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?
#reason : Your Mattress Is Too Soft Or Too Firm
If you are using a mattress, you know the common factor firmness. It determines how soft or hard the mattress is. Mainly, two common types of firmness are available on the market such as soft and firm. Some people like soft mattresses and some prefer firm mattresses. Sometimes, the firmness may be one of the major reasons for causing your lower back pain.
If you are using a too firm mattress, it does not sink enough and you feel discomfort and pain on the hips, back, spine, neck, and shoulder. On the other hand, if your mattress is too soft, it cant hold your spine perfectly and aligned it in a wrong position which may cause your lower back pain.
Solution 1: Pick The Right Firmness of Your Mattress
So, you have to choose the right firmness while buying a new mattress. Here are some helpful tips for you to choose the perfect firmness of your mattress.
#Soft Mattress
Soft mattresses are perfect for side sleepers because it removes the pressure on the hips and shoulders while sleeping on the side. This is why a side sleeper can get more comfort and perfect support to the back & spine in the side sleeping position. The lightweight sleepers and slim sleepers can use the soft mattress for better pressure relief, ultimate comfort, and great back support. Do not use soft mattresses if you are a heavy sleeper like over 200 lbs. It may sink more and aligns your spine incorrectly and cause lower back pain.
#Medium Firm Mattress
#Firm Mattress
Solution 2: Make Your Firm Mattress Soft
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.
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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.
Is My Mattress Causing Back Pain How Do I Know
The main reason your matress will cause back pain is because your mattress is sagging. Without the ability to support your spine sufficiently, a sagging mattress will cause you back pain.
Where there is a dip in the mattress your body will follow its shape. Your spine will be curved while you sleep and your muscles will have to work harder to keep your body supported. This eventually leads to your bed causing you back pain. Over time this pain increases and can become a chronic problem despite following all the other prevention suggestions.
So, can a mattress cause back pain? Abosultely. You can identify when it is a problem by finding out if your mattress is sagging.
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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.
Too Firm Prevents Natural Sinkage
A mattress thats too firm can cause hip pain by increasing the amount of pressure on your hip joints and preventing you from sinking far enough into the mattress materials so that you can rest in good posture.
Solution
If your mattress is brand new, then its quite normal for your mattress to feel too firm due to the materials having not yet softened in response to your body weight and physical characteristics.
The solution here is to sleep on your mattress every night for at least 30 nights to allow the materials to break in and adjust to your body type.
If the mattress is still too firm for you, then you should be able to return it under the terms of the sleep trial for a refund or exchange if you bought a mattress online that comes with a generous sleep trial.
Alternatively, if your mattress is too firm and you cant return it, then you could buy a soft mattress topper to help decrease the amount of pressure being placed on your body and potentially experience a reduction in hip pain.
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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!
How The Right Mattress Can Cure Your Back Pain
Now that weve discussed how to tell if your mattress is causing back pain, weve found some advice on how to choose a bed that will relieve AND prevent back pain. Researchers in Spain recently studied people with long-term back pain and found that people who slept on a medium-to-firm mattress had less pain than those who prefer a soft or firm mattress. In an interview with NBC News, Gerard Varlotta, director of sports rehabilitation at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Medical Center, explained why the findings make sense.
There needs to be an equal distribution of pressure, he said. Too firm of a mattress is not good. It doesnt provide enough contour to our bodies. Too soft is going to bend and cause problems as well.
But of all the medium-to-firm beds out there, its hard to tell which brands and models are best. One thing to look for is a material thats been proven to help back-pain sufferers sleep.
Sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, says latex is a great choice. In WebMDs article How to Pick Your Perfect Mattress, he says, Quite frankly, I think one of the best materials is latex. Breus goes on to say that latex is firm and supportive, yet provides comfort similar to memory foam. But latex pushes back whereas memory foam doesnt, ultimately providing more support.
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Ways A Mattress Can Cause Hip Pain
If you have hip pain then the first thing that you should do is consult your doctor because there are many potential causes that have nothing to do with your mattress.
Some of the most common medical causes of hip pain include osteoarthritis , hip tendonitis, sciatica, hip bursitis, cancer, osteonecrosis, pregnancy, and other conditions .
However, if youre waking up with hip pain that tends to wear off during the day and then return the next morning when you wake up, then this could be a sign that its your mattress thats causing your hip pain.
And if you inspect your mattress and find one or more of the following five conditions to be true, then this suggests an even stronger correlation between your hip pain and your mattress.
An Important Note From Dr. Marinov:
The most common cause of hip pain is osteoarthritis and the pain is often more severe during the night. This study explains that when the daytime activity was higher the pain increased at night.
Therefore, if you wake up in the middle of the night with hip pain it is not necessarily the mattress. If the pain increases during the night when trying to fall asleep, it might be osteoarthritis if it is strongest in the morning, might be the mattress.
Best Mattress Firmness For Back Pain
For many people, a medium-firm mattress is the best choice for reducing back pain.
One small study tracked the sleep quality of adults with lower back pain. After tracking the participants sleep quality for 21 days on their own mattresses, they were given medium-firm mattresses with foam and latex layers. After 12 weeks, the participants had progressively less back pain and stiffness.
Your mattress firmness may not be right for you if lying on it causes your spine to become misaligned. Look at it this way:
- Your mattress is too soft if your hips sink lower than your shoulders.
- Your mattress is too firm if your hips and shoulders lie flat on the surface.
- Your mattress is just right if your mattress contours to your body shape and keeps your spine aligned.
Looking for a mattress thats just right? We have thoughtfully designed mattresses at every price point, so you can say sayonara to nighttime back pain without breaking the bank.
- Casper Element® Mattress: A seriously comfortable sleep at our coziest price
- Casper OriginalTM Mattress: Our most popular mattress, engineered for cool, comfortable sleep
- Casper Nova® Hybrid Mattress: Our most plush mattress is also supremely supportive
- Casper WaveTM Hybrid Mattress: Our most supportive mattress, now combining foam and springs for added lift, airflow, and edge support
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What’s Better For Your Back Firm Or Soft Mattress
Medium-firm mattresses seem to be the best option for avoiding back pain. They provide enough firmness to support the body’s weight and maintain proper spine alignment. Plus, they have enough give to cradle the natural contours of the body to prevent tension in the hips.
But here’s where it gets a little more complicated. Our body weight and sleeping positions also play a role in choosing the right mattress firmness. People who are heavier tend to find firmer mattresses more comfortable on the back as the mattress can better support and distribute their weight. Lighter people often find firm mattresses too hard on their joints and prefer to sink into a softer mattress.
People who sleep on their side tend to prefer softer mattresses which are gentler on the hip, knee and elbow joints than firm mattresses. Back and stomach sleepers tend to fare better with the stability of a firm mattress. It’s important to weight up all of these factors when deciding what’s better for your back firm or soft is only one part of the equation.
Your Mattress And Back Pain
When it comes to picking the right mattress, it is important to get the correct support for your spine. A mattress that is too hard can put too much pressure on the areas where you feel discomfort, whereas a mattress that is too soft will not provide support for the areas that need it, allowing the spine to spend long periods in poor and unhealthy positions.
People who suffer from lower back pain generally benefit more from a mattress erring on the firmer side of neutral. This is because of the shape of the spine, meaning that the lower back is often in need of more support. Most people cant go wrong with a memory foam-type mattress, as this will provide support where support is needed, and allow for adjustment to the body where that is also required.
It is always a good idea to test any potential mattress first to check it supports you in the right way, the best way is to pop into one of our stores and try a bed. You may also like to see our Guide on Picking the Best Mattress for Your Sleeping Position.
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What Are The Memory Foam Mattress Problems And Solutions
The memory foam mattress is highly comfortable than other types of mattresses in the market but it may cause few problems due to the wrong choice while buying it. Most people do wrong in the following points such as wrong firmness, lack of support, cool or hot foam. The medium to firm range memory foam mattresses are good for all sleeping styles. The high-density support foam mattresses are great for better back support. The gel foam mattresses are good for cool.
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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Can Fillings Also Settle To Cause Mattress Sagging
Yes, fillings will settle, and they will settle faster than springs. However, the main support in any mattress comes from the spring unit. There are countless fillings used in the mattress industry including natural materials and man made fillings, mainly in the form of polyester fibre and foams. Natural fibres are best if you wish your mattress to avoid sagging over time. This is because they are more resilient and absorb moisture better than polyester for example.
Polyester pads are not necessarily a bad thing in a mattress, but they tend to break down easier when subjected to moisture that we all perspire whilst our body repairs itself through sleep.
Layla Memory Foam Mattress
Memory foam is the most popular type of mattresses. This is true because it is among the most comfortable materials for sleepers. If you are the kind of person that like memory foam, you will fell in love with the Layla Memory Foam mattress
There are hundreds of brands of mattresses out there, but Layla is one of the most popular and the most innovative. 1 proof of this is that they come with two firmnesses in one single mattress.
Do you like a firm mattress? Layla will offer one. If you are the sort of person who like variety in your life, chances are after some weeks you may prefer a soft mattress. In that case, no problem: simply flip it and there you will have it.
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Can Sleeping Position Affect Back Pain
Sleeping position can have a direct effect on back pain. Each sleeping position creates a unique set of pressure points and areas that need cushioning, and this is why having the right mattress to suit your sleeping position is an important part of preventing and reducing back pain.
Back sleepers tend to have their most serious pressure points around the lumbar area. If a mattress is too soft, the weight of the abdomen will cause this region to sink out of alignment with the rest of the back and hips. If the mattress is too hard, it wont accommodate the natural curvature of the spine in the lumbar area. For this reason, a Medium-Firm to Firm mattress usually works best for back sleepers.
Side sleepers have high-impact areas where the body is the widest, notably at the shoulders and hips. A mattress needs to be contouring enough to cushion those pressure points but not so soft as to let them sink too deeply into the bed and out of line with the rest of the body. Most side sleepers get the best results from a Medium to Medium-Firm mattress.
Body weight is an important factor to consider along with sleeping position. People who weigh more will sink further into a mattress, exacerbating the risks in all sleeping positions of the heavier parts of the body becoming misaligned. Sleepers of above-average body weight typically need a firmer mattress than someone of average weight who sleeps in the same position.
