Big Frank has not been sleeping all that well lately. In his wakefulness he has become more aware of the various positions that are available to sleep in and became curious about the difference among them. So here is a brief summary of the most common sleep postures. Note rare positions are not included (standing up, sitting, etc.)
So what are the most common sleep postures and what do they reveal about the sleeper, and what kind of effect do they have on the sleeper? Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service categorizes them as follows:
1. The stomach sleeper he calls a “Freefaller”: outgoing and brash; they can nonetheless be surprisingly vulnerable and adverse to danger and criticism.
2. The on the back with arms at the side sleeper he calls “The Soldier”: quiet and reserved, these people dislike any fuss or bother and set equally high standards for both themselves and others. Real troopers!
3. The on the back with arms raised near the head "Starfish" are good listeners, and they avoid being the center of attention.
4. The "Fetal" position is the most common and is generally indicative of thick skin but tender hearted. Over twice as many women as men sleep in this position.
5. Those who sleep on their side with hands straight along their bodies "Log" are sociable, easy going, high status seekers, very trusting – even gullible.
6. Side sleepers with arms stretched out "Yearner" are generally accepting but suspicious – even cynical. They take their time in making decisions but once made are very stubborn.
In some schools of yoga there are beliefs concerning the advisability of the three basic postures: side, back or stomach. These positions are related to their openness to the three basic spiritual components of the universe: sattva (purity and knowledge), raja (action and passion), and tama (ignorance and inertia). It appears that the sleeping on the side is recommended for most people as it opens the sleeper to influence from the sattva and raja components. Sleeping on the back (for the spiritually advanced is open to the sattva component, but for the nonadvanced it encourages tama). The stomach sleepers are always vulnerable to tama. Finally, there may be a connection between sleep postures and lucid dreaming. If any of you readers would like to participate in a study on this subject please go to this link for more information. More of lucid dreaming in posts to follow.
So what are the most common sleep postures and what do they reveal about the sleeper, and what kind of effect do they have on the sleeper? Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service categorizes them as follows:
1. The stomach sleeper he calls a “Freefaller”: outgoing and brash; they can nonetheless be surprisingly vulnerable and adverse to danger and criticism.
2. The on the back with arms at the side sleeper he calls “The Soldier”: quiet and reserved, these people dislike any fuss or bother and set equally high standards for both themselves and others. Real troopers!
3. The on the back with arms raised near the head "Starfish" are good listeners, and they avoid being the center of attention.
4. The "Fetal" position is the most common and is generally indicative of thick skin but tender hearted. Over twice as many women as men sleep in this position.
5. Those who sleep on their side with hands straight along their bodies "Log" are sociable, easy going, high status seekers, very trusting – even gullible.
6. Side sleepers with arms stretched out "Yearner" are generally accepting but suspicious – even cynical. They take their time in making decisions but once made are very stubborn.
In some schools of yoga there are beliefs concerning the advisability of the three basic postures: side, back or stomach. These positions are related to their openness to the three basic spiritual components of the universe: sattva (purity and knowledge), raja (action and passion), and tama (ignorance and inertia). It appears that the sleeping on the side is recommended for most people as it opens the sleeper to influence from the sattva and raja components. Sleeping on the back (for the spiritually advanced is open to the sattva component, but for the nonadvanced it encourages tama). The stomach sleepers are always vulnerable to tama. Finally, there may be a connection between sleep postures and lucid dreaming. If any of you readers would like to participate in a study on this subject please go to this link for more information. More of lucid dreaming in posts to follow.
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