Short answer: On your side, your lower shoulder carries a large part of your weight. With shoulder pain, the obvious step is not to sleep on the painful side. On your back, or on your stomach with your arms alongside your body, there is no weight on the shoulder.
Why shoulder pain flares up at night
On your side, a large part of your upper body rests on one shoulder. It is pushed forward and inward, for hours on end. In a Danish study of 83 people with pain in one shoulder, about two thirds said they preferred to sleep on the painful side.10 A study like this cannot establish whether the position causes or worsens the complaint. It does show how often the painful shoulder and the sleeping side coincide.
Which position puts less pressure on it?
- Not on the painful side. Lie on the other side, with a pillow against your chest for your upper arm to rest on.
- On your back. A small pillow under your elbow stops your shoulder from dropping backwards.
- On your stomach, arms down. Your weight spreads over your torso instead of one shoulder. Keep your arms alongside your body, not above your head.
Stomach sleeping and your shoulders
Stomach sleeping has one big advantage for your shoulders: no body weight rests on them. Yet many stomach sleepers slide their arms under the pillow or above their head to make room for their face. On top of that, the head turns far to the side, and that twist pulls on the muscles between neck and shoulder.5
That is why SleepLab One has a face opening. Your head faces straight down, so you do not need your arms to make room. They can rest alongside your body and your shoulders stay free of weight. It is not a treatment for shoulder complaints, but it does take away two well-known forms of strain.
When to have your shoulder checked
Have your shoulder checked by a GP or physiotherapist if the pain does not ease after a few weeks, if you can no longer raise your arm properly, if the pain radiates into your arm or hand or if it regularly wakes you. Shoulder pain after a fall or with a fever needs a doctor straight away.
Read also: sleeping with neck pain, stomach sleeping: pros and cons and back, side or stomach compared.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best sleeping position for shoulder pain?
Not on the painful side. On your other side with a pillow against your chest, on your back, or on your stomach with your arms alongside your body, there is no weight on the painful shoulder.
Why does my shoulder hurt mainly at night?
On your side, one shoulder carries a large part of your weight for hours. Arms above your head also create tension around the shoulder.
Is stomach sleeping good for shoulder pain?
On your stomach, no body weight rests on your shoulders. Do keep your arms alongside your body and avoid having to turn your head far to the side.
Updated on 22 October 2026.
SleepLab One is not a medical device and does not replace a diagnosis or treatment. If your symptoms persist, talk to your GP or physiotherapist. The studies the numbers refer to are listed in the references; they are about sleep position and mattresses in general, not about this mattress.