Affect of Sleeping Positions: Left Brain vs Right Brain

Although I'd like to believe that idea has something to it...speaking as a psychology student, that whole "left/right brain" approach isn't to be taken too literally. It's mainly a generalization popular psychology has made about the lateralization of brain function - no one is a strictly "left-brain" or "right-brain" person. So I would not expect the side you sleep on to matter too much when it comes to the type of dreams you have.

Also, your expectations about what your dreams will be like sleeping on either side may influence them to be that way, so...I dunno. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to do a single-blind study on this matter.

Wow I thought I was the only one who could change the way she was spinning! lol it was freaking me out!!

I find it interesting about the nostril comment that someone made (about how which nostril is the most unclogged is what side of your brain you are accessing at the moment). I checked my nostrils when I made her spin in opposite directions and alas my right nostril remained the dominant one. lol So much for that!

I find if I sleep on my back I dream more vividly and also have more nightmares.

I can make her change by moving my head around in the direction that I want her to go.

I have noticed that all dreams switch gears when you change sides, but maybe its because you have to wake yourself a little more in order to roll over intentionally.

I turn around a good few times a night and I think that you have a really good point here.. it actually makes some sense to me!

Am I the only one who can't make her spin the other way?
She spins clockwise. like shes mocking me. :D

Hmmm...the dancer started counterclockwise for me, but I find it is harder to switch báck to counterclockwise than making that first switch to clockwise. And when I finally get her back to her original spin, the little brat just decides to turn the other way around again.

That gif was originally an optical illusion. You're supposed to see her, then touch your finger below her feet and spin it the opposite way she spins while looking at her shadow. Then, she'll start spinning that way. It has nothing to do with right-brain left-brain.

Anyway, fascinating observation, I'm going to look into this. Though I'll just take note which side I woke up on, instead of deliberately sleeping on one side for days. I don't want to accidentally influence my dreams like Lëzen said.

Call me crazy or naive but I've seen the image of the spinning lady before. I see her going anticlockwise and always have! I can't make her change, and I honestly don't see how I can possibly perceive her as going clockwise! Seriously I find it impossible. :?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Cusp

I sleep on my side, and switch sides frequently throughout the night. I've noticed for awhile now that when I'm remembering a dream after waking, if I roll over onto my other side, I can't recall a single thing about it anymore.

I was experimenting with that last night and noticed something else as well. The side I sleep on seems to affect what I dream about. When I sleep on my right side, my dreams are physical, materialistic and action based. WHen I sleep on my left side, my dreams are more spiritual, abstract and concept based.

Possibly due to more blood pooling in one side of my brain from sleeping on my side?


A quick google on right brain/left brain gave me this short article.

Right Brain vs. Left Brain

Definition
This theory of the structure and functions of the mind suggests that the two different sides of the brain control two different "modes" of thinking. It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode over the other. Discussion
Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking:

Left Brain
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Looks at parts

Right Brain
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Looks at wholes

Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In general, schools tend to favor left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying the right-brain ones. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.

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Are you sure this isn't a placebo affect? I'm not saying your stupid, but you can't really rule that out. You'd have to record someone else's dreams and not tell them the purpose of your experiments to really have valid results.

/2c

Snivellus...your signature F-ing scares me.


I can change it at will. =]

And I do believe in left and right brained...I just don't believe in the creative-logical theory. I think everyone can think the same way once you break things to the core.

Like Catherine, I can't make the woman switch directions no matter how hard I try (I haven't tried touching her feet yet though). I see her going clockwise though lol

As for sleeping positions... I move around a lot in my sleep, so I prefer to sleep either on a small area of floor or the couch (which limits how much I toss and turn). But no matter where I sleep, I almost always enter sleep lying on my stomach with my hands under my thighs (I've done that since I was a kid to keep them warm lol). I switch sides of my head frequently though but tend to favor my right (but I wake up with horrific outer ear pain if I don't switch in my sleep no matter the ear).
I can fall alseep easily anywhere though. I often fall asleep while playing video games, sitting up. And until I got on Provigil a few years ago, I would fall asleep while driving or stressed too.
I'm like a contortionist sometimes lol. When I was having my sleep study done I couldn't sleep on my stomach, so I switched to my second favored position... a ball on my right side with my head using my left arm as a pillow (until this month, I've never been able to use real pillows- I prefer being FLAT).
Position doesn't seem to influence my dreams or my recall. But if I get up too quickly I tend to forget my dreams quickly.
Interesting idea though.

wow this is really cool. I am doing a research paper involving this. would you mind me asking you some questions about your dreams?

Sure thing, send me any questions via PM.

in tibetan dream yoga, woman are taught (they they are supposed) to sleep facing left, men to sleep facing right.

That's hott.. My gf and I were arguing over which way the dancer was spinning. Perception is amazing

At first, I could only see her spinning clockwise, then I stopped staring at her silhouette boobs and I noticed it the other way.

Well, I've long been aware of this.
On my right side, I sleep more deeply, fall asleep much easier ...and ALWAYS lie on my right, unless some ailment, neck-back discomfort makes this uncomfortable. On my left, it takes a glass of wine to put me under.
On my LEFT side I have immense difficulty falling asleep, and tend to dream more, as I'm more energised .... if I wake up I can usually get back to sleep on left, if tired or I have a bit of wine-beer.

"The side I sleep on seems to affect what I dream about. When I sleep on my right side, my dreams are physical, materialistic and action based. WHen I sleep on my left side, my dreams are more spiritual, abstract and concept based."

I would tend to concur with that,,,,can't recall any scary-physical, or sexual dreams when on my left side... for the most part

I love that people are discussing things like effects of sleeping on your left vs right. My friends all say I'm an overanalyzer (strong left brain), and thus discussing the subtleties within the content of this thread with my friends does little more than reaffirm my reputation as an overanalyzer. As a data point, I find that many nights I prefer to sleep with my right side down.

For at least 10 years now beginning in my early 20's, I noticed being able to remember my dreams if I relaxed and returned to the position I was sleeping in. I have experimented with this and perfected my skills at this over the years especially when I wanted to get back into a great dream.

I would go further than left vs. right and include face-up and face down. My best shot at remembering my dream comes from returning to the exact same head position I used when sleeping. As I was learning this, a number of mornings I would try to relax and remember a dream for 5 minutes or more with no luck, then after rolling over to my sleep position, scenes from my dream would return to me.

I found this thread because I want to see if I can strategically choose a sleep position to increase my abilities the next day and I think left, right, face up, vs face down matters. To anyone skeptical, I would agree that other things may matter more like amount of sleep, excitement, stress, diet etc...

Based on this thread, it would seem that in order to increase my right brain (creative) abilities and balance out my tendency to be over analytical, I should sleep with my right side up (right nostril unclogged). I'm going to pay attention to this now and see...

I have noticed that my dreams are generally more aggressive in nature when sleeping on my right side compared to sleeping on my left side.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ing_Dancer.gif

I spent ages looking at that, i finally see her in clockwise but for the life of me, can't see it the other way now!