How to Sleep on Your Back: 8 Strategies to Train Yourself

I’ve been a side sleeper all my life. But when I learned about all the positive benefits of sleeping in the zero gravity position, I knew I had to learn how to sleep on my back.

In this article, I’m going to share with you all of the best strategies that I know of for making this transition as easy as possible.

Strategies For Back Sleeping

I’ll be upfront with you, it probably won’t be easy for you to change your sleep position habits. It’s going to take time and no small amount of frustration…

Luckily, there are a bunch of strategies for making the transition easier.

1. Prepare for it to Take Time

If you’ve built up the habit of sleeping one way for your entire life, don’t expect to be able to change it at the drop of a hat. It’s going to take some time, and you should be mentally prepared for that.

Don’t try immediately sleeping on your back one day and expect to just fall asleep like Snow White.

It ain’t gonna happen.

2. Wait Until You Wake Up

Expecting to easily be able to fall asleep on your back is a mistake bound to leave you laying in frustration for hours.

Try this instead: Fall asleep in your preferred position initially and when you wake up in the middle of the night, try to fall back asleep on your back instead.

This may work sometimes, and other times it may not, just try and don’t give yourself a hard time over it.

3. Make Sure You’re Tired!

Adjusting to a new sleep position will be a lot harder if you’re having a hard time falling asleep to begin with.

See my guide on relaxing before bed for instructions and ideas on how to help your body grow tired naturally.

4. Place Pillows Along Your Sides

It can be useful to simulate side sleeping by placing pillows at your sides, this can help make the position change feel less jarring.

Just grab a couple of extra pillows if you have them, and stuff them against your sides.

The familiar side pressure will help convince your mind that you are indeed sleeping on your back. Magic.

5. Use an Adjustable Pillow for Your Head

Adjustable pillows allow you to form a concave section for your head.

With your head in this valley of foam, you can easily tilt your head slightly to either side and feel pressure along the side of your face.

This again helps convince your subconscious that your side sleeping.

Shredded Talalay Latex Pillow

This is an affordable shredded Talalay latex pillow that’s also extremely breathable and cooling!

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6. Lay Under a Weighted Blanket

Similar to the effect side pillows can have, weighted blankets can help to quell that restless feeling you might get when sleeping in an unfamiliar position by adding a comforting weight across your body.

Bearaby Knitted Weighted Blanket

If you’re going to try out a weighted blanket, a knitted one is by far the best choice.

Bearaby makes some really great options I highly suggest checking out.

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7. Put a Pillow Under Your Lower Legs

Many people miss that comfortable feeling of slightly bent legs and hips that can usually only be achieved in a side sleeping position.

Placing a pillow under your knees and/or calves can help simulate this bend and relieve some of the pressure on your lower back as well.

8. Get an Adjustable Bed Base

Another way to solve the bent legs problem is by purchasing an adjustable bed base.

Here are our favorite adjustable bed bases!

This will allow you to comfortably personalize the angle of your legs and torso to find that sweet spot where you just melt into your bed.

This will also give you the ability to upgrade your back sleeping setup to the zero gravity position. Which is essentially the upgraded version of back sleeping.

Conclusion

I hope this list of strategies has given you some hope!

I used to sleep on my side and suffered from shifting all night and arms and hands that would fall asleep.

My fiance Malissa used to sleep primarily on her stomach and now sleeps on her back. She’s literally done a 180!

If we can do it, so can you.