On your back, on your stomach, on your side, with your legs bent, or even in the fetal position. Everyone has their favorite position for a good night’s sleep. And if you don’t have yours, a new posture has emerged in recent weeks thanks to Internet users on the social network TikTok. Some videos have reached several tens of millions of views because it allows you to sleep better. The pose called the “T-Rex position” consists of folding your arms against your chest and keeping them close to your body.
If some people sleep better in the T-Rex position, it is above all because it is pleasant and provides a feeling of security when getting into bed. “Most people use it to calm down when they feel anxious.”explains to Sleepopolis Jessica Plonchak, director of the ChoicePoint clinic (an American psychological listening service). The T-Rex position would thus promote relaxation at bedtime. Comfortable for some, it nevertheless has the disadvantage of exerting excessive pressure on the wrists during sleep and can cause numbness, or even pain when waking up.
Health professionals are also concerned about seeing Internet users self-diagnose more or less severe disorders after realizing that they were sleeping in the T-Rex position. Several videos mention autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or even a response to abuse experienced in the past. The T-Rex position would then be a state of fight or flight in response to these problems. A hypothesis denied by Professor Inna Kanevsky, American professor of psychology, in a video : “If you’re in a constant state of fight or flight, you’re not going to sleep. Fight or flight requires activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Most of the time when we’re asleep, we’re in a parasympathetic state, unless we’re dreaming. And you can’t be in a fight or flight state when you’re doing that. That’s not how the nervous system works.”
There is no evidence of a link between the T-Rex position and any neuropsychological disorder. On the other hand, it can help you sleep better so it may be worth it if you are prone to insomnia. To be tested.