Can Sleeping On Your Back Cause Nightmares? (Find Out!)

So, yes, sleeping on your back does seem to leave you, at least statistically, at a higher risk of nightmares and bad dreams.

The connection can be a bit tenuous, and there is little direct scientific research on the question.

Nevertheless, let’s look further into this.

Does sleeping on your back cause nightmares?

It can—although there’s no guarantee that it’s going to do so.

Most of the time, when we say that something causes nightmares, what we really mean is that it simply affects how deeply we sleep.

There are many potential reasons that sleeping on your back can cause nightmares, as I will get into.

But I do want to make clear that you’re only a bit more likely to have nightmares while sleeping on your back.

Also, while academics and authorities on the subject have explained why this is the case, they also stress that there isn’t a great deal of data on this.

So, it’s always worth bearing in mind whether there could be something else which is the cause of your nightmares.

Nightmares can be caused by many things, as indeed can restless sleep, which is one of the main reasons for nightmares.

But, ultimately, yes, sleeping on your back can cause nightmares.

Let’s try and puzzle out why.

Why does sleeping on your back cause nightmares?

There are a number of possible explanations for this phenomenon.

The broad-brush view of these explanations is that, in one way or another, sleeping on your back affects your ability to sleep soundly.

When our sleep is not as deep or restful, we are much more likely to be more aware of our dreams, which can feel like nightmares.

Sleeping on your back makes your sleep less restful for a number of reasons.

For one thing, your breathing is much more labored.

Indeed, to the extent that you almost induce sleep apnea by sleeping on your back.

Your tongue is effectively blocking your airways, making your breathing more labored.

The neck and rib muscles, which normally aid with breathing, are relaxed and laid back.

Every night, we go through stages of sleep—the deepest of these stages is REM sleep.

This is where most dreaming occurs.

We can still achieve this level of sleep while being somewhat aware and awake, and when this happens, we are experiencing our dreams with a more alert and conscious eye.

So, in a way, anything that makes your sleep less restful can lead to nightmares.

Let’s look at how to stop this.

How to stop nightmares while sleeping on your back

Naturally, the simplest choice is not to sleep on your back.

There may be many reasons you are doing so, such as mine, but if you have a choice, try not to sleep on your back.

Though doctors suggest it may be helpful for things like alignment, that isn’t going to be much good if we are exhausted from a lack of sleep all the time.

If you need to sleep on your back, there’s a number of things you can do to give yourself a better chance of restful sleep.

Simple techniques are often the best.

For me, a bit of meditation and aromatherapy are my go-to. It’s tried and tested, and works really well for me.

You may even try some light yoga.

If you can, though, your best bet is not to sleep on your back.

You will just be making things harder for yourself.

Does sleeping on your back cause night terrors?

Night terrors work in a very different way, and are far, far less common.

In adults, they are more or less non-existent.

So, if you aren’t already predisposed to night terrors, you’re unlikely to have a problem with it.

At the same time, if your child suffers with night terrors, sleeping on their back could indeed make it worse.

They will not sleep as deeply, and thus will be more likely to wake up in the night with night terrors.

So, while there’s not really a direct connection with adults, it certainly can happen with children.

So, it’s best to be aware of this.

It’s never guaranteed, then, but it is certainly a strong possibility.

Sleeping on your back has a more profound effect on your sleep than you might realize, and this can have a big impact on your dreams.

Whether or not we have vivid dreams is often more down to the simple fact that we remember them more clearly on some occasions than on others.

Sleeping on your back can simply make you more likely to remember your dreams.

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