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Sleeping on the right side of bed makes us grumpy, study says

November 26, 2015

People who usually sleep on the left side of the bed are 8% more likely to have friends and like their work, 4% more inclined to wake up in a good mood and 9.5% more likely to have a more positive outlook on life, a new study says. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, November 26, 2015.​That's the conclusion of a recent UK study. In other research, scientists and psychologists have carefully examined sleeping positions as a means of revealing personality traits and analysing non-verbal communication.

It's better to sleep on the left side of the bed if we want to get the day off to a good start, according to the findings of a survey published on November 23 by the bed manufacturing firm Sealy UK.

The brand questioned 1,000 people across the country to find out what impact our sleeping habits in bed had on our mood, career, and outlook on life.

The study revealed that people who usually slept on the left side of the bed were 8% more likely to have friends and like their work, 4% more inclined to wake up in a good mood and 9.5% more likely to have a more positive outlook on life.

Conversely, those who slept on the right side of the bed were 9% more inclined to prefer their own company, 7% more likely to get up in bad mood, 5% more likely to be pessimistic and 3% more likely to dislike their job.

The study also highlighted Britons' marked preference for sleeping alone, as 36% admitted to doing this, in many cases because of a snoring spouse (one in two complained about this), while 1 in 10 voluntarily sleeps with a child or an animal in their bed.

Sleeping habits give clues to the state of our relationship

Many researchers and psychologists have also sought to examine sleep habits as a means of revealing the state of a relationship.

One example is Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK who studied the way in which 1,000 people slept.

The researcher, who presented the conclusions of his study at Edinburgh Science Festival in Scotland in 2014, demonstrated a link between the quality of a couple's relationship and physical contact.

Of those questioned, 86.5% who maintained a maximum distance of 2.5cm from their spouse were said to have a good relationship.

Personality traits revealed by how we sleep

Chris Idzikowski, a British researcher, sleep specialist and author of the book "Learn to Sleep Well", says that the 15% of the population who sleep vertically, with a straight back, in a so-called log position, have a rational, relaxed and uninhibited personality.

The 13% of the population who sleep in a so-called "yearner" position, back curved with arms out in front are thought to have a complex personality – friendly but cynical.

Those who sleep like a soldier, on their back, with arms pinned to the sides (8% of the population) are thought to be rather reserved with a tendency towards loyalty and honesty.

The researcher says the 7% of people who sleep on their stomach with their head turned to one side are big dreamers with an intense personality with rather sensitive and sometimes brash traits.

And the faetal position which is the most commonly adopted, by 41% of the population, mainly women, is thought to be synonymous with people who are sensitive, emotive and fear being hurt. – AFP/Relaxnews, November 26, 2015.