Is this a sleep apnea thing because I've always been told you want to sleep on your back?
In some cases sleeping on the stomach might be preferred, as that helps the lungs take in more oxygen, which is why patients on respirators are often kept on their stomachs in hospital.
That being said: if you don't have sleep apnea or reflux, any position that's comfortable is probably fine. No one stays in one position the whole night anyway.
I sort of feel my body telling me, my back hurts because I never sleep on my back (because of sleep apnea, or at least horrendous snoring) but when I lay on my back it feels much more comfortable, but can't sleep that way because I will wake up the house.
Try a body pillow. Having something to wrap your arms & legs around and keep your spine aligned counteracts at least some of the discomforts of sleeping on your side.
whats wrong with right side?
The short answer is that your organs are mostly asymmetric and the esophagus connects to the stomach on the right so by laying on your right your stomach acid flows to the sphincter connecting your stomach and esophagus, making it easier to leak into the esophagus. This is especially a problem with GERD because you don't have pain receptors on that end of your esophagus but the stomach acid can still damage its tissue, which can lead to further complications including cancer.
A common cause of acid reflux is a herniated diaphragm (hiatal hernia) in which part of the stomach slips through the diaphragm into the upper chest. In this the esophageal sphincter will not be the highest point of your stomach, further adding to the problem when sleeping on your right side. Imagine a plastic water bottle deformed in such a way it stands slanted with the opening to the right, now imagine laying it on that side or the other. Laying it on the side with the opening makes it more likely to spill if the lid isn't forming a perfect seal.
The opposite is RAO (right side down on belly oblique), when we want to show the opposite esophageal emptying into the stomach.
But any one position is probably not good to maintain for a long time. That’s why patients on respirators get turned so they don’t develop pressure ulcers.
Personally I have found 15-20 minutes prone (on my belly) is helpful reducing fatigue after intense exercise.
Yeah, since COVID-19, and even then, only for patients who are severely hypoxic (ARDS or severe respiratory failure). That said, it is not universally applied to all ventilated patients, and in many countries it is not even practiced at all.
I was told that my sleep apnea didn't rise to the level of a medical condition needing intervention, but I should try to avoid sleeping on my back to help with the problems that do present.