About a year ago, Reuters reported on the results of some sleep research from Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service and a visiting professor at the University of Surrey in southern England. The story is still online now at Wellspan.org and Netscape News. In summary, your sleep position is a reliable indicator of your personality. Here’s how it goes from Netscape’s version of the story:
Sleep Position No. 1: Crouched in the fetal position: Shy and sensitive
Sleep Position No. 2: Soldier position flat on the back with arms at the sides: Quiet and reserved
Sleep Position No. 3: On the side with legs outstretched and arms down: Social and easy-going
Sleep Position No. 4: On the side with legs outstretched and arms outstretched: Suspicious
Sleep Position No. 5: Flat on the tummy with hands at the sides of the head: Brash and gregarious
Sleep Position No. 6: On the back with outstretched arms and legs: Unassuming and a good listener
Apparently, the fetal position is the most common (51% of women sleep that way), and the most unusual is flat on the stomach (6.5% of all sexes). Also “once we adopt a preferred sleeping position, we rarely change it.”
Anyway, Laurie Anderson has her own sleep issues.
From Wellspan.com and Reuters:
Study: Sleeping position reveals personality traits
LONDON (Reuters) – Whether it’s curled up in the fetal position, flat on the stomach or stretched out across the bed, the way people sleep reveals their personality, a British sleep expert said Tuesday.
Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service and a visiting professor at the University of Surrey in southern England, has identified six common sleep positions and what they mean.
“We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious says about us,” he said.
Crouched in the fetal position is the most popular sleep pattern and favored by 51 percent of women, according to the results of the study he conducted for a large hotel group. Fetal sleepers tend to be shy and sensitive while people who assume the soldier position, flat on their back with arms at their sides, are quiet and reserved.
Sleeping on one’s side with legs outstretched and arms down in what Idzikowski refers to as the log, indicates a social, easy-going personality. But if the arms are outstretched in the yearner position, the person tends to be more suspicious.
The freefall, flat on the tummy with the hands at the sides of the head, is the most unusual position. Only 6.5 percent of people prefer it and they are usually brash and gregarious.
Unassuming, good listeners usually adopt the starfish position – on the back with outstretched arms and legs.
Idzikowski, who identified the positions by comparing personality traits of people, their preferred way of sleeping and the most common positions, said once a sleeping style is adopted it is rarely changed.
“What’s interesting is that the profile behind the posture is often very different from what we would expect,” he added in a statement.
From Netscape News and Reuters
Sleep Position Reveals Your Personality
The position in which you sleep at night–whether it’s all curled up in a fetal position or sprawled out across the bed–reveals your personality, Reuters reports of new research from Britain’s Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service.
Led by Chris Idzikowski, the team has identified six common sleep positions and the personalities of the people who sleep that way. “We are all aware of our body language when we are awake, but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious says about us,” he told Reuters.
The six basic sleeping positions and the personality traits:
- Sleep Position No. 1: Crouched in the fetal position: Shy and sensitive
- Sleep Position No. 2: Soldier position flat on the back with arms at the sides: Quiet and reserved
- Sleep Position No. 3: On the side with legs outstretched and arms down: Social and easy-going
- Sleep Position No. 4: On the side with legs outstretched and arms outstretched: Suspicious
- Sleep Position No. 5: Flat on the tummy with hands at the sides of the head: Brash and gregarious
- Sleep Position No. 6: On the back with outstretched arms and legs: Unassuming and a good listener
Crouched in the fetal position is most common way to sleep, assumed by fully 51 percent of women. The most unusual is on the stomach with only 6.5 percent of respondents saying they sleep this way. Once we adopt a preferred sleeping position, we rarely change it.