What Causes Back Pain
The main cause of back pain in bed is poor posture, either from how a person sits at work or how they sleep at night.
Between the vertebrae in the spine are intervertebral discs, which rehydrate at night . Poor posture can prevent the discs from rehydrating.
Read more: The NHS Guide To Back Pain
Attached to the vertebra are smaller muscle groups such as the erector spinae, and large muscles such as the trapezius. Poor posture can put the muscles into awkward positions that can cause irritation over a prolonged period of time, resulting in aches or pains. Lower and middle back pain tend to be the common culprits when sleeping. While there are several causes of back pain, a small number of which can be more serious underlying health issues. NHS Live Well gives us a list of common indicators of poor posture:
- Slouching in a chair
- Sticking your bottom out when standing
- Standing with a flat back
- Leaning on one leg
- Hunched back and text neck when focusing too much on your phone
- Poking your chin out when at a computer
- Rounded shoulders
- Cradling your phone in between your head and shoulder
These points are developed with images and solutions on this helpful NHS web page.
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.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Memory Foam Mattress
The soft memory foam mattresses cause back pain, neck pain, and bad for the side & back sleepers. And, the firm memory foam mattresses can cause joint pain and feel uncomfortable while sleeping on the side. Few memory foam mattresses are hot and cant pass airflow perfectly. You have to choose the get memory foam mattresses that are cool and comfortable.
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How To Stop Mattress Sagging
While there is no way to completely stop mattress sagging you can do a few things to extend the life of your mattress. It is important to do all you can to alleviate back pain from your mattress.
- Using a topper can make a sagging mattress more comfortable but can also extend the life of a new mattress.
- Turning your mattress as often as you can, if you have a turn mattress, can even out the wear and tear over years and delay your mattress from sagging.
- Rotating your mattress does likewise and can be done on both turn and non turn mattresses. This may not be possible on certain zoned mattresses.
- Buy a good quality mattress with a reputable supplier is always recommended. Check out their reviews and make sure their warranty covers every part of the mattress.
Mattress Firmness Suitability For Back Pain
Mattresses can potentially be available in any of the following firmnesses .
Extra-Soft
Extra soft mattresses are typically best for side sleepers that weigh less than 130 lbs because they allow you to sink more deeply into the mattress materials to remove pressure on your hips and shoulders.
This means that an extra-soft mattress may be suitable if you have back pain thats primarily triggered by surface pressure such as sciatica or nerve-related back pain because the softer surface is less liable to create pressure points.
Soft
Soft mattresses are often preferred by side sleepers and lighter weighted sleepers under 150 lbs again due to the greater give afforded by the upper comfort layers that may also provide relief for back pain that is brought on through pressure points.
Softer mattresses are often best avoided by heavier weighted sleepers over 230 lbs especially if you sleep on your front because youre more likely to sink into the mattress and experience back pain due to spinal misalignment and bad posture.
Medium-Soft
Medium-soft mattresses are often enjoyed by side and back sleepers in the 130 230 lbs range, whilst front sleepers under 200 lbs who prefer more pressure relief may also feel well supported.
Medium
A medium firmness mattress is the most popular mattress firmness and is typically best suited to front, back, and side sleepers in the 130 230 lbs range .
Medium-Firm
Firm
Extra-Firm
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Reasons Why Your Mattress Is Causing Back Pain
Sleeping in your bed at any time should be an activity that helps to recharge your body, relax and get ready to start a new day. However, the moment these advantages are no longer attached to your mattress and your mattress causes back pain then its time to take a new look at your mattress.
Mattresses, of course, are fantastic and one of the best places to get a good nights rest, get work done and even watch television from on a lazy afternoon. Mattresses are created to be durable, so they are known to last up to five years and even ten years in good condition, depending on how you use them. During their years of use, they are still expected to serve many good purposes and be utilizable.
Have you been experiencing back pain when you lie on your mattress? Or is your mattress becoming so uncomfortable that the thoughts of sleeping on it turn you off? Do you have aches but arent sure if your mattress is the cause?
Invest In The Right Mattress To Help Your Back Pain
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How Can I Tell If My Mattress Is Bad
There are some telltale signs that youve got a bad mattress. Some of them may surprise you. Here are our top five things to look for:
Bed Or Mattress Which Is The Culprit
While your mattress will likely be the main culprit, it may also be the bed itself. It can make a difference some whether your mattress lies on a solid base or a box spring. However, the same principles apply. Irrespective of the base, if your bed feels hard to lie on, it may be responsible for your lower back pain. It could be that a mattress that feels good on a box spring base might feel harder on a solid base.
Various tests and studies have not generally recommended any specific mattress brand or even mattress type that is better than any other for back pain. What appears to be important that the mattress should support your frame, but should also have enough give in it to allow your spine to maintain its natural S shape. Any bed that is too hard to allow your spine to maintain its natural curvature while sleeping is liable to cause back pain.
So, when comparing bed vs. mattress, it is ultimately the mattress that has the most effect on spinal alignment and back pain. A hard base can easily be overcome by using a slightly softer mattress. On the other hand, you may have been sleeping on a particular mattress over a box spring base without any problems. You then switch to a slatted or solid wood base and find yourself developing a pain in your lower back. What you may need is a slightly softer mattress to compensate for the harder base,
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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!
Finally: What Type Of Mattress Is Best To Prevent Back Pain
We have provided advice on:
No matter what surface you sleep on, or the type of mattress you choose, it is essential to get enough sleep. Getting only 4 5 hours each night is not enough and will do very little for your back pain, except maybe cause it.
Look for a mattress that is neither too hard nor too soft. Each of these extremes can create bad posture while you are asleep pushing your spine out of alignment. With the perfect mattress, you should feel no pressure anywhere you should feel like you are floating on air.
If you have back pain or feel sore when you wake up each morning, then consider a new mattress. A mattresss life can be 10 years or more, but it is recommended by many that you change every eight years. If you are developing back pain, and have had your mattress for over 8 years, then buy a new one. It could make a huge difference to your life.
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Do Foam Mattresses Sag
Foams are a more recent filling, and are certainly good at easing pressure points. Foam mattresses will also eventually sag, just like any other filling. Once a foam mattress sags you have to trash the mattress whereas natural mattresses can be recycled. It is important to note that due to their dense nature they have poor breathability and can become very hot at night, as the heat from your body struggles to escape. It is for this reason that we tend to prefer to manufacture more traditional mattresses with good breathability in our workshop.
Try Changing Up Your Sleeping Position
Changing your sleeping position is one way to try to get back pain relief.
If you are a back or stomach sleeper with a soft mattress and you dont have the budget for a new bed, you can try to switch to a side sleeping position that will receive more support from your existing mattress. In general, experts recommend that stomach sleepers try to adjust to side or back sleeping because its easier to get appropriate support in those positions.
For people with acute pain, temporary changes to your sleeping position may help to reduce stress on already sore or achy parts of your back. For example, people with lumbar pain might try a period of side sleeping to avoid the excess bending of that area that can happen on your stomach or back.
While changing sleeping positions is worth a shot, its often not a long-term solution because the change can be hard to stick with. Some people just cant get comfortable in a different position or they may quickly revert back to their old sleeping position during the night. In these cases, other approaches are more likely to be beneficial over the medium- to long-term.
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Your Pain May Be Coming From Your Mattress If:
1. Your pain is worse in the morning
If your pain is worse when you wake up and improves throughout the day its a good sign your body is not getting the proper rest it needs throughout the night. If your muscles have to work throughout the night to support your spine, then they do not have time to rest, your joints are under constant stress, and your discs are not able to decompress and rehydrate, leaving you with pain when you wake up. If youre suffering from any of this, you need to fix mattress back pain by getting a better product.
2. You cant get comfortable throughout the night
If you are tossing or turning throughout the night and cant get comfortable then your mattress may not be giving you the proper pressure relief to allow your body to relax and receive proper blood flow. An alternating pressure relief mattress may help in this situation.
3. Your mattress is out of date
If your mattress is starting to sag, indented, swallows you up, or is no longer responsive then it is time for you to switch it out. It is generally recommended that you change out your mattress after 7-8 years. If youre looking at buying a new mattress, tips are always helpful. Keep reading to see what to look for in a mattress.
Does The Wrong Mattress Cause Back Pain
Yes, if you have the incorrect mattress for your weight and sleeping position then it can sometimes contribute or cause to pain in the back.
This probably takes place if your mattress is too soft and, as a result, begins to sag in the middle. This can likewise take place in an old mattress that requires changing.
If the mattress is drooping then, it can misshape your spinal column and give you pain, or make existing neck and back pain much worse.
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Initial Back Pain When You Wake Up
You know that feeling of stiffness when you first wake up? Its the result of long periods of rest or decreased blood flow from sleeping. It usually takes a few minutes of stretching and moving to get rid of that stiff feeling. But if your back is in acute pain when you first wake up and you have to actively stretch to get rid of it, that might be a sign your mattress is doing more harm than good, according to The Joint Chiropractic.
If youre waking up with back pain thats an indicator that your mattress isnt supporting you, said Dr Smycz.
The Mattress Has To Go
Mattresses lose their ability to support your weight, as they begin to wear down. This is especially true with an innerspring mattress.
Research has shown that an innerspring mattress will lose a lot of its supporting ability after 4 years.
So its suggested to replace innerspring every four years. Latex is a good alternative. It holds its firmness longer than the innerspring mattresses.
If youre buying a pillow top with foam know that the foam will lose its shape within a few months. So its wise to buy a pillow top that contains latex instead of the foam.
I know it may seem comfortable now, but think about how it will do over time. When choosing a mattress, make sure it isnt too soft, or too hard. When you lay down, the mattress should support you enough that your bodys asymmetrical.
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A Medium Hard Mattress Seems Best
If you have any of the above symptoms along with your back pain, then your bed may well be responsible. A study published in the Lancet in 12003 concluded that those lying on a medium hard mattress suffered less pain or rising, less overall disability and less pain during the day than those sleeping on hard mattresses.
The trial was conducted over 90 days with 313 adults suffering chronic non-specific lower back pain who complained of a backache while lying in bed and when rising. It was a double-blind multicenter trial that was properly controlled. Other sources have also concluded a hard bed or mattress to be more responsible for lower back pain than a medium hard mattress.
Best Sealy Mattress For Lower Back Pain
Then there are a few crucial things you need to think about, if youre buying with back pain in mind. Obviously, you want to make sure you are buying a trusted brand name. It is likewise really crucial to go shopping for a mattress depending on your weight, sleeping position, and the area of your back pain.
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