5 signs your sleeping position may be hurting your body

You may settle in for sleep in whatever position feels comfortable at the time. But, the way you position yourself when you sleep might not actually be doing you any favors and, in fact, might be causing you some harm.

And though you might think that it'd be easy to spot any potential signs that your sleep position is hurting you, some of the signs might be a bit more subtle than you'd expect.

We rounded up some of the signs that your sleep position isn't good for you can give you more information about your health, well-being, and general sleeping habits.

You're in pain.

If you wake up in pain, that can definitely be a sign that your sleep position is hurting you. You shouldn't be waking up aching all over after sleeping.

Chris Brantner, a certified sleep science coach and founder of SleepZoo.com, told INSIDER that back pain is commonly caused by sleeping in the wrong position (on your stomach).

"Sleeping on your stomach can also cause neck pain, especially if you keep your head turned to one side too long," he said.

You're snoring.

Snoring might only seem like a problem if your partner is complaining, but that's not exactly the case. You might be able to help ease your snoring by changing up the position in which you sleep.

"On its surface, snoring could just be seen as annoying, but many people are being diagnosed with sleep apnea, which means the body actually stops breathing as frequently as 20 to 30 times per hour,"Bill Fish, a certified sleep science coach and the co-founder of Tuck Sleep, told INSIDER. "Thus, anyone who snores, should not be sleeping on their back, as they won't be getting the quality sleep they need."

"There is a correlation between sleep position and worsening of sleep breathing. For many with the sleep disorder, sleep apnea, breathing is worse when sleeping in the supine position (on one's back). While the mechanism is not fully understood, it is presumed to occur because of the gravitational effects of the tissues closing off the airway during sleep," Dr. Neil Kline, DO, DABSM, a spokesperson for the American Sleep Association, explained.

Talk to your doctor or dentist (or both) and let them know that you're snoring so that if it's undiagnosed sleep apnea that you're dealing with, it's caught and addressed sooner rather than later.

You're tired, even though you slept.

Being tired all day long is another potential sign that your sleep position isn't doing you any favors. Darren G. Koch, DDS, PA, a family and cosmetic dentist, told INSIDER that this too can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, which requires a medical evaluation to confirm a diagnosis. Koch also noted that if you do have sleep apnea or snore, you shouldn't sleep on your back.

"In these patients, back sleeping can lead to the collapse of the soft tissues of the throat and oropharynx over the airway, reducing oxygen intake, and compromising long-term health," he said.