http://web.archive.org/web/20040625101011/http://www.sleepspecialists.co.uk/sleep_personality.htm

Sleep posture ....

.... and personality (now more of a slow blog)

10 February 2004

Not there yet - the previous work is not inconsistent with the current findings ... which has surprised me a little. Hence the pause while I work out why this is. A general comment though - the study is valid with respect to people's perception of their sleep onset positions, so being on the side is the most common. The personality descriptors are based on subjects identifying the personality characteristics which they wish to be associated with ... this causes a bias (people like to think/say that they are nicer than they are). The results in this study are an interaction between the distribution of sleep positions and self-reported personality.

19 December 2003 - Update

Finally over the Christmas holidays.  Reviews of the work done in the past and how well they fit with the current research. A discussion of the theoretical and methodological issues involved.

Media enquiries

Media enquiries on Travel Inn's research into Sleep Postures. For more information or to request a press release / visuals please contact Zoe Miller at Lexis PR on zmiller@lexispr.com "

27 September 2003 - Students, professors, etc

Apart from this study most work conducted on sleep posture and personality has been relatively small scale (and this study was large but was, owing to resource limitations, methodologically weaker). The publicity associated with this study has caused quite a few students and some lecturers to write for more information. I would like to take the opportunity to try to coordinate this a little (albeit the late date in school, college and University timetables) so that there is no un-necessary duplication and that results across projects might be sensibly reviewed and compared. Ten studies using the same measures and techniques won't be as useful as ten studies that offer whole or partial attempts at replication, and all of which aim to extend existing research.
If you are interested in being part of an integrated attempt to move the area forwards please write to me at sleepPositions@neuronic.com and make sure the subject heading contains the words "sleep positions and postures."

23 September 2003 - Update

The sleeping position and personality story has soaked up a huge amount of my time this past week so I haven't yet managed to do what I had intended to do for this page. Thanks for all the e-mails, etc. Responses have ranged from constructive to destructive, from complimentary to abusive, from inquisitive to informative. The most innovative suggestions seem to have arisen from internet sex sites, which focused primarily on sleep onset positions, less so on personality.

The sleep onset position and personality survey was exploratory and not definitive. The results reported are similar to describing the positions of competitors in the early stages of a race. The positions can be ranked and are certain at any time but the eventual outcome is not. The study was also essentially descriptive. There were no underlying hypotheses. Therefore it's impossible to extrapolate the results into postures that were not described. The report was supposed to raise awareness of issues surrounding sleep position and health and to discussion of the possibilities so saying anything about sleep position and personality. Sleep is a time when people are less inhibited. The following which is taken from my recent book (Beating Insomnia, 2003 / a WEB-extended version of the Insomnia Book/Kit, 1999 both published by Gill and McMillan) is partly what was thinking about (though relating to couples):

There is not in my opinion anything in nature which is more immediately calculated totally to subject health, strength, love, esteem, and indeed everything that is desirable in the married state, than that odious, most indelicate, and most hurtful custom of man and wife continually pigging together, in one and the same bed. Nothing more unwise - nothing more indecent - nothing more unnatural, than for a man and a woman to sleep, and snore, and steam, and do everything else that's indelicate together, three hundred and sixty-five times - every year. These comments are attributed to a Dr James Graham of London in 1775.

I haven't quite been able to decide which is the more difficult defining sleep or defining personality – both can be surprisingly difficult. Considering both leads to a myriad of possibilities. This study was the first step in an exploration. When I get a chance I'll update this page more appropriately.

Chris Idzikowski

17 September 2003 - Thanks for the interest

A report I've written has attracted considerable attention. At this moment (Wednesday morning) I don't have enough time to answer all the questions and queries that have been emailed to me. However, I will write up a generic response by or during this weekend and answer emails individually for more detailed comments if I can! If there is enough interest I may set up a discussion board to discuss the issues raised (and there are many).

I haven't decided which page to use yet. The responses will either be on  www.neuronic.co.uk/thepuresleepcompany or possibly on www.neuronic.com.

Media enquiries on Travel Inn's research into Sleep Postures. For more information or to request a press release / visuals please contact Zoe Miller at Lexis PR on zmiller@lexispr.com "


Thanks for the interest,
Chris Idzikowski