What position do you sleep in?

[Computer]

I am just not able to fall asleep on my back and I’ve never woken up lying on my back except the night when I had my first and only LD.

Because of this I have started several attempts (all of which failed) to fall asleep lying on my back. I just can’t fall asleep when lying on my back.

[Computer]

I’ve been searching for material mentioning sleeping on the right side in connection with lucid dreams. Here’s what I found:

This paper (A Thousand And One Nights Of Exploring Lucid Dreaming by Lynne Levitan) on the Lucidity Institute Inc. site mentions it in 9. Biological Rythms, The Nasal Cycle & Dreams.
Quoting the relevant paragraphs:

Some research has suggested that the nasal cycle may be connected to cycles of activity in the brain and also to cognitive abilities. Furthermore, a shift in nostril dilation can be produced by pressure on a reflex point on the side along line beneath the armpit. Possibly, then, one could effect a change in cognitive activity by deliberately pressing on this point.

In the oldest available references on lucid dream induction, the thousand year old text on Dream Yoga in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, is the advice to the initiate attempting to achieve a lucid dream that he should sleep “on the right side, as the lion doth.” It is possible that the purpose of this posture is to encourage the type of brain activity conducive to lucid dreaming. After all, most of our current knowledge about reflex points on the body is found in ancient yogic texts.

I also found something in this paper (Lucid Dreaming and the Self by Nicolette Belletier).

The techniques of dream yoga are ancient and extensive. For example, as one is falling asleep, he or she is directed to “Sleep on the right side as the lion doth. With the thumb and ring finger of the right hand press the pulsation of the throat-arteries; stop the nostrils with the fingers [of the left hand]; and let the saliva collect in the throat.” However, despite the fact that such instructions seem foreign in our Western world, they may in fact cause REM sleep to occur faster by lowering heart rate and also create a generally increased state of consciousness as the subject falls asleep. The concept of mindfulness is essential in dream yoga, for the subject must maintain the same way of thinking all day long as when sleeping. In contrast to Western strategies today, in which individuals ask themselves “Am I awake?”, dream yoga suggests that the person be constantly remind himself that he is dreaming.

This is all very vague.

[The_Nameless_One]

On my side, usually the right one, with at least an arm under the pillow.

[Plume]

Funny, I was just thinking about whether I should try to sleep on my right side more often, since the two LD experiences I’ve had so far occurred while I was lying on my right side (I usually spend more time sleeping on my left side, which I think has more to do with they layout of the bedroom than anything else). I’ve failed to induce any more LD since the first ones, which occurred on the same weekend, but I found it hard to imagine that the sleeping position should be a deciding factor. With respect to the recommendations of Tibetan Dream Yoga, " The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche mentions that men should sleep on their right side, women on their left – something to do with energy channels being reversed in men an women – seems vaguely sexist:) – in case the side you sleep on should matter, I prefer the pressure point explanation.

A while ago I came across the website from The Lucidity Institute where they were recruiting volunteers for a study about sleeping position and LD – who knows, maybe something will come out of that.

[Rodrigo]

O_o I usually sleep on one of my sides, and eventually on my back. I’ve heard the position affects LDs… is that true?

[Varithar]

I am very restless in bed.I move alot,changing positions all the time.But I found lying on back with arms crossed on my chest best position for drifting away.Too bad i found myself in weird positions in the morning.

[Laura]

I always sleep on my side, it doesn’t matter for me if i lie on my left or right side. I do turn a few times before i fall in sleep.