Short answer: Stomach sleeping is not bad as such, but on an ordinary mattress you have to turn your head far to the side to breathe, and your pelvis can sink in. Those two things make it straining. Take them away and you are left with a position many people simply find comfortable.
How many people sleep on their stomach?
Fewer than you might think. In a Danish study that measured the sleep position of 664 adults with motion sensors, participants spent on average 54 percent of their time in bed on their side, 38 percent on their back and just over 7 percent on their stomach.6 Stomach sleepers are a minority, which is exactly why most mattresses and pillows are not designed for that position.
What happens when you lie on your stomach
On your stomach, your face is in the way. To breathe, you turn your head to the side, often close to the limit of your neck's rotation, and you hold that position for hours. In epidemiological research, people who mainly slept on their stomach most often reported neck symptoms on waking.5 People with morning neck symptoms also spent longer in positions that strain the spine.4
The second point is the pelvis. On a mattress that is too soft, the middle of your body sinks in and your lower back arches. You often only notice that when you get up in the morning.
Why unlearning it rarely works
The standard advice is: sleep on your side. Anyone who has tried knows how that goes. You fall asleep on your side and wake up on your stomach. The position in which you feel safe and relaxed is hard to train away. A review of sleep position and spinal symptoms also concludes that the evidence for one "right" position is limited.9 It makes more sense to make the stomach position itself less straining.
How to sleep more comfortably on your stomach
- Use a thin pillow or no pillow. A thick pillow lifts your head and turns your neck further.
- Keep your arms alongside your body. Arms under or above your head add tension in the neck and shoulders.
- Alternate the side your head turns to. Always turning the same way increases the difference between left and right.
- Choose a firm base. That keeps your pelvis in line with your shoulders.
- Take the twist out of your neck. That only works if your face has somewhere to go. That is what a face opening is for.
Why we made a mattress for stomach sleepers
SleepLab One was designed by a physiotherapist, specifically for this position. The mattress has a face opening: you rest your head facing straight down, your neck stays in line with your spine and there is free space around your nose and mouth. The core of resilient cold foam gives a firm base, so your pelvis does not sink in. You sleep the way you always have, just without the twist.
Read also: stomach sleeping and neck pain, back, side or stomach compared and sizes and size advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is stomach sleeping bad for you?
Not as such. The strain mainly comes from the twist in your neck and a sinking pelvis. With a thin pillow, a firm base and room for your face, the position becomes much less straining.
How many people sleep on their stomach?
In measurements with motion sensors, adults spent on average just over 7 percent of their time in bed on their stomach. Most time is spent on the side.
What mattress is good for stomach sleepers?
A mattress with a firm base, so your pelvis does not sink in. A face opening, as in SleepLab One, also means you do not have to turn your head 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.