How to Sleep on Your Side on an Adjustable Bed

Most of the time, when you think of adjustable beds, you automatically visualize back sleepers snoring away as they relax in their comfortable zero-gravity positions. This might leave you feeling left out in the cold if you sleep on your side.

However, just because you’re a side sleeper doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy all the benefits adjustable beds have to offer—you’ll just need different adjustments. Let’s talk about what you can do to get the best night’s sleep possible.

Choose the Most Comfortable Adjustment

Adjustable bed frames are made to conform to you, not the other way around. However, the bed feels most natural is the ideal position for you. But there are a few adjustments you might find more comfortable, depending on how you sleep on your side.

Fetal Position

Fetal position sleepers curl their arms and legs while they sleep, curving their bodies forward. If you assume this position, slightly elevating both your feet and your head might be the most comfortable setting for you.

Log/Yearner Position

Log position side sleepers sleep with their legs straight. Some people also call this the yearner position if the arms are stretched out in front of the sleeper. Regardless of what you do with your arms, if you keep your legs straight as you sleep on your side, you might find sleeping with just your upper body slightly elevated is most comfortable.

Choose the Right Mattress

Side sleepers need softer, more contouring mattresses than people with other sleep styles. When you factor in the adjustable bed, you’ll need even more flexibility. Depending on their body type, side sleepers need soft to medium mattresses (with your firmness level needs increasing with your body weight).

You’ll need to consider both your sleep position and the fact that you have an adjustable bed when you shop for a new mattress.

Memory Foam

Memory foam beds are one of the best mattresses for an adjustable bed, and it also makes a great mattress for side sleepers. This is because its contouring ability is not exceeded by any other mattress. Memory foam mattresses can conform both to the shape of your body and the adjustment settings of your bed, cradling your pressure points and relieving joint pain.

Latex Foam

Latex also makes a great mattress for both adjustable beds and side sleepers. A latex mattress won’t have quite the same contouring power as memory foam, but it will be bouncier and more naturally cooling, which makes it a good alternative to memory foam for people who prefer a more responsive or cooler bed.

Hybrids

Hybrid mattresses also are flexible enough to conform to your adjustable bed, but their pocketed coil support layer will provide additional lift and support. This can be especially good for plus-sized sleepers who need a little extra resistance to maintain proper spinal alignment.

Innersprings

Innerspring mattresses are not compatible with adjustable beds. Their coil support cores are not flexible enough to bend with the bed. Innersprings also aren’t the best for side sleepers, as pressure from their spring support layer may cause pain in the hip and shoulder joints.

Benefits of Adjustable Beds for Side Sleepers

There are tons of amazing benefits to adjustable beds—and not just for back sleepers. Side sleepers can also enjoy plenty of benefits from sleeping with their upper bodies and/or feet elevated:

• Pressure point relief
• Blood flow improvement
• Reduced joint and lower back pain
• Improved spinal alignment
• Better sleep quality
• Clearer airways
• Reduction in symptoms of medical problems like:
  • Sleep apnea and snoring
  • Acid reflux and heartburn
  • Arthritis and inflammation
  • Impaired circulation

Overview of Mattress Sizes

FAQs

What’s the healthiest sleep position?

Generally speaking, side sleeping is the healthiest sleep position. Sleeping on your side reduces some of the issues caused by sleeping on your back, such as clogged airways, snoring, and acid reflux. Side sleeping also alleviates the lower back and neck pain caused by stomach sleeping, as it better aligns the spine.

Can an adjustable bed be good for stomach sleepers?

An adjustable bed may help you sleep better on your stomach by allowing you to elevate your feet slightly, bending your knees and taking some pressure off of your spine.

However, the best thing stomach sleepers can do with an adjustable bed is use it to try to help themselves switch to sleeping on their sides or backs. You might try elevating your upper body to the point that it’s uncomfortable to sleep on your stomach. You could also try the zero-gravity position to encourage yourself to sleep on your back.

Do I need box springs on an adjustable bed?

No. You should never use box springs, a mattress foundation, or any other bed base on an adjustable bed. These beds are made to take a mattress only. If you put a bunkie board, box spring set, or anything else between your mattress and the adjustable base, you could break the adjustable base, the other bed base, or both.

Will side sleeping help my snoring?

Yes. When you sleep on your back, your throat and soft palate tissues tend to collapse into your airways and cause snoring. If severe enough, the blockage can become obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes you to stop breathing during sleep.

Sleeping on your side can help keep your airways open, which will often reduce snoring and may even help ward off sleep apnea symptoms.

Should I sleep with a body pillow if I have an adjustable bed?

If you sleep on your side, you may need vertical support (support that rises above the mattress), and a body pillow can be a great way to achieve this. If you sleep pretty consistently on either your right or left side, a rectangular or L-shaped body pillow is probably ideal for you.

If you like to flip from your left to your right side throughout the night, you might want all-around support, so a U-shaped or C-shaped pillow might be up your alley.

Whichever body pillow shape you purchase, make sure the pillow is thick enough to go between your arms to keep them from falling together in front of your chest. When you sleep with a body pillow, it should also curve around to fit between your legs, keeping your hips in a neutral position.

Bottom Line

It’s a total misconception that adjustable beds are only for back sleepers. Being a side sleeper doesn’t preclude you from purchasing an adjustable bed at all. In fact, adjustable beds can be a great addition to side sleepers’ sleep experience.

From reducing sleep-related symptoms to helping you maintain neutral spinal alignment to increasing your overall comfort, there isn’t much that adjustable beds can’t do to give you a good night’s sleep.