Prevention Of Back Pain In Bed
In order to prevent back pain in bed, taking care of your posture is essential. A great start is to sleep on your right-hand side, with knees bent up slightly. Laying on the right-hand side is good for blood flow, as you have the smaller and lighter left lung resting on the heart in this position, maximising blood flow.
Ensure that the gap in between the shoulder, neck, and head is filled with a pillow, so that the spine and neck remain in good alignment. Imagine how your neck sits vertically in line with the rest of the spine when you are sitting and standing when you are laying on your side, you want to maintain that. Pillow depth is key here, and firmness or softness is a personal preference.
Other Ways To Help Your Back/neck Pain
Changing your mattress will most likely work wonders for your back pain if that was the cause. However, you can also incorporate a stretching routine into your day. Make it your daily goal to do a few stretches before going to bed and after waking up to help with spine flexibility.
Remember to learn how to sleep in the best position possible. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs can help support your lower back. Certain pillows can also help promote less neck and back pain while you sleep.
Can Mattress Toppers Cause Back Pain
Its a question we are sometimes asked: Can mattress toppers cause back pain. It is not as silly a question as some people might think. If you are used to sleeping on a mattress you may have had for 10 or sometimes even 20 years, it is possible to experience back pain when you change.
You have become used to sleeping on the same mattress for so long that your body has become used to it. Many people find that, when they purchase a new mattress, their body takes time to adjust to this new sleeping surface. This is particularly true for those that listen to or read the advertising for new mattresses a firm mattress is better than a soft mattress for back pain!
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Why You Should Give Your New Mattress Time
Because it takes time for your body to get acclimated to a new mattress, and because new mattresses soften with use, Tozer recommends finding a company that offers a generous home trial. At Saatva, for example, we give you 180 nights to sleep on a mattress to see if it’s right for you.
And it’s worth it to be patient. “The increased support will result in better alignment,” says Tozer. Research has shown that when your spine is in neutral alignment while you sleep, you can expect less back pain.
One study found that when participants with back pain switched to a mattress designed to accommodate their sleep position, they noticed immediate improvements. Another study found that when participants with mattresses more than five years old were given new ones, they experienced less back pain, better sleep, and even decreased stress.
Tozer adds that the right mattress will help you sleep betterand “proper rest is going to allow your body to recover so that healing can take place.”
Comfort Scale Ratings 9
We sometimes refer to very soft mattresses in the 9-10 range of our Comfort Scale as “cloud-like.” These mattresses use some of the softest comfort materials available, for a plush sleeping surface that you’re sure to sink into. Stomach sleepers should avoid mattresses in this category. Most back sleepers will also need something with more support. But for side sleepers and the few back sleepers who want the most pressure relief possible, this comfort range may be right for you.
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May work for some back sleepers
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Far too soft for stomach sleepers
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Good for some side sleepers
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Firm Vs Soft Mattresses Pros And Cons
A good mattress is the foundation of a good nights sleep, so choosing which one is right for you really is a big decision. You spend a third of your life on it, and unsatisfactory sleep affects the rest of your life, too. Getting good quality, restful sleep is essential to general health and wellbeing.
The variety of mattress options on the market is enormous, making the final decision trickier than ever. And one of the biggest decisions in terms of mattress buying is the choice between purchasing a firm vs soft mattress. There are pros and cons for either, and really the choice is extremely personal. Here are some tips to help with your decision.
Can Mattress Toppers Cause Lower Back Pain
Waking up with lower back pain can really be a pain. The worst thing is that sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint the reason for this pain that you are suffering from.
When it comes to whether mattress toppers are a good solution to back pain, the reviews are fairly mixed. While some people say that mattress toppers help solve their back pain, others blame their mattress toppers for causing lower back pain.
Toppers can be great because they can make a firm bed a little more comfortable and a soft bed a little firmer. The idea is that we want to avoid extremes, because a bed that is too firm wont support your spines natural curves, which over time can lead to pain and discomfort. On the flip side, a bed that is too soft will cause you to sink in and wont protect those curves either.
The most common cause of back pain is in your lower back.
The secret is to strike a happy medium between the two. The best material to sleep on is the type that molds to your shape, like memory foam. This allows you to keep your spine and head well aligned while you sleep, therefore reducing the chances of pain and injury.
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Best Mattress For Lower Back And Neck Pain
Casper Original Hybrid Mattress
- Type: hybrid
- Height: 11 inches
Caspers Original Hybrid Mattress is medium firm, with three zones of targeted support to keep your spine aligned. Softer CertiPUR-US certified foam around the shoulders cradles the upper body, while firmer foam supports the hips, waist, and lower back. A layer of springs adds support.
The mattress comes with a 100-night trial, free shipping and returns, and a 10-year limited warranty.
Look For Zoned Support
Some mattresses like the Level Sleep mattress offer zoned support or zoned firmnesses so that you can experience more support around your lower back and greater pressure relief around your shoulders and head.
This can help to promote better posture and reduce pressure more effectively when compared to a mattress that has the same amount of support/firmness across the entire surface area of the mattress.
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New Mattresses Take Time To Break In
What’s more, just like a good pair of shoes, a quality mattress has a break-in period. Components like springs and foams can be stiff at first but will soften up and conform to your body over time. It’s a sign, in fact, that the mattress is doing its job.
Here’s what one Saatva customer had to say about the break-in period of their new mattress:
The first week, it took a while to get used to the firmness of the mattress. I even thought about returning it as it felt the same as sleeping on the floor except in an elevated position. I decided to give it another week. This was crucial because the mattress DOES take time to break-in and conform to your body. It’s been exactly 9 weeks to the day and the mattress feels GREAT!!
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Warning Signs Your Mattress Is Causing Back Pain
Sleeping on the wrong mattress can actually cause or worsen back pain. Read on to know how your mattress impacts your back health.
Can a mattress cause back pain? Yes, a wrong one can. Our mattress plays a big role in enhancing our sleep quality and controlling the way we feel every morning after waking up. Continuously sleeping on the wrong mattress can cause the spine to lose its natural alignment and strain the muscles resulting in back pain. On the other hand, a supportive mattress can help your spine maintain a neutral position and prevent back soreness. People who fail to understand the delicate science behind choosing the right sleep surface as per their sleeping habits are more likely to develop not just chronic back pain but neck stiffness and shoulder aches.
Lower back pain is not only the leading cause of disability worldwide but in India alone, nearly 60% of Indians suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives. The exact cause of back pain is tricky to diagnose in cases there hasnt been a recent sudden stress or strain due to a pulled muscle or tendon. So how to tell if your bed is causing back pain? How to be sure that your mattress is the main culprit behind your back problems?
Top 10 signs to look out for
Here is a list of 10 signs to look out for in a mattress to know if it is the sole reason behind your back pain:
1. Your Mornings Start with Pain
2. You Are Tossing & Turning All Night
3. Your Mattress Seems to be Eating You Up
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Why You Should Trust Us
At Sleep Foundation, we understand the importance of choosing the right mattress especially when it comes to back pain. Thats why weve personally tested hundreds of mattress models to bring you the top picks listed above. Our expert team includes product testers that cover a wide range of body types, sleep positions, and comfort preferences. After thorough hands-on testing, we consider these selections to be the best of the bunch.
To evaluate mattresses for back pain relief, we ask our testers to lie down on each mattress. Ideally, a mattress should contour to the body while maintaining even support, so well measure how deeply the mattress sinks beneath the testers weight. We also use body-mapping sensors to pinpoint locations where painful pressure points are likely to occur. Although we relied on feedback from all of our testers, we focused on those who have a history of upper and/or lower back pain.
Two Ways To Tell If Your Mattress Is Causing You Back Pain
1. You feel pain when you wake up
Back pain can be caused by a variety of other factors, including stress. However, if you notice that you feel the ache after waking up from bed, your mattress is the cause. Going to bed each night should be the opportunity to revitalize, not an avenue to cause your body more stress. Monitor when you have your back pains, and youll be able to tell if your mattress causes it or not.
2. You find yourself tossing in bed more than sleeping.
Is your mattress the reason why you are not getting enough sleep? Do you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, spending more time awake than asleep? Naturally, your body is expected to hug the chance to relax after a tiring day. However, when you can fall asleep everywhere except in your bed, then your mattress might be the problem. Feeling increased ache when you lie in your bed so much that you cannot sleep means your mattress isnt helping your body.
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Dont Sleep On A Mattress Thats Too Soft Or Too Hard
Goldilocks was onto something when she picked Baby Bears just right bed.
A mattress thats too soft will cause your back or hips to sag and your spine to fall out of alignment, which can lead to significant pain. A mattress thats too firm will put too much pressure on your joints, especially if you sleep on your side or your back.
Thats why if you want to reduce your back pain in bed, you need a mattress that offers support but that also contours to your body to provide pressure relief and relieve pain.
That being said, theres no one-size-fits-all-best mattress for back pain. Plus, there are plenty of different materials to choose from. So be sure youre investing in a mattress made from suitable materials for your unique needs.
Broken Support Core Creates Bad Posture And Pressure
A broken or worn-out support core can result in hip pain as you sleep due to the knock-on effect that it has on the integrity of the mattress potentially resulting in sagging, indents, softening, and creating an uncomfortable sleeping surface.
Solution
The only real fix for a mattress with a broken support core is to buy a new mattress because the structure of the mattress is so compromised that using a mattress topper will likely be insufficient in offsetting the damage.
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Why Is Back Pain Worse When Lying Down
But why does your back pain occur when youre getting into bed? Most people who experience back pain have strained muscles. Not sitting up straight at the desk or lounging unsupported on the couch can cause specific muscles to contract over long periods.
You may not notice it at the moment or when youre up walking around because theres no pressure on them. But when your back hits an unsupportive bed, those sensitive, strained, and damaged muscles are agitated.
And that added pressure on the affected part of your back causes those muscles to hurt.
Consider An Adjustable Base
One study found that switching from an innerspring bed to an adjustable bed resulted in a 32% pain decrease and a 73% increase in sleep quality amongst the participants who were suffering from chronic back pain .
And there are many anecdotal reports that sleeping on an adjustable bed with a suitable mattress can help to reduce lower back pain and ease the symptoms of conditions like GERD/acid reflux and sleep apnea .
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Invest In The Right Mattress To Help Your Back Pain
Weve been handcrafting all-natural fabric mattresses since 1929. Our #1 priority is to build every customer we are privileged to serve with a mattress that fits their specific needs. No two bodies are alike, which is why we believe handmade, best-in-value mattresses are the best choice for back pain! We stand behind that claim with our 60-day comfort guarantee!
Check out our Mattress Match to find your perfect mattress.
Back Pain No Firm Mattresses
If you get eight hours of sleep a night as most doctors recommend, you will spend a third of your life sleeping. So it’s worth taking some time to think about what you’re sleeping on.
New research indicates that the popular thinking – sleeping on a firm mattress is better for people with chronic lower back pain – is incorrect. The report appears in the current issue of the “Lancet,” the British medical journal.
The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explains what the researchers found and gives some general health tips about mattresses.
Up until now, the common belief has been that a firm mattress is the best thing for people with lower-back pain. Why? Because of all the anecdotal stories from people with back trouble who have put a board under their mattresses or decided to sleep on the floor when their backs hurt and discovered they had less pain.
Most orthopedic specialists, with the exception of most chiropractors, have felt comfortable recommending that their patients with low-back pain sleep on firm bedding, although there hasn’t been any solid evidence to prove that it was effective.
The results are attributed to various reasons, including that people participating in the study needed new mattresses. But the study says the key reason is that a medium-firm mattress better distributes pressure from the body, which causes less pain when lying down or after getting up.
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The Best Position To Sleep In For Your Back
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Understanding Your Sleep Position
We tend to fall asleep in roughly the same position every night, and every sleep position has a different impact on your body. However, certain positions may account for some of your pain.
People who sleep on their stomach are more likely to experience back pain because this position pulls the spine out of alignment. Also, the twisting and contorting that stomach sleepers do to get comfortable can put extra pressure on the neck and lower back, which can even cause poorer circulation.
If you sleep on your stomach, try to train yourself to sleep on your side, usually by propping your trunk up with a pillow.
Advantages Of A Firm Mattress
For those not experiencing troublesome back pain, a firm mattress is will generally be more comfortable. When sleeping on a firmer surface, the bones absorb most of the pressure, meaning there is less stress on muscles, veins and arteries. Muscles are less strained, and circulation is improved.
A firm mattress also keeps your lower back from collapsing, which could allow for more oxygen intake while sleeping. Less sagging can mean the weight of the body is distributed evenly, which means no one part of the body is bearing the brunt of the pressure.
Firm mattresses are generally better for those who sleep on their back, because they provide a more stable and even surface. Stomach sleepers tend to fare better on a firmer mattress, too.
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