Are you someone that sleeps on your stomach? If so, did you know it can cause ongoing issues, even before you can feel it? While sleeping on your stomach can often reduce snoring and might be comfortable, it can lead to other problems. Sleeping on your stomach should be avoided if possible.

First, sleeping on your stomach takes a toll on your spine. When you sleep on your stomach, you are straining your back and spine, pushing it out of alignment. This means you are more likely to end up with back pain because you can’t keep your spine in a neutral position while sleeping on your stomach. This in turn can mess with your bones, tendons, and nerves, and can cause pain all throughout your body.

Sleeping on your stomach can also affect your neck. When sleeping on your stomach, you are forced to turn your head to one side so your face isn’t buried in your pillow. This is a habit that can also cause a lot of pain, including potential disorders with the discs, and more.

If you’re pregnant, sleeping on your stomach can hurt in other ways. Not only will it get more and more challenging to sleep on your stomach throughout your pregnancy, but the extra weight on the stomach can pull on the spinal cord, leading to more back pain. Pregnant women are also more flexible, meaning this could lead to even further issues.

Sleeping on your stomach can also lead to more breakouts and clogged pores due to the way your face is pressed into the pillow. Some studies have even shown that sleeping on your stomach can increase wrinkles and fine lines.

However, if you still want to sleep on your stomach, there are a few steps you can take to make it less painful. For starters, you can slip a pillow under your pelvis which will reduce the pressure on your back. When choosing a pillow for your head, opt for one that is thin and firm; your neck is less likely to be angled poorly. Another option is not to use a pillow at all. This is one of the only sleeping positions that can benefit from no pillow at all. Choosing a firm mattress is also beneficial. Stretching in the morning can help stomach sleepers correct their alignment, therefore causing less damage over time.