How To Tell If Your Mattress Is Giving You Back Pain
There are so many causes of back pain, so it can be hard to pinpoint where your aches are coming from. However, there are some clues to look out for to see if your mattress is to blame. The first clue is when your back pain occurs. If your back pain is there when you first wake up, but you can stretch to get rid of it within 15-30 minutes, then that is a major sign that your mattress is doing more harm than good. Also, if you find yourself waking up more frequently or are tossing and turning trying to get to sleep, then that should also be a sign. Even if you are not prone to back pain, you should ideally replace your mattress every eight years.
Can You Tell If Your Mattress Is Causing Back Pain
There are several ways to tell if it is time to find a new mattress. In addition to the typical telltale signs such as the mattress sagging or being excessively old, other indicators can help you determine if your mattress could be causing all your aches and pains. If you experience one of these things, it could be a sure-fire sign that its time to replace your mattress.
A good mattress should always contour to your body to some degree. This goes for all mattresses, even those with innerspring systems. Although your body requires a certain amount of firmness to receive the appropriate support, your mattress should not be unyielding. If lying on your mattress feels like you crawled onto the ground to go to sleep, consider other options.
Why Sagging Mattresses Cause Back Pain
Your spine is naturally curved. When you sleep, your body must maintain its natural curvatureotherwise, you can develop chronic back pain, joint pain, or achiness that can negatively affect your sleep and your mobility.
Sagging mattresses throw your spines delicate alignment off balance. If your spine is held in an unnatural position for multiple hours, like during a nights sleep, you can develop chronic back and neck pain. In severe cases, a sagging mattress can pull a disc out of alignment and potentially lead to a herniated disc or bulged disc.
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Why You Can Trust Us
At Sleep Foundation, weve personally tested hundreds of mattress models to bring you the top picks listed above. Our expert team includes product testers that represent 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.
Could Your Mattress Be Causing You Back Pain
People can suffer from back pain for various reasons, including a mattress thats too soft or hard. A good mattress provides the right support for your unique physical needs. Unfortunately, not all mattresses are created equally, and it can be difficult to find the right one. We will help you learn if your mattress could be the reason for your aching back, how to pick the right mattress and more.
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Tips For Back Sleepers
Add Cushioning to the Lumbar Region
You can improve lumbar support by putting some kind of cushioning on your low back. That way, when you lie down, your low back has the some material to help prop it up so that it doesnt round-out. Here are a couple of affordable options:
- Wrap a bed sheet or towel around your torso.
- Use a McKenzie Sleep Roll. If you are sleeping better with the wrapped bed sheet/towel, you can upgrade to a McKenzie Sleep Roll. The McKenzie Sleep roll might be especially helpful if you roll onto your side at night because it can help your spine stay neutral regardless of what position youre in.
Elevate Your Legs
You might have tight hip flexors which are causing your low back to over arch. You can relieve strain on your low back by propping up your legs and bending your knees a bit while you sleep. Here are a couple easy ways you can relieve that low back strain while you sleep:
- Tuck a couple of pillows underneath your knees .
- Alternatively, use a specially-designed, wedge pillow for sciatica aka leg wedge aka leg elevation pillow. Slide it right up to your butt and rest your hamstrings on the slant. Physical therapist Brad Heinick says he uses this product and emphasized that resting the hamstrings on the slant helps a lot. .
You back sleepers have quite a few options for figuring out how to sleep with low back pain and sciatica. So do a little trial and error and see what works.
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Its Your Mattress Base Or Box Spring
Sometimes, your bed frame or box spring is the reason why your mattress is sagging. Check the foundation under your saggy mattress and mattress pad to see if the slats in your box spring are solid and aligned. Your mattress foundation should be made of high-density materials so it doesnt erode over time and interrupt a good nights sleep.
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Use A Mattress Topper To Correct Existing Firmness Issues
In the vast majority of cases, youll already own and be sleeping on the mattress thats causing your leg pain.
With new mattresses, Ive personally found that it can take up to 7-30 nights of continuous use for the mattress materials to adjust to your body shape and sleeping style.
But if youre sure that the mattress isnt right for you, then I recommend returning it under the terms of the sleep trial for either a replacement thats of the correct firmness, or a full refund.
But what if the mattress trial period has expired?
Then you can buy a mattress topper to adjust the firmness without having to go to the expense of purchasing a new mattress.
You can use a firm or soft mattress topper to stop leg pain at night in the following two ways:
A Soft Memory Foam Mattress Topper Can Reduce Pressure-Aggravated Leg Pain
If your leg pain is caused by a mattress thats too firm, then you can fix this by purchasing a mattress topper thats a bit softer in order to provide more pressure relief.
A memory foam mattress topper can provide the maximum amount of pressure relief because the material contours very closely to your body shape to soften friction points.
Just be warned that memory foam does tend to sleep warmer than other materials.
In which case, a soft latex foam mattress topper is a better choice because this material tends to be more breathable.
A Firm Latex Foam Mattress Topper Can Reduce Posture-Aggravated Leg Pain
Sagging Causes Poor Posture
A sagging mattress is one where theres a dip of 1-1.5 inches or more across a significant area of the mattress surface to the point where it causes you to sleep in poor posture which can result in hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and general musculoskeletal discomfort.
You can check to see if your mattress is sagging by placing a broom/mop handle across your mattress, getting down to eye level, and measuring any gaps that you can see :
Solution
If you have a mattress thats only sagging slightly, then you may be able to temporarily fix this issue by placing a mattress topper on your mattress to even out the surface and help you stay in good posture as you sleep.
However, youll need to make sure that you buy a mattress topper thats of the correct firmness and made of the right materials relative to your body type .
But to properly fix a sagging mattress especially if your mattress is more than 5-7 years old then you should buy a new mattress thats well suited to your physical characteristics and dominant sleeping position.
Check out my list of the best anti-sag mattresses for some high quality options.
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Myth: Exercise Is Bad For Back Pain
This is a big one. Regular exercise prevents back pain. And doctors may recommend exercise for people who have recently hurt their lower back. Theyâll usually start with gentle movements and gradually build up the intensity. Once the immediate pain goes away, an exercise plan can help keep it from coming back.
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Are Memory Foam Mattresses Good For Back Pain
Memory foam mattresses are often touted as the best option for back pain, and they certainly can be, thanks to their balance of support and cushioning. However, choosing the right firmness is essential. If you go this route, find a mattress made with high-quality, dense memory foam designed to provide ample support. Keep in mind that many inexpensive memory foam mattresses are too plush to keep the spine properly aligned, which can actually worsen your back and joint pain.
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Replace A Sagging Mattress
Regardless of whether or not its hurting your legs, a sagging mattress should be replaced because lying in bad posture each night can result in a poor nights sleep and potentially contribute to conditions like back pain.
A sagging mattress cannot be safely fixed with just a mattress topper because a damaged support core is too significant to cover up.
Can A Bad Mattress Cause Body Aches Get All The Facts
The study says that a bad mattress can cause body aches and back pain due to its lack of support, incapable of holding your spine, back, hip, and other joints perfectly, over sinking & sagging, etc. A bad quality mattress can also cause body pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, stomach pain, chest pain, lower back pain, leg pain, foot pain, joint pain, hip pain, side pain, arm pain, neck pain, sciatica pain, tiredness, stiffness, etc. Read the full article to learn more about bad mattresses.
Having enough sleep is beneficial from the health point of view. A person spends significant time in bed. In fact, if you do your math well, you find that an average, sleep takes a third of all time in human life. To have sufficient sleep, one needs to have excellent bedding, especially mattress and pillows. It is not once or twice that people wake up with aching bodies. But, the majority doesnt have the answer to why they wake up tired and having body pain. This leads us to one of the questions that people do ask can a bad mattress cause body ache?
Well, there are doubts that the bad mattress usually causes body pain. However, what contributes these pains differs from one sleeper to another. What might sound a bad mattress to an average sleeper might turn to be the best for the heavy sleeper and vice versa. Therefore, what is essential is to know your mattress category.
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Issues With Overly Hard Mattresses
When your mattress is very hard, it mounts pressure on the various pressure points on the body, this includes, the head, shoulder, buttocks, knees, feet as well as hips. In fact, a significant amount of pressure is exerted on the hips, especially for those who lie on their side. This is because this posture on a very firm mattress provides little or no support for the upper part of the body. The waist, and the abdomen region beneath the rib cage is unbalanced hence the weight of the body lies on the hip which could lead to hip pain.
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You Cant Get Comfortable
If youre unable to get comfortable throughout the night, your bed might be at fault. For example, if youve tried sleeping on your back and that doesnt feel right, it might be a sign your mattress isnt supportive enough and is causing your hips and back to curve downward. Additionally, if the bed is too soft, you may feel stuck in the mattress rather than on top of it, which can be uncomfortable for some and could lead to poor spine alignment.
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Can It Possibly Cause Sciatica
If you know anyone that has sciatica, youll probably hear them complain about it constantly. Its quite painful. Sciatica is a painful, tingly or numbing sensation down the side or back of the legs that runs down the sciatic nerve .
Its caused by degenerative disc disease and sleeping on a bad mattress can accelerate or exacerbate sciatica symptoms. Therefore, indirectly, you could say that it can cause sciatica. It certainly wont help!
Changes In The Mattress Structure
If there are visible sagging, body impressions, and/or indentations in your mattress deeper than 1.5-2 inches then these changes in the structure of your mattress could be a signal that your mattress is the root cause of your back pain.
In particular, if the integrity of the lower support core has been compromised then this is a strong indicator that your mattress is causing your back pain because the support cores primary function is to uphold your body weight and maintain good posture.
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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?
How Do I Know If My Mattress Is Causing My Back Pain
Back pain is common, especially as we get older, so how do you know if its your mattress causing the pain, or something else? There are some clues.
If you wake up with back pain and then it fades throughout the day, it might be your mattress. Struggling to get comfortable or waking up throughout the night are also signs a mattress may be causing back pain. If your mattress is older and is sagging in places, especially in the middle or on the edges, this could result in back pain. Not getting enough support or pressure relief are also potential indicators that your back pain is caused by your mattress.
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Is Memory Foam Mattress Bad For Back Pain
If you are a back pain patient, you should use a firm memory foam mattress that has a support foam layer. The support layer will give you the ultimate support and hold your spine, back, and neck correctly aligned and prevent back pain. The extra soft memory foam mattress is bad for back pain and the extra firm memory foam mattress is also bad for back pain.
How To Know You Are Sleeping On A Bad Mattress
Basically, the wrong mattress is due to various factors. Of course a comfortable mattress, it should offer proper cushioning and protect the body from strains. The appropriate way to get an indication that you are sleeping on a bad mattress is how you feel in the morning when waking up. If you experience any pain in the body, it means that there is something not adding up well in your bed. Either the mattress is too stiff or too soft and facilitating a lot of sinking and motions.
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Why A Friend Recommending A Mattress May Be A Recipe For Disaster
In our study, we found that most of us rely on mattress recommendations in our immediate circle of friends. Marrisa from our team bought a mattress based on the real-life review of her cousin. She was confused and felt cheated when the mattress did not live up to her expectations.
Honestly, her cousin did not mislead her. It makes sense to get feedback on buying experience or after-sales support. Marrisa made an emotionally biased decision instead of an informed decision. Marrisas body type and sleeping habits are very different from her cousin’s.
Picking up the best mattress for your back pain is not complicated. All you need to understand your body type and sleeping habits.
A soft mattress may not be a supportive option for someone who sleeps on the back or stomach. Similarly, a side sleeper will wake aching shoulder and lower back if he regularly sleeps on a firm mattress. Swap that firm mattress to a back sleeper and soft mattress to a side sleeper and chances are they both will wake up fresh without any pain.
A mattress will give you back pain if you dont consider your body type and sleeping position. A heavy person or someone with more weight around the hip area requires a mattress designed to support the lumbar region.
