Sleeping better

Sleep in Islam: The best sleeping position

By Rashmi Shetty · Updated 23 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

In short

The Sunnah is to make wudu, lie down on your right side with your hand under your cheek, and say the bedtime duas (Sahih al-Bukhari 247 and 6314). Lying on the stomach is disliked; the left side and the back are allowed. Sleep research names no single best side; for most healthy adults either side is fine, so following the Sunnah costs nothing.

In this article7

The Sunnah of going to bed
Two short bedtime duas
Right side, back or front
Sleep in the Qur'an and Sunnah
What sleep research says about the right side
Questions people ask
Sources

Right sideHand under the cheek

The Sunnah of going to bed

These are recommended practices, each with its source. Here they are in a practical order.

Make wuduThe same wudu as for prayer, before you lie down. Sahih al-Bukhari 247
Close the house for the nightPut out the lamps, close the doors, and cover food and water. Sahih al-Bukhari 6296
Shake out the bedWith the edge of a cloth, because you do not know what got onto it. Sahih al-Bukhari 6320
Recite and wipe over the bodyHold your palms together, recite Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, blow into them, and wipe over your body, starting with the head and face. Three times. Sahih al-Bukhari 5017
The tasbihSubhan Allah 33 times, Al-hamdu lillah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 34 times. Sahih al-Bukhari 3705, Sahih Muslim 2727
Lie on your right sidePut your right hand under your cheek and say the dua. Sahih al-Bukhari 6314, Sunan Abi Dawud 5045

Two short bedtime duas

بِاسْمِكَ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَاBismika amutu wa ahya. "In Your name I die and I live." Sahih al-Bukhari 6314
اللَّهُمَّ قِنِي عَذَابَكَ يَوْمَ تَبْعَثُ عِبَادَكَAllahumma qini 'adhabaka yawma tab'athu 'ibadak. "O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the day You raise up Your servants." Sunan Abi Dawud 5045

The longer dua taught to al-Bara' bin 'Azib, beginning "Allahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika", is in Sahih al-Bukhari 247.

Right side, back or front

Right side: the SunnahHow the Prophet ﷺ lay down to sleep, and what he taught. Sahih al-Bukhari 247
On the back: allowedHe ﷺ lay on his back in the mosque, one leg over the other. Sahih al-Bukhari 475
On the stomach: dislikedHe ﷺ saw a man lying on his stomach and said Allah does not love this way of lying. Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2768, graded hasan

The left side is allowed too. Scholars say you only miss the reward of following the Sunnah. The Sunnah is about how you lie down; turning over in your sleep is natural.

Sleep in the Qur'an and Sunnah

The Qur'an names sleep among Allah's signs: "And of His signs is your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty" (Ar-Rum 30:23). It calls sleep a rest (Al-Furqan 25:47). It says Allah takes the soul in sleep and returns it until its appointed time (Az-Zumar 39:42). That is why the bedtime duas speak of dying and living.

Sleep is also a right. When 'Abdullah bin 'Amr prayed all night and fasted every day, the Prophet ﷺ told him to sleep as well as pray, and said: "Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5199). He disliked sleeping before 'Isha and talking after it (Sahih al-Bukhari 568), so an early night after 'Isha is the habit the Sunnah builds.

What sleep research says about the right side

No study names one side as best for everyone. Here is what the research does show.

Who was studied	What was found
664 adults, Denmark, 2017	They spent 54.1% of the night on their side, 37.5% on their back and 7.3% on their front. Side sleeping grows with age.
75 people with heart failure, 2003	They avoided their left side and slept more on their right. Healthy people showed no such difference.
57 people tested for reflux, 2022	Acid rose into the food pipe for 0.0% of the time on the left side and 1.2% on the right. For heartburn, the left side was better.
63 adults, 2004	40.9% of left-side sleepers reported nightmares, against 14.6% of right-side sleepers. A small study.
Pregnancy, from 28 weeks	Going to sleep on the back was linked with 2.3 times the odds of late stillbirth, compared with going to sleep on the side.

For most healthy adults, either side is fine, and the right side keeps the Sunnah. With heartburn at night, the left side may be kinder, and it is allowed. In pregnancy, from 28 weeks, go to sleep on your side, not your back.

On your side, your shoulder and hip carry your weight. They need to sink in a little, or they take the pressure. Our softest mattress, the Latex Plus 4 Mattress (6 of 10), suits side sleepers. Sleep on it for 100 nights before you decide.

Questions people ask

Why is sleeping on the right side Sunnah?

Because the Prophet ﷺ did it and taught it. Scholars have also given reasons: Ibn Hajar wrote that it helps a person wake more easily. Ibn al-Jawzi quoted the physicians of his time: lie on the right first, then turn to the left.

Is sleeping on your stomach haram?

Scholars class it as disliked (makruh), not forbidden. The stronger narration is Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2768. A similar one in Sunan Abi Dawud 5040 is graded weak by al-Albani.

Which direction should you sleep in Islam?

Many scholars prefer facing the qiblah while lying on the right side. If your room does not allow it, sleeping with your back to the qiblah is permissible.

What should I do after a bad dream?

The Prophet ﷺ taught: spit lightly to your left three times, seek refuge with Allah from Shaytan three times, and turn over to your other side (Sahih Muslim 2262). If bad dreams come often, read why nightmares happen and what helps.

Can a pregnant woman sleep on her right side?

Doctors advise going to sleep on your side from 28 weeks. Researchers are still studying whether the right or left side makes a difference, so ask your doctor.

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