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Can A Soft Bed Cause Back Pain

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Choosing a Mattress for Back Pain

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The Age Of The Mattress

You shouldnt be sleeping on a mattress thats more than seven years old, explained Dr Smycz. It simply wont provide back support when the mattress is older than that.

A 2009 study foundthat newer bedding systems increased sleep quality and reduced back discomfort, whereas older and cheaper mattresses caused back discomfort and poor sleep quality.

Is A Firm Mattress Good For Back Pain

Many people say that a firm mattress is good for back pain. However, others say not! If you have been sleeping on a soft bed your spine may have become used to it. Switch to a hard bed, and perhaps it will complain at the lack of comfort and give provided by this new sleeping surface. If you go camping and have just a groundsheet to sleep on rather than a camp bed, then you may find that the very hard surface is not good for your back.

The same is true of very soft mattresses. Sure, a soft mattress more easily accommodates the natural curvature of your spine, but you may sink too deeply into it. Your spine and joints might not get enough support to maintain their natural position and you may wake up in pain during the night. Click to check out this article by the Harvard Medical School.

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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!

What Are The Bad Mattress Symptoms

Too firm gives you back pain

A bad mattress has few common symptoms such as-

  • Body Aches: It causes body aches.
  • Sagging: A bad mattress always sags.
  • Health Problems: It causes various health problems.
  • Allergies: Bad mattress creates an allergy.
  • Joint Pain: It causes pains on the different joints of your body.
  • Poor Sleeping: You cant sleep comfortably on the bad mattress.
  • Back Pain: Most bad mattresses cause back pain due to the lack of back support to the different joints of your body.
  • Skin Diseases: It occurs in various skin problems.
  • Tired and drowsy: You feel tired sleeping on it.
  • Bad Smell: You may feel less or more smell.

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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.

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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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 mattressto help in your quest to avoid back pain. A good nights sleep is waiting for you!

Why Mattress Firmness Matters

Is Your Mattress Causing Back Pain?

Why should you care about how firm your mattress is? Because the right firmness can help prevent back pain and protect the quality of your sleep. Lying with your spine in a crooked, unaligned position for eight hours every day is a big contributor to back pain and can also ruin the quality of your sleep. This is why finding a mattress with the right firmness for you is so important.

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Signs That A Soft Mattress Could Be Causing Back Pain

If you suffer from back pain, here are some signs that an overly soft mattress could be to blame:

1. Your mattress is over eight years old. No matter how firm your mattress was when you bought it, the support it provides and its level of comfort will naturally deteriorate over time. If you have had your current mattress for eight years or more, it may be time to look into buying a new mattress to give your back the support it needs.

2. You find yourself tossing and turning in your sleep. Do you tend to sleep soundly, with little movement, or are you someone who moves about a lot during the night? If you find yourself tossing and turning, it could well be that you are struggling to find a comfortable sleeping position that is supportive enough for your joints. Not only does this mean that your spine won’t be neutrally aligned, which could lead to back pain, it also means that your sleep quality will affect how you feel mentally, as well as physically.

3. You wake up with back pain in the mornings. A telltale sign that a soft mattress is causing back pain is when you go to bed feeling absolutely fine, but wake up in the morning with pain. If your mattress is too soft, your spine won’t get the support you need at night, which can cause misalignment and that niggling pain that you’ve come to associate with your mornings. While back pain can have many causes, its regular presence in the mornings can suggest that a too-soft mattress is to blame.

How To Get Relief On A Budget

When youre struggling with back pain, you may feel like youre willing to give anything to get relief, but the realities of your budget can mean that you have to think about the impact of any mattress purchase on your bottom line. The good news is that there are multiple wallet-friendly ways to improve your bed, enhance your sleep, and give your back a rest.

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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.

How The Wrong Mattress Affects Your Back

How Do You Know If Your Mattress Is Causing Back Pain

Most people who experience back pain and stiffness should look to their mattress or more specifically their mattresss firmness level.

If your back pain comes when you first wake up, but you can stretch to get rid of it within 1530 minutes, then thats a major sign that your mattress is doing more harm than good. Also, if you find yourself waking up more frequently, or tossing and turning while trying to fall asleep, then that should also be an indicator.

Its important to note that even if youre not prone to back pain, you should replace your mattress every eight years.

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What’s Bettera Firm Mattress Or A Soft Mattress

Firmer mattresses provide better support, but they can also apply too much pressure to certain points of the body, leading to discomfort and pain. Soft plush mattresses, on the other hand, can cause your spine to sink into the mattress, which can lead to spine alignment issues down the road.

Ultimately, there’s no straightforward answer about how to choose a mattress or whether a firm mattress is better or worse than a soft one. Spend some time doing a little research and a thorough mattress comparison before making a decision. Each person’s preference will vary based on a multitude of factors, including height, weight, age, and whether or not you have back pain or other health considerations. Your sleeping position will also play a role:

  • Side sleepers tend to need softer mattresses that don’t put too much pressure on the shoulders or hips.
  • Back sleepers are better off with a medium firm mattress that supports the low back without pushing too much on the spine.
  • Stomach sleepers require a firmer surface that prevents the body from sinking into the mattress and collapsing the spine.

To make it all even more complex, your firmness needs may very over time as injuries, pregnancy, or weight fluctuations change your sleep needs.

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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What Type Of Mattress Is Best For People With Low Back Pain

Back pain is one of the top reasons that people begin to lose mobility in middle age. Pain can keep people from engaging in physical activity, making it more difficult for them to maintain a healthy weight and keep up their strength, stamina, and balance as they age. So treating and managing back pain that results from injuries or health problems is crucial for staying on the path of a healthy and active life.

Considering that most people spend roughly a third of their lives lying in bed, choosing the right mattress is essential for managing low back pain. It can make the difference in whether you can sleep at night and function the next day.

In the past, doctors often recommended very firm mattresses. But one survey of 268 people with low back pain found that those who slept on very hard mattresses had the poorest sleep quality. There was no difference in sleep quality between those who used medium-firm and firm mattresses.

Soft mattresses, on the other hand, can also be problematic. While a soft mattress that conforms to your body’s natural curves may help the joints align favorably, you might also sink in so deeply that your joints twist and become painful during the night.

If you want to find out whether a firmer mattress would feel better than the one you’re currently using, try putting a plywood board under your mattress to dampen the movement from the bedsprings, or try placing your mattress on the floor.

Consider An Adjustable Base

Can A BAD Mattress Cause Lower Back Pain?

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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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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How To Tell If Your Mattress Is Causing Back Pain

If youve recently started to develop back pain then you should go and see your doctor to see if you can pinpoint the exact cause of your back pain and then devise a suitable treatment plan.

However, if one or more of the following conditions are true then it could point to your mattress being the source of your back pain:

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Consider Buying A Mattress Online

A great way to score a deal on a new mattress is to buy online. While it might seem like a strange concept if youre used to going to a brick-and-mortar store, the truth is that buying online offers some huge advantages.

Most online mattresses are sold directly by the manufacturer. Eliminating the middle-man and the need for showroom space means lower prices, and the growing competition between retail and online storefronts has only generated more deals for shoppers.

But the benefits go beyond just price. Shopping online is convenient, allowing you to browse options from the comfort of your own home and without any salespeople eagerly pushing a sale to earn a commission. Having the time to research each mattress and compare it to others is a major contrast to the brick-and-mortar experience where youre limited to just whats available in that store.

When buying online you dont have the ability to feel out a mattress before purchasing, but almost all online retailers provide a sleep trial with no-hassle returns, offering you a full refund if you try out the mattress and dont like it. This gives you a no-risk opportunity to try out a mattress for weeks or months in your own bedroom as opposed to for just a few minutes in a store. Over the longer-term, virtually all online mattresses come with a warranty of at least 10 years to protect against future problems, which are rare in mattresses sold both online and in-store.

Why Your Mattress Is Causing You Pain

The Best

Youve confirmed that your mattress is the source of your frequent back pain, and you want to know why its causing you so much pain? Here are six reasons why your mattress may be causing you back pain and how to prevent it.

1. You are using the wrong mattress.

For each type of sleeper, there exist different types of mattresses that suit them best. When you pick a mattress without any care for the way you sleep or your weight and other vital determinants, you sleep to wake up with aches. The right mattresses make sleeping less stressful as they are built to accommodate your body and weight. As a side sleeper, you should be picking a foam that wont give way easily and can support your body. As a back sleeper, pick a mattress that supports and cushions your body.

From the way you sleep to how much you sleep, how much you weigh, and how much time you spend in your bed, consider it all and use it to determine the type of mattress that will help you sleep better. Sleeping without having to wake up to anybodys ache is the goal, work towards it. Heres the perfect guide on how to choose a mattress.

2. You are using the wrong pillow.

You mustnt just buy a pillow without adequately understanding the type of filling it has. Also, know the best type of pillow for your type of sleeper. Thick pillows are suitable for back sleepers, while thin pillows are good for stomach sleepers. Pick a good mattress and use a good pillow if you want to sleep well at night.

4. Your mattress is old.

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