comment: >
  
  True, that. There is a point that your belly gets round and you just roll over, the involuntarily.
context: This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
  (For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
  Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >
  
  Back pain. Sometimes knee or neck pain. Or all of the above. It sucks, especially if you spent the first half of your life as a stomach sleeper. >
  
  This is me, but I’m 36. Scheuermann’s kyphosis is a bitch. >
  
  32 with degenerative disc disease checking in over here. I attempt all manner of positions before eventually resigning to my back to fall asleep. >
  
  How did you get doctors to take your back pain seriously while still 'too young for severe back problems?" (I'm 34) I hear that AAAALLLLLL the time before they send me to get an x-ray that doesn't show shit.
  I pick up and cremate dead bodies for a living, and proper lifting IS NOT always an option; at least not when you're pulling someone out from a bathroom that died behind the toilet somehow, or is hunched over in the bathtub.  Suspecting my career is one major reason for my back issues. 
  A month ago I was in the ER because the pain was so severe I literally couldn't move my legs and got stuck on the floor while trying to get off the toilet. They found some things that didn't require surgery so they kind of just swept it aside, and my primary doctor doesn't seem to give half a shit either. Don't get me wrong though, they took care of me REALLY well in the ER. They knew I was in pain because apparently my blood pressure was well above a dangerous level. >
  
  Honestly, demand more imaging. You need a CT with contrast to show tears. Push them. Insist. They need to figure out what's wrong before you get injured worse. Sometimes you just have to argue with the doctor til they do the thing. Had to do it with my back and my shoulder >
  
  This. I had several CTs, X-rays, exams, etc. Only a CT with contrast showed my cartilage tears, and that was only done because the fourth or fifth doctor specifically ordered it. >
  
  Yupp. If a doctor refuses, get a new one. Keep getting a new one til somebody takes you seriously >
  
  Sometimes it's insurance as well. They can literally prevent your doctor from ordering something... American healthcare at it's finest. But as the others have said, play the doctor roulette game. 
  M 35 one herniated disc, one bulging, two cyst, one kinda big. >
  
  Insurance fought me getting an MRI on my shoulder for 2 years. Found out finally last Wednesday after my doctor fought for it that I’ve got a torn rotator cuff and a cyst forming underneath it from it being torn for so long.
  Insurance fought another MRI on my neck this summer. 2 herniated discs found when they gave in. I have 7 herniated discs and degenerative disc disease. They fought every single diagnostic test. >
  
  That's rough. Username definitely checks out as well. >
  
  My granddad used to sleep on his back. Naked. Above the covers. And the only way into the house from the pool was through his bedroom.
  Ahhh Grandad John >
  
  My grandparents lived in a fancy trailer park/mobile home park. I mean fancy af. These mobile homes cost upwards of $300k. 
  My sisters and I would go up all the time and we got to know our grandparents'friends all around the park. Super family friendly. Well their next door neighbours were like family and the wife asked me to wake up her husband, as it was time for our big group Christmas dinner one year (I think I was 11 or 12). He was face down and fully fucking naked, with his leg propped to the side, frank and beans smashed into the bedspread. 
  I ran outta there so fast and to my mom and told her I couldn't wake him up and please ask his wife to get him or grandpa. Everyone figured it out and laughed and laughed. 
  Well, laugh it up Chuckles. I never went in their trailer again. >
  
  I laughed at “frank and beans” to be honest (and maybe a downer here), but I hate that for you.
  I’d be taken aback by that as a grown ass woman. What kind of shitty adults send a little kid to wake up a grown man from a nap in his bedroom?
  I hate when people laugh at kids for stuff like that. You’re put in an uncomfortable position, you’re embarrassed and then you get laughed at. Not resentment-building at all or anything. >
  
  You have a pretty low threshold for what constitutes a shitty adult lol. >
  
  This makes me wonder whether yours is maybe a tad high. >
  
  Probably so, from your perspective. Generally speaking I would require something like actual harm or malice to reach that determination. >
  
  Right?  “Oh no, a human body!  The TRAUMA!”  Dude was just sleeping. >
  
  Naked. He was naked. 
  She knew he slept naked. >
  
  We are all born naked. Naked is pretty normal to many cultures and people. This hangup is a you problem and probably comes from regressive parenting and body shaming as well as adding sexuality where there really isn't any. 
  A naked body isn't anything to be ashamed of and assuming sexuality from the act of being nude is prudish and wierd. >
  
  My step dad is in his 60s and he lies in front the the fireplace on his belly and belches like a stranded whale whenever he overeats. Combined with Italian bitters, he swears this method resolves all Thanksgiving/Christmas related gastrointestinal distress. Sounds like you just know weird old people. >
  
  The Op only knows weird old people… I mean, I get “weird” is subjective but I’d read your description of your stepdad again just for clarity. Lol (though I sense a tone of sarcasm there).
  And what is “old”? Your stepdad could died tomorrow and that’s considered kinda young yet. >
  
  I can tell you some more super normal things about him, like how he cuts his own hair, and bought a lifetime supply of ties from a silk tie factory that went out of business in the 70s. Or how he never learned to drive a car but owns pieces of ice boats all over the world. I could keep going until you're fully convinced of his normalcy, but this is probably the most identifying info I've put on Reddit so far. ;)
  But agree, he's young to die (too young, I sincerely hope), but perhaps old to lie on his stomach making sad whale noises. >
  
  I think you're on a different plane - keep doing you, my man >
  
  They know. I'm 20 and I have back pain. I tell you. They know what the forbidden sleeping technique will do to you. They know. >
  
  I'm glad that sleeping on my stomach just isn't naturally comfortable for me. >
  
  I just tried it an it's fucking horrible, who is doing this at all? >
  
  I am. I lay on my stomach, my arms under my pillow, and my legs sort of in a p shape. It’s amazing to me. >
  
  Same, can confirm, 75% of the time that's how I sleep. I was actually wondering just the other day how most people are falling asleep lol >
  
  I never see old people sleeping period. Like why are you watching a lot of old people sleep? >
  
  Maybe they work in a nursing home? >
  
  I worked in a care home as an aide doing a lot of night shifts..it just occurred to me that most people don't see so many elderly folks sleeping...but can confirm: not many - if any - sleep on their stomachs. Though, by that age, they can't really move much of anything, so..it's just not even an option. >
  
  Residents in a nursing home are rarely placed in a face-down position by staff … when you’ve lost you’re mobility, you’ve lost most of your choices. 
  There’s some evidence which suggests falls from bed are increased in residents who were traditionally tummy sleepers who are positioned by staff on their side or back … they’re just trying to get comfortable on a rigid narrow bed. 
  I’m married to an old man who starts out on his back and deep sleeps on his tummy with a leg up. I’m an almost-old woman who prefers to sleep on my tummy as well. 
  Never underestimate the influence of a chubby tummy and GERD on the ability to sleep comfortably face down. >
  
  I'm not even old. 
  I have to spend the majority of my sleep on my back due to too many football related shoulder dislocations leading to weird pinching and numbness if I sleep without my arms down by my side. >
  
  Hubby and I have both had shoulder issues/injuries and found sleeping in a recliner with the head elevated made a huge difference when we are hurting. 
  Something about the shoulder muscles relaxing when we’re laying flat on our backs that causes all the nerves and joints to ache.
  I often start my evening almost on my back with a small pillow propped under my bad shoulder … once I’m asleep, I roll onto my tummy for deep sleep. 
  When my shoulder hurts, there’s just no position to get comfortable. I haven’t tried one of those special slide-your-arm through pillows because I’m not rich. >
  
  Yeah I'm feeling the need to transition from my stomach sleeping to back as I wake up with a sore neck for the umpteenth time. I'll be 30 in a few months.
  Edit: Thanks for the suggestions people. This was a much bigger problem a year ago and it's improved by getting a lot of professional help since. Biggest thing I think will make a difference is my pillow. The memory foam fitted ones aren't cutting it. I ordered a flat one and I'm really excited to try it! >
  
  I stopped sleeping face down in college. Woke up one morning, did a little stretch--instant spasm you could hear. I walked around with my neck tilted about 20 degrees off kilter for a week. Had to go to class and work like that. Campus medic gave me Baclofen, but it didn't help. Pot helped a bit, but not for work and class! So I became a side sleeper. >
  
  Acute torticollis
  You needed a heat pack and some gentle stretches and range of motion exercises. 
  It’s one of my favorite injuries to treat because it’s usually so easy to fix that people look at me like I’m a miracle worker. >
  
  Will keep it mind if it happens again for whatever reason! I'd rather have another Caesarean than that bs. I did try standing in the shower longer than usual and some stretching IIRC, but didn't really know what I was doing. I have AS now so maybe it was a sign. >
  
  Can confirm. I do this for work, and in a “independent” nursing home with additional care for some residents. Let me tell you, much of their mobility is VERY limited. Often can hardly even move their feet under the covers well, let alone shift themselves completely over. Oftentimes I will even catch some residents sleeping on the toilet hunched over or awake all night!  Of course, I help them to bed where they’ll ask me to shift them around or adjust the sheets, but nobody ever asks me to turn them on their stomachs lol >
  
  i used to love stomach sleeping with my arms above my head. now, my shoulders can't handle it. i have shoulder impingement in my right shoulder, so now, my only option is left-side sleeping, which is not my favourite, or my back which makes me feel like a corpse.
  me: 58F who doesn't get enough comfortable sleep anymore. >
  
  Also a side sleeper here. Do you still sleep with your arm up/under your pillow? I used to have horrible shoulder pain that stopped almost completely when I began sleeping with my arms down. >
  
  i do like to side-sleep with my arm under the pillow, but can't do it with my right arm anymore. but i still do on my left side. i prefer to sleep on my right side, but can't any more. >
  
  Sleeping with your arm under your pillow creates way more stress than you might realize. Once I learned to sleep with my arms down, my shoulder and neck issues resolves rapidly >
  
  Because their necks are stiffer and because their bellies get in the way. >
  
  Funny, because I was always a stomach sleeper then I lost a very significant amount of weight and got in shape. Now if I sleep on my stomach I wake up with crazy back pain. It's like the extra weight was keeping everything lined up properly. Now I have to sleep on my side. >
  
  I was a tummy sleeper all growing up. Once I hit puberty and started weight training, sleeping on my back is just more comfortable. 
  An added benefit is on my back, I don’t move at all, which means making the bed in the morning is a breeze. If I fall asleep on my side or tummy now, I thrash around a lot, kick the covers off, twist up the flat sheet, etc. Makes it more annoying to make my bed. >
  
  Do you… Spy on a lot of people when they sleep? 
  This is one of those things that never, ever crossed my mind someone might even think about. >
  
  Only old people >
  
  Are you Death? >
  
  The Destroyer of Worlds? >
  
  On average, about how many old people do you watch sleeping each week? >
  
  That's because they're like turtles. Can't flip back over afterwards >
  
  You never see turtles sleeping on their backs either... hmm, what if old people ARE turtles!! >
  
  Now this is the truth >
  
  Im a grandad…i sleep on my front, so does the wife…depends if youre supple or not…and get outta my fukin bedroom perv >
  
  I'm only in my late 30s, but if I sleep on my stomach, not only does it destroy my lower back, but I get acid reflux too. >
  
  Weighted Blankets have changed my life. I used to love sleeping on my stomach but now the blanket gives me the same feeling >
  
  My dad was old enough to be my grandfather. He always told me getting old was a bitch. Lol  One day I come home from college and he rube goldburged the toilet seat with a couple blocks of wood. It is now 3-4 higher than before. I don’t ask him directly so I ask my brother. He told me it was because his old man balls were dipping into the water in the toilet bowl. Ahh…my eyes!!!! >
  
  tbf America seems to have an unnecessarily high water level in the toilet >
  
  It’s because of the backache. I used to love sleeping on my tummy. Now I kick myself any morning I wake up with my face in the pillow because I know I’ll be complaining of a sore lower back in a matter of seconds. Oh. I’m not even 30 yet. But this is a reason. >
  
  Is this really true? If so I'm kind of screwed. 
  If I sleep on my back I get sleep paralysis 100% of the time. It happens rarely if I sleep in my stomach or sides. But if I'm forced to sleep on my back my later years are going to be a literal nightmare. >
  
  I was looking for this! When I started sleeping on my back after always having been a stomach sleeper I got sleep paralysis and I got more nightmares and strange dreams too. At first it was really bad, but I got used to it after a while and now it only happens once in a while. Usually after I have had a big meal for some reason. I try not to go to bed on a full stomach now and mostly can avoid it but at first it was awful. You might be able to power through it as well and come out the other side. >
  
  My wife and I are in our ‘60’s. We both sleep on our stomachs. I had back surgery earlier this year. I had to sleep in a recliner for several weeks. I was miserable because I couldn’t sleep on my stomach >
  
  40m here, I actively avoid anything that will cause inflammation that I am able to avoid >
  
  Acid reflux. I don’t consider myself old but sleeping on my stomach often triggers this. >
  
  Been looking for this comment. Surprised it’s all back pain and stuff. Where my left side sleepers at >
  
  Literally just admitted a guy in 80s to my service in my hospital who tells me he sleeps on his stomach. >
  
  Reading the comments in this thread makes me think young people are doomed to the same fate as previous generations. They think things will be different for them, or that future medical intervention will fix their problems. I was once young and naive too, but in my 30s I'm starting to understand fast. >
  
  My dad says he can't breathe when he's laying on his stomach. He has pretty severe back problems though >
  
  No I just don't watch old people sleeping... Or any people for that matter >
  
  I was able to sleep on my stomach again when I lost weight.  Before, I had too much stomach to do so.  Love it. >
  
  OP, you're killing all the old stomach sleepers aren't you? And you're using this post to find targets with the people who reply "that's not true, my grandma..." >
  
  Speaking strictly for myself - I ALWAYS used to fall asleep on my belly in my younger skinnier days.  Over the years, it was two things that stopped that - being pregnant and getting giant boobs that did NOT appreciated being flattened on my firm mattress, and arthritis that first showed up as neck stiffness.  No longer pregnant, but now fat, still with giant boobs, I'd need a custom contoured mattress to be comfortable belly down, AND my neck doesn't even start to turn far enough to uncover my face in the pillow.
  It's sad, because it was much the most comfortable way for me to fall asleep. >
  
  61 and that's the ONLY way I can rest or sleep. Can't breathe on my back. Yeah, I have lower back issues bc of it, but at least I can breathe. >
  
  Guess I’m the oddball. I’m a side and stomach sleeper. If I lay on my back my post nasal drip will drown me in phlegm. Back only bothers me if I miss workouts. I’m 71. It’s possible to fall asleep on my back, but only for a nap during the day. >
  
  Oh god this post fills me with dread because I get awful night terrors and sleep paralysis when I sleep on my back. >
  
  i physically can't sleep on my stomach, it always get to the point of me focusing in on my pulse and it disgusts me >
  
  I never watch old people sleep normally.
  On a side note, you never see old people eating pizza. >
  
  I always loved sleeping on my stomach. In my 40’s I hurt my back. Since then I haven’t been able to sleep on my stomach because it hurts. >
  
  My dad’s in his 60s and he sleeps on his stomach.
  I’m 25 and I’ve inherited the preference. >
  
  How many old people do you see sleeping day to day? Ballpark >
  
  I used to love sleeping on my stomach. Somewhere in my 30’s I had to stop because it hurt my back too much. >
  
  Speak for yourself, my grandad used to sleep on his face all the time. Sometimes he'd have his face so deep in his pillow my grandma couldn't hear him breathing and had to shake him awake to make sure he was fine >
  
  GERD, I get reflux easily so avoid positions, certain food and drinks, time my eating and drinking, to try and avoid it. >
  
  I haven't been able to sleep on my stomach since my early 40s. Medical complications. >
  
  I never see old people sleeping, unless they dozed off in their armchair, and that would be weird to see them sleeping on their stomachs on an armchair >
  
  I'm 57 and I sleep on my stomach every night. But then I wake up on my back. It has been like this since I was a boy. >
  
  57 is not old. I’m 59 though. >
  
  Might want to hop over to r/AskOldPeople with this.
  I'm in my 60's & have a sister in her 70's & we both sleep on our stomachs. We are both fat. >
  
  Reminds me of one of my favorite philosophical quotes:
  You never see an old person eating a Twix! >
  
  
  Good night, sweet repose
  Lie on your back and you won’t crush your nose
  
  Words of wisdom from my aunt >
  
  Well, I stopped sleeping on my stomach when I got a big belly, around forty.
  It just wasn't comfortable anymore.
  I sleep on my right side since.
  I've now lost most of that weight, but it's still uncomfortable to lay face down, because now my arms feel awkward and are uncomfortable no matter where I put them.
  I used to always sleep on my stomach with my hands around my pillow, underneath.
  I can't do it now, so I sleep on my left side instead.
  Once in a while I will wake up on my back, now I'm over sixty, but I find it really hard to get to sleep in that position.
  So I'm mostly still a side sleeper now. >
  
  Why are you all sleeping on your stomach? I am not old but I never slept that way, it’s insanely uncomfortable and makes breathing more difficult. I am so confused by this post and all the comments.