Sleep Positions for Couples

Is two a crowd? Resist the urge to send him packing to the couch. "Sleeping in a pose that lets you both stay comfortable and also allows for body contact helps strengthen your bond," says Evany Thomas, author of The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide. She suggests these four sleeping positions, which will let you snuggle up and sleep better all night long:

Excalibur

Back sleeper + side sleeper

If you're the side sleeper, face your partner, but roll toward your back slightly to avoid waking up with an arm that's still dead asleep. Back sleepers should keep their arms by their sides, not overhead, to reduce stress on the shoulders, says Scott D. Boden, M.D., a professor of orthopedic surgery and director of the Emory Spine Center in Atlanta.

Sleep tips to help you wake up with more energy

Sidesaddle

Stomach sleeper + side sleeper

You love to cuddle; he complains that full-body contact makes him heat up like a toaster oven. With this setup, he gets space while you get skin-on-skin benefits. The stomach sleeper should place a small pillow under his tummy to take pressure off his back, Boden says.

Paper Dolls

Back sleeper + back sleeper

Two back sleepers don't have a lot of opportunity for snuggling, but a simple brush of the hands or a game of footsies can keep you connected. Facing each other makes this pose more romantic, Thomas says. "The daily last-glimpse exchange of drowsy eye contact creates closeness."

Lost your sex drive? Here's how to get it back

Classic Spoons

Two side sleepers or people with lower back pain

Sleeping on your side helps ease pressure on the spine, making this a good position for couples with back problems, says Todd Sinett, D.C., co-author of The Truth About Back Pain. Bending your knees and sticking a small pillow between them will also keep you from waking up with a stiff back and legs.