I’m a chiropractor – here is why you should NEVER sleep on your front

A chiropractor on TikTok has warned against sleeping on your front due to the strain it puts on your body.

Dr Jae Chang, who practices in Arizona at the Chirowell wellness clinic, posted a video last week about why he recommends front sleepers to change their position.

The video, which has garnered over 21 million views, shows Dr Chang explaining to his clinic’s 250,000 followers that sleeping on your front can put stress on your neck, lower back and heart.

‘If you are sleeping on your stomach, you have to turn your head to one side. It can cause strain and stress to your neck and also can put more stress on your lower back,’ he said.

Dr Jae Chang posted a video last week about why he recommends front sleepers to change their position. He explained that sleeping on your front can put stress on your neck, lower back and heart

‘This sleeping position can also put stress on your heart and possibly cause some cardiovascular problems for those people who have heart issues.’

Falling asleep on your front is considered unhealthy because it can inhibit breathing and cause irregular curvature of the spine.

Your torso naturally sinks deeper into the mattress because of its weight, which might cause your back to arch, leading to your spine being stretched out of alignment.

This may lead to aches and pains upon waking, as well as muscle tightness. In the neck, it could lead to migraines.

Tension headaches can be the result of neck and scalp muscles tensing or contracting. 

The position also forces you to turn your head, which can also lead to inflammation and pain in the neck muscles as well as back pain.

Experts agree that sleeping on your back and side are the best positions, but many TikTok users insisted they can only doze off when they are on their stomachs in the comments.

Sleeping on your back is thought to be best because the body’s weight is distributed more evenly, meaning no one region is under greater strain than the other.

Falling asleep on your side is also a popular position and has benefits in reducing back pain.

A study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Purple Mattress found that 42 percent of Americans choose to sleep on their side, while 18 percent sleep on their back and 17 percent sleep on their stomach.