Effects Of Sleeping On A Soft Bed
The Hammock-effect.When the bed is too soft and sags too much, the body will follow the curves of the sagged mattress. In this case, we speak of the hammock-effect, illustrating the abnormal curve in the spine. Different researchers point out that in order to support the body, there should be no sign of the hammock-effect visible. As illustration A shows, the spine is not aligned correctly and will not relieve back pain.
Limited freedom of movement and moisture drainage. A mattress that is too soft, would contour the body too extensively. In this case, the sleeper would need to use muscles to stabilize the body in an adequate sleeping position. As continuously making use of our muscles during our sleep is next to impossible, the body will bend back into the sagged pit, causing limited freedom of movement and strain for certain muscle groups – this explains why you wake up feeling so tired and stiff in the mornings!
Why Do Mattresses Cause Back Pain
Most people sleep at least seven or eight hours every night. Thats about one-third of your life, and the hours quickly add up. If your mattress causes discomfort, theres probably a reason.
Maybe your mattress doesnt support your spine. This can gradually cause your spine to shift, creating disc issues or general aches and pains. Without proper support, your muscles may be forced to work much harder than they should, trying to hold your spine in proper alignment throughout the night.
When you think about it, your mattress is probably the most important piece of furniture in your home. You spend much more time using your bed than you probably realize.
Reduce Inflammation Through Diet And Exercise
When your joints are already inflamed from your daily activity and eating habits, youre sure to experience pain during the night. To help eliminate your back pain in bed, try reducing or eliminating foods that cause inflammation, such as refined bread and other carbohydrates, fried foods, sugary beverages, and red meat.
Instead, aim to eat foods that help you sleep and that fight inflammation, such as fruit, tomatoes, olive oil, leafy greens, almonds, and fatty fish like salmon and tuna. You may be surprised at how your morning back pain is improved after just a couple of weeks of eating well.
Muscles and joints that are stretched regularly can also improve pain levels when youre lying in bed, so try doing yoga several times per week.
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Your Mattress Is Too Old
You should replace your mattress every six to eight years or as needed depending on your specific sleeping conditions. Consult the manufacturers label if youre not sure how old your mattress is. If your mattress is newer and doesnt meet this threshold but is still uncomfortable try to find a replacement as soon as possible.
Your Mattress Sags In Certain Areas
Older or even poor-quality mattresses tend to sag in certain areas, especially right down the middle. This is because with repeated use every night, your body weight softens and compacts the material of your mattress, creating an indentation in the most-used area of the mattress. For most people, this is going to be somewhere in the middle, and unfortunately, this means that youll start to sink or roll into this spot each night. Your back wont get the support it needs once your mattress is sagging, so youll either need to replace it or try adding support to it.
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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.
Choosing The Best Mattress For Lower Back Pain
Sleeping on the wrong mattress can cause or worsen lower back pain. Lack of support from a mattress reinforces poor sleeping posture, strains muscles and does not help keep the spine in alignment, all of which contribute to low back pain.
Sleep comfort is also sacrificed if a mattress does not match one’s individual preferences. A mattress that provides both comfort and back support helps reduce low back pain, allowing the structures in the spine to really rest and rejuvenate during the night.
See Mattresses and Sleep Positions for Each Back Pain Diagnosis
With the vast variety of mattresses on the market, choosing the right mattress can be difficult. The following practical guidelines are designed to help patients with low back pain choose the best mattress for both back support and sleep comfort:
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Is Your Mattress Causing Your Back Pain
For thousands of people, waking up with a sore back is a rite of passage. Each day begins anew with a cramp in the lower back or a dull ache. In many cases, it is the very mattress that you sleep on that is the source of your pain. So before you come home and lay down to rest your tired back, read on to see if your mattress is the culprit. Here are two major signs that you have the wrong mattress:
Can A Mattress Cause Back Pain All Day
Back pain is a common problem that a variety of factors can cause. One potential cause of back pain is a mattress that is too soft or too hard.
A mattress that is too soft will not support the spine properly, while a mattress that is too hard can cause the spine to become misaligned. In addition, a mattress that is too old or worn out can also contribute to back pain.
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Tips For Picking A Better Pillow
Upgrading your pillow can make a world of difference in your sleep quality and how rested you feel the next day. Follow these tips when picking a replacement for your bed.
- Sleeping position: Stomach sleepers faces point toward the mattress, typically turned extremely to one side or the other. Back sleepers whose spines might be flat on the bed may have an elevated neck from their pillow type or placement. Side sleepers usually have the best spinal alignment when their legs are slightly curved. Shop for pillows thin enough to keep your spine in a fluid line in whatever position you most often sleep in.
- Neck concerns: Contoured pillows that cradle your neck and head might be a good option if you suffer from neck pain.
- Sleeping temperature: If youre prone to overheating in your sleep, look for pillows made with cooling foam or gel inserts with cases made of cooling fabric.
- Mattress firmness: Firmer mattresses often require thicker pillows to accommodate the distance between your shoulders and lack of sinkage when you lie down. Softer beds need thinner pillows to sink down into the bedding with your body weight and maintain alignment.
- Bodily hygiene: Some people prefer specific pillowcases or types for hygienic or beauty reasons. For example, silk pillowcases are gentler on fragile or breakage-prone hair. Wash and replace all pillowcases as needed to keep skin clear and maintain consistent neck support.
Which Mattress Firmness Is Best For Back Pain
A scientific study concluded that a medium-firm mattress outperformed a firm mattress in terms of reducing back pain whilst in bed, upon rising, and throughout the day for 313 adults tested over a 90-day period .
However, this study doesnt mean that everyone with back pain should buy a medium-firm mattress because back pain is a highly individualized condition, and the most suitable mattress firmness is dependant on a range of subjective factors.
The best mattress firmness for back pain could be soft, medium, firm, or another firmness variant depending on your body weight, body type, and dominant sleeping position.
This can make choosing the right mattress firmness for your back pain challenging.
And even if you consult your doctor first , you may still be unclear on the most suitable mattress firmness to help with your back pain.
Thats why Ive put together a list of the different mattress firmnesses and provided some guidelines as to which setting is typically best suited to the different combinations of body weights, body types, and sleeping positions to provide some clarity.
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It’s The Wrong Firmness Level
Is it difficult for you to get comfortable in bed at night? You may be sleeping on the wrong type of mattress. Even the most expensive luxury mattress can create unpleasant aches and pains if it’s the wrong match for your preferences and body type.
Per Dr. Lees, there should not be any gaps between your body and the mattress, and you should be able to lie in a natural position without any torque in your back. If your mattress is in otherwise good condition, adding a mattress topper will instantly make it softer or firmer at a fraction of the cost of a brand-new bed.
Why Does My Back Hurt When I Get In Bed
If youre experiencing pain when youre getting into bed, dont ignore it.
Back pain is a symptom of an underlying problem. And when you feel those dull aches and sharp pains, its your bodys way of telling you, Something needs to change!
For many, back pain is just something they live with daily. They think that theyre stuck with it.
But in fact, back pain across the US has actually gotten worse over the years, according to The Lancet.
Graph of back pain across the United States
According to the study, the disability-adjusted life-years from back pain have risen substantially across all age groups.
This may be due to longer work hours, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and more office work.
Simply put, if youre experiencing back pain in bed, its because theres an underlying problem that you need to deal with.
It could be poor posture, stress, or even a medical condition.
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When Its Not Your Mattress
Dr Smycz gave us a heads up that if you have back pain when youre sleeping and its waking you up, you should get your spine checked.
The bottom line: a good mattress should support the spine. If youre waking up with pain, consider these factors as it might be time to invest in a new mattress. Lucky for you, Ecosa offers a 100-day trial period of its adjustable mattress to help in your quest to avoid back pain. A good nights sleep is waiting for you!
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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You Wake Up With Pain
Nearly two out of five American adults feel back pain, making it one of the most common pain types in the United States. Though women and older adults are more susceptible to these aches, all children and adults could be at risk, depending on the source.
If your bed is to blame for your back pain, youll likely start feeling it upon waking up or getting out of bed. It may feel like a centralized pain point or a more generalized, dull ache. While some sleep-related pain could be due to your sleep position or the previous days activities, its time to evaluate your sleeping arrangements if the pain lingers or worsens throughout each day.
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?
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Your Mattress Is Cheap Or Low
We spend an average of three decades in bed during a single lifetime. With so many years of our lives spent on a mattress, its worth investing a little bit more in something that meets your bodys needs.
Todays mattress market is more versatile than ever, with your choice between in-store purchases, online bed-in-a-box deliveries and more access to unbiased reviews and sleep research than ever before.
If your bed is causing body pain and its time to get something better and potentially more expensive, many retailers have flexible financing options and money-back guarantees after a trial run sleeping on them.
Are You Rolling Towards The Center Of Your Mattress
A good mattress provides adequate support. An old, soft mattress may not support you as you sleep. You might even feel like youre rolling towards the center of the bed or sleeping in a hollow space. Theres a very good chance youll wake up feeling achy, too. If this sounds familiar, please invest in a new mattress for the sake of your health.
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Why Is Your Mattress So Important For Your Back
When it comes to pain management, getting adequate amounts of sleep is a crucial factor for healing. Sleep is an essential process that provides the body time to recover and rejuvenate itself at a cellular level from daily activities. Additionally, sleep also helps regulate numerous important bodily components, including your immunity, weight and mood.
When you do not get enough sleep, your body is negatively impacted. Since chronic pain and sleep have been proven to share similar neurotransmitters and pathways, it only makes sense that poor sleep can lead to impaired abilities to manage pain.
If your neck and back pain starts from the moment you get out of bed in the morning, your mattress may not be providing the right amount of support you need. A supportive mattress and your sleep quality go hand in hand. A poor mattress causing back pain can also lead to stiffness, neck problems and reduced energy levels.
Attach A Firm Mattress Topper
If your mattress is only slightly too soft, then purchasing a firm mattress topper can solve the issue.
Mattress toppers are as they sound an additional section of material that you can attach to the top of your mattress to change the firmness and feel.
However, not all firm mattress toppers feel the same.
For example, a latex foam mattress topper will typically have more pushback and bounce to it than a memory foam mattress topper.
Go for a memory foam topper if you want deeper pressure relief, but if you have back pain thats aggravated by sleeping on a surface thats too soft, then latex foam or traditional batting is likely the better option due to its more resilient feel.
You can also get mattress toppers with a zoned arrangement where the middle third is firmer than the other two thirds which can help to alleviate your back pain by providing more support around your hips and lower back.
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How A Bad Mattress Can Cause Back Pain
A lesser known cause for back pain is having a bad mattress. Although common causes such as an injury, bad posture, or poor eating habits are the leading cause of back pain – a bad mattress can actually worsen the pain! The combination of a pre-existing pain + a bad mattress is a recipe for disaster and heres why.
