The Best Sleeping Position for Snoring, Reflux, Pregnancy and Pain

The best sleeping position is the one that lets you sleep comfortably without pain, but for some people the choice really does matter. If you snore, have reflux or are more than 28 weeks pregnant, the evidence points clearly in one direction. This guide covers side, back and stomach sleeping, which position suits snoring, sleep apnoea, reflux, pregnancy and sore backs, and how to change position if you need to.

The short answer: for most healthy adults there's no single best position, so choose the one you sleep well in. Side sleeping is the best choice if you snore or have sleep apnoea, because lying on your back lets the tongue fall back into the airway. If you have reflux, the left side looks better than the right. After 28 weeks of pregnancy, going to sleep on your side is recommended because it lowers the risk of stillbirth. Stomach sleeping suits some people but can strain the neck.

Side, back or stomach: a quick comparison

Position	Good for	Watch out for
Side	Snoring, sleep apnoea, pregnancy, reflux (left side)	Shoulder or hip pressure; needs a pillow that fills the gap to your shoulder
Back	Spreading weight evenly; some people with neck or back pain	Snoring and apnoea are usually worse on the back
Stomach	Some people find it the only way they settle	Neck twisted to one side for hours; lower back arched
Mixed	Most people change position many times a night anyway	Nothing, if you wake comfortable

Snoring and sleep apnoea: side wins

This is where the evidence is strongest. The Sleep Health Foundation explains that sleeping on your back makes the tongue fall directly back, which can block airflow, and that snoring is almost always worse on the back (source). It also notes that most people with obstructive sleep apnoea have more episodes when sleeping on their backs (source).

A 2026 review of "positional" sleep apnoea describes the same mechanism: on your back, gravity pulls the tongue and soft palate backwards, while on your side the tongue falls sideways and the airway stays more open. It reports that around half of people with sleep apnoea have the positional type, more often in mild to moderate cases (source).

Changing position is not a substitute for diagnosis. If you snore loudly, stop breathing or wake gasping, see your GP. Our guide to the signs of sleep apnoea explains what to look for, and if it's your partner snoring, see how to sleep next to a snorer.

Reflux and heartburn: try your left side

If you get heartburn or acid reflux at night, which side you sleep on may make a difference. A 2023 systematic review pooled three small studies of people with reflux disease. Sleeping on the left side was linked with less acid exposure and faster acid clearance than sleeping on the right side or on the back. The authors noted the evidence is limited and more research is needed (source).

Practical steps that go with it:

• Start the night on your left side. A pillow behind your back can stop you rolling over.
• Leave a gap between dinner and bed. See eating before bed.
• See your GP if reflux happens more than occasionally, wakes you, or comes with trouble swallowing.

Pregnancy: go to sleep on your side

After 28 weeks, the advice in Australia is clear. Red Nose Australia explains that lying on your back compresses major blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the womb, and that research shows going to sleep on your side after 28 weeks can halve the risk of stillbirth compared with going to sleep on your back. Either side is fine, and the advice applies to daytime naps as well. If you wake up on your back, don't worry: just settle back to sleep on your side (source).

A pillow between the knees and one under the bump makes side sleeping easier. For more, see pregnancy sleep tips.

Back and neck pain

There's less hard evidence here, so go by comfort and these general principles:

• Keep your spine in a fairly straight line. On your side, your pillow should fill the space between your ear and the mattress so your head doesn't tilt.
• Side sleepers: a pillow between the knees stops the top leg pulling your lower back and hips out of line.
• Back sleepers: a pillow under the knees can ease lower back tension.
• Stomach sleepers: a thin pillow or none at all reduces neck twist. If you wake with a stiff neck, try easing towards a half-side position.

If pain is waking you most nights, see your GP or a physiotherapist rather than guessing.

How to change your sleeping position

Habits built over decades don't change in a night. What tends to help:

1. Start in the new position every time you get into bed and every time you wake.
2. Use pillows as walls. A long pillow behind your back makes rolling onto it less likely.
3. Make the new position comfortable. The right pillow height matters more than willpower.
4. Give it a few weeks. You'll still roll around in your sleep. That's normal.

Positional devices for sleep apnoea exist, but they're a medical treatment and best organised through your GP or sleep specialist.

Where the Sovune Nudge fits

We make the Sovune Nudge, a vibrating alarm wristband, so we're not neutral. It's an alarm, not a position trainer, and it doesn't track or change how you sleep. What it does is wake you without disturbing anyone else, whatever position you end up in.

• Wakes you with vibration on your wrist, starting as a gentle tap and building through three intensity levels.
• Under 20 grams, with a soft adjustable strap, so it's comfortable on your side, back or front.
• Can also be worn on the ankle if a band on the wrist bothers you while you sleep on that arm. See wrist or ankle vibrating alarm.
• Silent, with no speaker, so a partner sleeping in a different position isn't woken too.

It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Quick answers

What is the healthiest sleeping position? For most people, the one they sleep well in. Side sleeping is best if you snore, have sleep apnoea or are over 28 weeks pregnant.

Is it better to sleep on your left or right side? For reflux, the left side looks better in the studies so far. In pregnancy, either side is fine.

Is sleeping on your back bad? Not for everyone. It tends to make snoring and sleep apnoea worse, and it's not recommended to go to sleep on your back after 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Is sleeping on your stomach bad for you? It isn't harmful for most people, but it can strain the neck. A thin pillow helps.

This guide is general information, not medical advice.

For every type of silent alarm compared, see our complete guide to vibrating alarms in Australia.

See the Sovune Nudge →