We live two lives: one in our dreams and one in the real world. I’m not talking about the dreamy thoughts we have while awake, but the eight hours we spend unconscious, exploring another world — living another life.
A third of our day is spent asleep (if you’re getting the right amount). That’s a third of your life.
It makes sense why people spend so much time studying the patterns and habits of our sleep schedules and styles. How you sleep says a lot about who you are when you’re awake.
Unlike many things that leave once our heads hit the pillow, our relationships never do. Our partners sleep by our sides, and if they can’t be right next to us, they’re always on our minds, swimming around in our unconscious.
So what does the way you sleep say about how you behave with them? What does your sleeping position say about what kind of lover you are? Are you guarded? Are you open?
The way you consciously act while awake and what you do when you’re asleep are two very different things.
During the day, we can control the kind of person we want to be, the messages we want to send to our partners and the way we want to be perceived.
Asleep, however, we get a true indication of our real motives and what kind of lovers we really are.
Data from this article are supported by WebMD's study on sleeping positions and personality.
Fetal Position: You act tough, but really want to be taken care of
This is a very common position and also, a very common behavior for people entering new relationships. Those who sleep this way are assumed to be tough on the outside, but soft on the inside.
If this is you, you most likely take a long time to get close to someone and even longer to say, “I love you.” It’s not because you don’t have strong feelings, but you’re not easily going to give into them.
It takes you a long time to be comfortable and completely open, but once you are, your relationships are full of love and trust.
Log: You're a trusting soul who falls for the wrong people
The position of sleeping with your arms parallel to your torso and your legs is one of the serial dater, someone who may go after relationships for the social benefits more than anything.
They like to go out, be around people and have a tendency to fall for the smooth talkers and the cheaters. They are a good people, but easily tricked by the bad.
The Yearner: You distrust the people closest to you
This position involves sleeping on your side with both arms out in front. It’s a suspicious position for people who are inherently suspicious.
You've been hurt before and have a cynical view of most relationships.
Even in your own relationship, you are distrusting and many times are looking for something to find before you're found out.
You see the world and your relationships as something that will inevitably end.
The Starfish: You want to give as much love as you get
A position that involves sleeping on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These are the easygoing, friendly lovers.
They float from relationship to relationship, leaving and gaining no scars, but never leaving permanently damaged.
They are loyal and honest and just want to find real love. They don’t get bogged down by trivial details or small transgressions.
The Thinker: You’re constantly questioning your relationship, until you’re not…
This sleeping position is defined by a fisted hand resting underneath your chin.
These sleepers are normally defined along the lines of those who sleep in the fetal position, with a tough exterior and softer inside.
A thinker’s exterior, however, is layered with questions. They are always analyzing and questioning the people around them, making sure they aren’t going to give their heart to someone who is going to damage it.
The Free Faller: You don’t fight for your relationship because you don’t think you should have to
These sleepers like to lie on their front with their arms wrapped around their pillows. They are inherently shy and non-confrontational.
In situations that get rocky, they tend to turn their back and leave rather than stay and fight. They don’t do well in stressful situations and for that, have a hard time holding on to relationships.
This isn’t because they are weak; it’s because they refuse to be in a relationship that’s all about fighting.
The Pillow Hugger: You love to be in love, and people love to be in love with you
This sleeping position is self-explanatory and so is the person. They are romantics and lovers; they value every relationship in their lives and just want to get close to people.
They are always looking for love, yet they don’t let that keep them from holding on to many personal relationships they value apart from their romantic ones.
They are caring, compassionate and always ready to wrap you in a hug.
