# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDXPLkmXkE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66107902-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/a301b7139b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-06-01T18:00:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

A study involving 63 healthy adults delved into how habitual sleeping positions, mainly right-side versus left-side, impact dream characteristics and subjective sleep quality. Participants were asked to record dream content, emotions experienced in dreams, and overall sleep quality using standardized tools, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).⁠
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The study disclosed a clear correlation between sleep side and dream experience. Left-side sleepers reported a higher frequency of nightmares and more intense negative emotions in their dreams. In contrast, right-side sleepers tended to experience more positive dream emotions, like relief, safety, and comfort. These emotional differences indicate that the lateral sleeping position may impact brain activity during REM sleep, possibly affecting emotional regulation and stress processing.⁠
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Dream analyst Theresa Cheung told Sleep and Hypnosis:⁠
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"You can dream in any sleeping position, but there is a limited amount of self-funded research to suggest that sleeping on your right side results in more cathartic and healing dreams in contrast to left side sleeping. Sleeping on your left side, however, can be associated with nightmares because left-side sleeping puts more stress on the heart. Whenever there is stress, sleep quality is poor and nightmares are sure to follow."⁠
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Cheung advised that changing sleeping positions can influence dream experiences.⁠
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"If you do suffer from nightmares, changing your sleeping position could influence your dreams, so you may want to experiment," she said, adding that optimal positions should support healthy breathing. She recommended right-side sleeping as potentially the best for improving dream quality: "Sleep in a position which is optimal for healthy breathing and that is probably on your right side, which is potentially better for dreaming.⁠
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#sleeping #sleep #science #medicine #biology

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## Tags

sleep, science, sleeping, medicine, biology

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