestion, particularly lying on the left side, considering where the oesophagus enters the stomach.’

LYING ON YOUR STOMACH

According to Women’s Health, in his book, A Life Less Stressed, Dr Ron Ehrlich reveals the positions he thinks we should and shouldn’t avoid in bed.

‘Stomach sleeping is the worst. It places strain on the muscles of the head, neck and jaw, strains the jaw joints, can also twist the lower back and pelvis,’ he said.

‘Imagine wringing out a wet towel and that’s pretty much what you do to your muscles and joints while you are asleep on your stomach. It can also restrict your ability to breathe well while sleeping.’

Shelby Harris, a sleep medicine expert and a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine agrees.

She told Business Insider that sleeping on your stomach puts pressure on your entire body.

‘You’re likely to wake up with numbness and tingling, and it can increase the chance of muscle and joint pain,’ she said.