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Your Sleep Posture Could Cause Nerve Damage
8 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Certain sleep positions can lead to nerve compression and damage.
- Tucking arms while sleeping can cause numbness and arm pain.
- Stomach sleeping may misalign the spine, causing back and neck pain.
Your preferred sleep position may be silently damaging your nerves and causing morning discomfort. Experts highlight that lying in awkward postures overnight can stress nerves, muscles, and ligaments, leading to issues like numbness, pain, and reflux.
Specifically, sleeping with bent or tucked arms can cause nerve compression, manifesting as arm numbness. While back sleeping seems neutral, it can exacerbate snoring and acid reflux. Stomach sleeping is associated with spinal misalignment, potentially causing back and neck pain due to the need to twist the head for breathing.
Experts recommend gradually shifting to side or back sleeping for better spinal alignment and reduced nerve pressure. For those struggling with sleep regardless of position, consulting a sleep specialist is advised to address underlying issues and find restorative sleep solutions.
