sleep on your back, you'll probably snore... i do, and am pushed or told to lie on my side.

sleep on my front, and i get shoulder issues...

side's the way to go.

just assume the Recovery Position. it's kinda on your side and front at the same time. if it's good enough for an unconscious person, it's good enough for me.

Get a thick inflatable tramping sleeping mat. I sleep on my side on mine. They weigh bugger all and don't take up much space, I put mine in along with my sleeping bag in its stuff sack.

Mine is an Exped UL 7 M, 70mm thick R3.3 or so one, in winter it's great and in summer on hot nights it's a little warm. If I was only camping in nice warm weather I'd consider saving a bit of weight and getting an uninsulated one, using clothes underneath if the ground is cold. I always have a black rubbish bag with me on tramps/overnighters so I inflate it with that.

Second vote for the Xped UL.

Hmm. Well - I cant lie down for long periods on the bare ground (too hard, too cold) so I always need something .

Some managed to sleep just on a sheet of tyvek but for me that would be horrible on all the different levels. I read somewhere about training yourself to sleep sitting up?

https://www.theminimalists.com/drew/

Reading that though - I think for me, the key to being comfortable on my back would be the cushioning under the lower back. I've got quite a sway-back and so explains why lying down on the ground would be so uncomfortable.

My shoulders, though I'm working on them, arent flexible enough to sustain the recovery position comfortably.

Rik wrote:I hear what you're saying, but there's a little voice in my head that says a mat would be a) another thing to pack/unpack/carry and b) be a bit too Glamping.

You did also just write this:

Rik wrote:I wake constantly through the night to roll over with a numb hip/shoulder.

I don't see it as glamping because they're basically a requirement when winter camping, and all hardcore trampers/hunters/outdoorsiests swear by them. It's not like you bring a 12V air pump, a magazine to read and a mocha to drink while its inflating. They don't take up a lot of room, don't weigh a huge amount and it means that you actually get good rest and are a functional human being for the second, third, fourth..... days of any trips you might take.