When a Man Sleeps With His Back to You (5 Things It Means)

In this article, I’m looking at what it means when a man sleeps with his back to you.

There is a lot you can read into your partner’s sleeping position, and I find this area of body language interesting.

If your boyfriend or husband sleeps with his back to you, before jumping to conclusions, here’s what it may mean:

When a Man Sleeps With His Back to You – 5 Things To Consider

1. Is He Making Contact with You?

You can tell a lot about your partner’s mood and body language by how close he is to you while having his back to you.

Is he making contact with you and shuffles around feely bumping into you?

If so, it’s a positive sign that he’s happy to have you next to him or close and isn’t trying to put up a barrier.

It’s likely he just finds sleeping in this position comfortable or it’s his preferred position rather than he’s consciously or subconsciously snubbing you.

Related – Body language of walking with hands in pockets or behind your back explained!

2. Did You Have an Argument?

Sometimes people give the silent treatment by turning their backs on others as a way to show they’re angry or upset.

If you had an argument before bed and he’s turned his back to you, it could be his way of saying he’s still mad and wants some space.

It doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to break up with you, but he definitely needs some time to cool down before you talk things out.

If this is the case, try not to take it personally and do what you can to patch things up.

No one wants to go to bed unhappy or in an argument. If it can be avoided, you should do so before going to sleep.

3. Does He Always Sleep Facing the Same Way?

Another way you can tell if your partner is deliberately facing away from you or not is if he always sleeps on the same side.

Pay attention if he falls asleep on the couch or somewhere else, did he turn and sleep on the same side as he does in bed?

If so, a simple solution to having him sleep facing you (if that’s what you want) is to swap sides of the bed!

4. Doesn’t He Move Away if You Touch Him?

If you touch your partner’s back while he’s sleeping and he moves away, it’s a sign that he doesn’t want to be touched.

It could also mean he’s a light sleeper and doesn’t want to be disturbed.

I’m not saying this means anything about his feelings for you, some guys just want to be left alone to get a good night’s sleep.

5. Is He a Good Sleeper?

Elaborating on what I previously touched on, if your partner is not a good sleeper he might be doing everything he can to try and get a better night’s sleep.

It’s also fairly common for guys (or girls) not to want to face their partner because they don’t want to be breathed on or have the feeling like they’re being watched.

I’m sure this is something he’d be willing to talk about if you bring it up and this is the case.

Have a chat with him and see what he says.

So, What Does It Mean When Your Partner Sleeps with His Back to You?

Now that we’ve looked at some of the things it could mean, I hope you have a better appreciation for why your partner is sleeping like this.

There are a number of reasons, but in general, it usually means one of two things.

One, he’s not mad at you and is just sleeping in a way that comes naturally or he finds comfortable.

Or two, he’s subconsciously giving you the silent treatment.

Of course, there are other possibilities but these are the most common.

I think you’ll be able to work out which it is, especially over a long period of time. But it’s still worth talking to him about it and seeing what he says.

Related – Dating tips for dealing with shy guys or guys who want to be left alone.

Should You Talk to Him About It?

Absolutely, I’m a huge advocate for communication, no matter how hard it is to bring up a topic.

It’ll be worth it in the long run to have a chat with him and figure out what’s going on.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing so, maybe get a friend or family member to help you out.

At the end of the day, if he loves you, he’ll understand why you’re asking and he’ll appreciate you for it.

I bet it’s not as big of a deal to him as you’re making it out to be in your head either, I’m sure he’ll give you an answer.

He may even change his sleeping habits and start spooning you, sleeping closer to you, and facing you if that’s something that is important to you.

Do you sleep with your back to your partner? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below!

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Image credits – Photo by Claudia Mañas on Unsplash