Apparently your sleep position can affect what kinds of dreams you will have.

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We know that the position we sleep in can effect our health, our quality of our sleep and even tell us things about our relationships. But did you know that your sleep position can impact what you dream about?

Apparently, the sleep position you find yourself in when you wake could be the one that’s influencing what you dream about – because dreams happen during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – and the final stint of REM sleep, when dreams are most vivid, usually happens just before we wake up…

On your stomach.

We often hear about all the negative things that can happen if you sleep flat on your stomach. It can cause a large amount of strain on the neck whichs leads to pain throughout the day. Plus, it can be associated with breathing problems.

But, if you do prefer this position, it’s not all bad. Apparently, it could lead to more erotic types of dreams. Researchers at Hong Kong Shue Yan University studied 670 students and found that those who slept on their stomachs had more intense, vivid, and sexual dreams than those who slept on their side.

The study, published in the American Psychological Association’s Dreaming journal, noted that the dreams usually involved believing that they had a secret admirer and someone famous.

While it's not completely understood why, the study’s authors say it may be a result of the pressure that’s applied to your face, chest and genitals when sleeping on your stomach. Interesting.

On your left side.

Sleeping on your left side is one of the most common sleep positions but there's evidence to suggest that we might want to avoid it: apparently it can induce nightmares. According a study by Yüzüncü Yil University in Turkey, and published in Sleep and Hypnosis Journal, those who sleep on their left side experience more nightmares than those who sleep on their right. (Post continues after gallery.)

On your right side.

According to the same study, not only do right side sleepers have less nightmares, they also have much more pleasant, happier dreams in general. Researchers found that people who dozed off on their right side had dreams with themes of relief, joy, peace and love.

Plus, right side sleeper consequently felt better rested during waking hours. Nice one, right siders, nice one. The jury's out on why this is exactly this happens. But either way, we're going to try sleeping on our right side tonight.

What do you think of the results? Do they ring true to you?