Does Sleeping Position Affect Dreams and Nightmares?

Many factors influence dreaming, but it is not clearly established that sleeping position is one of those factors.

Some researchers have theorized that dream content may vary based on a person’s sleeping position because physical sensations and pressure applied to the body are different for back, stomach, and side sleepers. One study found that people who sleep on their left side were more likely to have nightmares¹¹ , and another found that vivid dreams, including some nightmares and erotic dreams, were more common in stomach sleepers¹² .