The position in which you sleep says a lot about your personality

Researcher Chris Idzikowsky, coordinator at the UK Sleep Institute, has studied the six most common postures humans use during sleep. The conclusions of the investigation have revealed that each position is associated with a certain personality profile.

This study complements another who analyzed the position in which we sleep with our partner and what it tells us about the quality of the relationship. In this case, Idzikowsky collected the correlations between sleeping in a certain position and personality traits.

Sleeping posture and associated personality

Fetal position

People who sleep in the posture of the fetus they tend to give a social image of confident and tough people, but are actually sensitive.

Can be displayed shy when they do not know the people around them, but they quickly become uninhibited and like to express themselves without taboos. This posture is the most observed in the study, since more than 40% of the 1,000 research participants adopt it to sleep.

In trunk

This posture, which was observed in 15% of the subjects, consists of sleeping on the side, but with the arms and legs stretched out, the body forming a rigid post.

The people who take this position are certainly sociable and like to be part of social circles. They are trusting even with strangers and can err on the side of being too naive.

The prayer

Very similar to the trunk pose, but with the arms extended forward. People who sleep in this position tend to be more open and sociable.

At the same time, they are hesitant when deciding on their life, and can be cynical. 13% of the participants slept in this way.

The soldier

Face up, stretched out.

These people show reserved and quiet. They are also demanding and have high aspirations. 8% of the participants slept with the position of the soldier.

Face down

These are people who feel very comfortable talking and sharing with others, and with a high dose of openness to new experiences. They represented 7% of the sample.

It is also true that they have a tendency to be more susceptible and restless than usual. They do not accept criticism or extreme situations.

Starfish

Very loyal people, always ready to listen to others and offer their collaboration. Very empathetic. They do not like to be the center of attention, they are quite cautious and thoughtful.

It was 5% of the total of participants who slept like this; the least repeated posture.

Other observations of the study

Beyond the considerations about the personality linked to the position we adopt to sleep, Idzikowsky also reached certain conclusions associated with health:

• The prone position allows a better digestion.

• The soldier and starfish poses cause difficulties in ventilation, causing snoring and poor sleep.

The researcher also pointed out that changing the position in which we sleep is complicated, since custom dictates our preference at the time of rest. Only 5% of the people who participated in the research reported sleeping in different positions each night.