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Best cuddling positions

Be it with your partner, your favorite four-legged friend, or a comfy body support pillow, cuddling is an awesome way to de-stress and create intimacy. But there’s more to cuddling than simply wrapping your arms around someone and holding tight. Cuddling is a love language all its own.

Some people live to cuddle and latch onto their partner every chance they get. Others, not so much. They reserve cuddling for the bedroom as a steppingstone for the main event. And forget about the common perception that men aren’t natural cuddlers. Turns out they long to snuggle up more than women.

Hugging, snuggling, massage, and kissing all fall under the cuddling umbrella. There’s no right or wrong way to cuddle, but these common cuddling positions can pave the way to an epic cuddling session.

1. The “spoon”

Spooning is the ultimate cuddling position. And let’s be real: It can be sexual, too. Anyone can be the “big spoon” when cuddling, but it’s often the larger or more dominant partner. When you’re the “big spoon,” you wrap your arms around your partner while you’re both lying close on your side; your stomach rests against their back. When you’re the “little spoon,” your partner wraps their arms around you and your back rests against their stomach.

2. The “half spoon”

If traditional spooning leaves you a hot mess (and not in a good way), consider the “half spoon.” It allows you to be close enough to your partner to feel warm and fuzzy, but far enough away that you won’t feel claustrophobic.

3. The butt “cheek-to-cheek”

In this position, you and your partner are facing opposite directions, but your butt cheeks and lower backs are touching. Knees are often bent, although you may stretch one leg and play footsie if you’re feeling playful. This position means you want to maintain a connection with your partner, but you value your freedom and sleep is high on your agenda.

4. The “honeymoon hug”

Cuddling is over-the-top when your relationship is in the honeymoon stage, and you and your partner can’t get enough of each other. You want to entwine yourselves, even during sleep. In the “honeymoon hug” position, you and your partner face each other and entangle limbs. You’re so close, you can smell the morning breath. But it doesn’t matter because you’re wild for each other.

5. The “sweetheart cradle”

This position is often used when you need to be nurtured. Your partner lies on their back and holds you while your head rests on their chest. It’s a comforting form of cuddling that creates feelings of trust and well-being.

6. The “leg hug”

Like the “cheek-to-cheek,” this position is popular when sleep is your priority, but you still want physical contact. After you both find a comfortable position, you put one leg on top of your partner’s leg. (Keep in mind you may need to adjust your leg if it makes theirs uncomfortable after a while.)

7. The “butt pillow”

If you like to scooch down and use your partner’s butt for a pillow, you may be avoiding close contact, or you may feel submissive. Or you could just need more padding to rest your head on.

8. The “lap pillow”

Laying your head in your partner’s lap is a playful position. It also displays trust, since it leaves your partner more vulnerable. This position makes it easy to snatch a kiss or two … or three. It’s the perfect position for binge watching your fave Netflix show. Orange is the New Black, anyone?

9. The “arm draper”

For this position, you and your partner are facing with your arms draped around each other. You’re eye to eye, which is great if you’re trying to be romantic, but distracting if you want to sleep … ever get the feeling someone’s staring at you?

Why you should cuddle more

Cuddling feels good in the obvious sense, but it’s also good for your health. Here’s how:

Creates more sexual satisfaction and intimacy with your significant other

Cuddling often leads to physical intimacy, but cuddling after making love is important, too. According to a 2014 study, couples who cuddled after sex reported higher sexual satisfaction and higher relationship satisfaction.

Increases bonding among friends

Oxytocin isn’t called the “cuddle hormone” for no reason. It’s released when you cuddle and leaves you feeling loving and connected. There’s a social bonding aspect to oxytocin, too. Research suggests oxytocin helps you bond with those in your inner circle. In other words, the more you cuddle with your closest friends, the tighter your bond will be.

Learn more: The health benefits of intimacy »

Boosts immune system

If you make Swedish massage part of your cuddling routine, your immune system will seriously up its game. Swedish massage is a massage technique that uses long, gliding strokes, firm kneading, and tapping. According to a 2010 study, people who received Swedish massage had:

• more white blood cells that fight disease (lymphocytes)
• less of a hormone (arginine vasopressin) that increases the stress hormone cortisol
• a decrease in existing cortisol levels
• a decrease in cytokines that may cause inflammation

Helps you communicate emotions

Research confirms that touch is a way to communicate emotions such as love, gratitude, and sympathy between loved ones. Happiness and sadness can be communicated through touch, too. Surprisingly, the results of one 2009 study found that touch also fosters emotional communication between strangers.

Lowers blood pressure

Touch has a calming effect which may lower blood pressure. Research has shown short periods of hand holding and hugging lowers both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. High blood pressure is linked to heart disease and stroke, so regular cuddling should be part of any high blood pressure treatment plan.

Relieves stress and anxiety

According to one 2004 study, massage in the form of stroking, squeezing, and stretching can help relieve stress and anxiety by increasing dopamine and serotonin in the body. These two neurotransmitters help regulate your mood. Dopamine also regulates the pleasure center in your brain.

Helps relieve pain

Cuddling in the form of therapeutic touch may even have the power to reduce pain. Therapeutic touch is the method of placing your hands on or near the body to balance energy and promote natural healing.

The bottom line

In today’s busy world, it’s easy to sacrifice intimacy and hard to find time to relax and recharge. Cuddling helps you do both and stay connected to those you love. So, what are you waiting for? Hug, snuggle, kiss, and stroke every chance you get. Find the cuddling positions that work for you and snuggle up with your partner, your friends, and your pets. It’s good for you — body and soul.

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TOUCH

We humans have five senses through which we perceive the
world we live in. The first sense to be developed is the sense of touch. As
babies we respond to touch and find comfort in the caring caresses of our
mothers. As we grow older, we develop our other senses, taste, smell, sight and
hearing. As adults, we tend to focus on sight and hearing more often than not.
You will notice that we are glued to technology that primarily demands our
sight and hearing attention. We have lost our primal need to be touched, held
and cuddled. Many people who cannot fulfill this basic human suffer from
depression, anxiety or illness more frequently.

There is a great need for us to communicate through
touch other than electronically. And YES! Touch is a vital form of
communication. We tend to instinctively feel better when someone hugs us, or
caresses our shoulder when we need emotional support or encouragement. The act
of hugging someone shows that we genuinely care about that person.

MIND AND BODY
BENEFITS

Cuddling with someone provides many positive benefits
for your mental health, but for your physical health as well. The result of
comforting touch is an increase of both oxytocin, (a pain relieving hormone),
and serotonin, (a ‘happy’ hormone). Higher levels of oxytocin boost your
immunity by increasing T-regulatory cells in your gut. It helps to reduce your
risk for heart disease and makes you more resilient in body and in mind.

Snuggling is also known to ease anxiety, relieve stress
and promote restful sleep. By increasing serotonin levels, you feel good about
yourself and the world, your personal relationships improve and this will spurn
increased creativity and confidence.

PLATONIC TOUCH
CUDDLING

Platonic touch cuddling is a new concept of providing
the experience of being close without feeling uncomfortable. There is a dynamic
professional relationship between the client and Cuddling Practitioner.
Guidelines are established to ensure that both the Practitioner and Client feel
safe and confident within the agreed upon parameters. Both parties consent to
an initial agreement and promise to speak up confidently if any line is crossed
that makes them uncomfortable emotionally, or if there is physical discomfort
from being in a certain position. Being open, honest and assertive ensures that
both parties especially the client that they can feel at ease in being
vulnerable and expressing their feelings.

The Cuddling session is about the client and fulfilling
their needs for emotional well-being. The client sets the pace of the session,
but may need some suggestions on where to start.

Quite often, a session would begin with the
client/cuddler agreement, followed by some consent exercises, such as; the
Practitioner asking if they could touch the client’s arm or shoulder, (without
taking any action), and the client then chooses to say yes or no, and the whole
exercise is reciprocated so that each party has a turn to accept or refuse a
request. Then after the initial exercise, the client will feel more confident
in making requests and deciding to truly accept or refuse a request made to
them.

Sessions typically last an hour, and towards the last 10
minutes of the session, there is a winding down period to settle down from the
high oxytocin and serotonin levels. Parties often talk about what they
experienced, if they enjoyed the session and plans for follow up or future
appointments.

Everyone needs a space they can share themselves with
another fellow human being.  Why not try
a session for yourself to see what benefits Platonic Touch Cuddling can offer
you in your life?

By Michael Wardell and Trish Katt

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