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 found that newer bedding systems increased sleep quality and reduced back discomfort, whereas older and cheaper mattresses caused back discomfort and poor sleep quality.
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.
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.
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Continue Learning About Back Pain
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.
Buy A Firm Mattress Topper
If your old mattress is too soft and/or has body impressions/indentations in the upper comfort layer then you may be able to fix this by buying a firm mattress topper to place over the surface and stop you from sinking too far into the mattress.
You could use this strategy in isolation or in conjunction with the plywood/floor techniques but again, I wouldnt really consider this as a viable long-term solution if the fundamental integrity of the mattress has been compromised.
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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?
How To Choose A Mattress With Good Back Support
If its time to say goodbye to your old mattress and welcome in a new one that has better back support, then there are certain things you should look out for before you buy.
First, make sure you can try the bed whether thats in-store or, better still, with a lengthy, risk-free at-home trial as found with the best mattress in a box brands. Unsure what firmness to go for? Then choose one with a medium-firm feel. Also look out for features such as lumbar support or zoned support. This means the firmness is varied across the mattress, becoming more supportive in the middle and cozier along pressure points such as the shoulders.
According to chiropractor Dr. Brent Wells, when speaking about traditional innerspring beds, said: Springs that are stiff can cause the body to lie unevenly on the surface, leaving your lower back with little or no support.” For low back pain, he recommends memory foam or latex foam.
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How Does Bad Posture Cause Back Pain
Prolonged hunching can weaken the lower spine because of weak core muscles. You may also notice increased stiffness in your trunk or around your lower back area. Improper sitting has the potential to contribute to pain from herniated or bulging discs in the lumbar spine. Poor lifting techniques can have the same impact. Also, your lower spinal curve may be affected if you regularly rest on your belly while using your various devices.
Other Conditions That Cause Back Pain In Older Adults
We often see a range of less serious but still painful spine conditions in seniors. Most patients with these conditions will not require surgery. Physical therapy, medication, injectable anesthetics, or a combination of treatments usually can control symptoms.
- Degenerative disc disease, which can cause whole spine pain, and lumbar arthritis, which usually causes low-back pain, commonly develop with age and are considered wear-and-tear conditions.
- Sacroiliitis is an inflammation of the joints that connect your spine and pelvis. This condition can cause pain in the low back, glutes, and upper legs.
- Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory arthritis that causes patients spines to become inflexible, resulting in a continual hunched forward position and spine pain.
- We also check for adult degenerative scoliosis and kyphosis, spine-curving conditions that can result in back pain and weakness in the lower extremities.
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It Could Be Your Sorry Old Pillows Fault
If your pillow is too thin or soft, your back will bend downward at an awkward angle. Conversely, if its too thick, your spine might bend unnaturally upward. Both situations can cause pain.
If your head is supported at the correct level, the muscles in your neck and back will be able to to completely relax. Pressure on your discs and muscles will be diminished and, as a result, your back pain reduced.
Most of us westerners are acclimated to traditional soft pillows containing down or polyester fibers. Traditional soft pillows will collapse under pressure and can not support your head consistently throughout the night. In fact, many find themselves using two pillows or folding their pillow in half in an attempt to support their head at the proper level. Fiddling with pillows in the middle of the night is not conducive to good sleep!
We are huge fans of buckwheat pillows due to their adjustable and malleable nature. The buckwheat hull fill is really uniqueit will perfectly conform to the space between your head and the mattress eliminating potentially pain-causing pressure points in your neck and back. Most buckwheat pillows are adjustable you can add or remove fill to dial in the loft so that your spine is straight rather than bent upwards or downwards.
Your old pillow is probably pretty gross anyway! Toss it out and treat yourself to a new one.
Find A Back Pain Specialist
If youve made the suggested changes and still have back pain while sleeping, or if you prefer to work with a professional to assess and correct postural issues, we can help you connect with a Certified Posture Exercise Professional in your area.
Note: If you have severe back pain or it lasts more than two weeks, consult your physician. If there is no trauma and pain initially begins in the chest, if the pain is not affected by motion, or if there is fever, nausea, vomiting, uneven pulse, anxiety, a sick feeling, burning urination, loss of bowel or bladder control, or severe pain, call your Physician.
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What To Look For When Searching For The Right Mattress
There are 5 criteria you should look for when searching for a quality mattress: Materials used, support, pressure relief, resilience, and breath-ability.
1. Materials
When choosing a bed be sure to research the brand and find out what materials are used. Are they quality materials? Are they safe, organic, and eco-friendly? Using cheap materials means the mattress will not hold up over time and it will start to sink in. Do not buy a mattress that does not disclose what materials are used, and where the materials are sourced from. A high-quality material that is also eco-friendly is latex.
2. Support
If you suffer from mid or lower back pain, or are a back sleeper then pay extra attention. You need a responsive and supportive material that pushes up into the lumbar spine and allows the low back to de-stress. This allows the muscles to relax and gives your discs and other joints time to decompress throughout the night. In my opinion, latex mattresses offer the best support.
3. Pressure Relief
If you suffer from shoulder or hip pain, or are a side sleeper then pressure relief is very important for you. Pressure relief is necessary for the parts of your body that stick out . Taking pressure off these areas will allow those ball and socket joints the relief from the constant stress they are under all day. Memory foam mattresses offer great pressure relief.
4. Resilience
5. Breath-ability
Is Back Pain Caused By The Wrong Firmness Or A Bad Mattress
Before investing in a new mattress, it’s important to assess what’s wrong with your current mattress. Is it simply that it is too soft or firm and you need to find a more suitable firmness, or is the mattress actually old, worn, sagging or lumpy and these factors are the reason for your back pain?
Mattresses that start out feeling firm gradually lose their tension as time goes on. If your mattress is bellying out at the sides, is plagued with lumps and bumps from broken springs, or has a permanent dent in the area in which you sleep, it might be a case of an old, sagging mattress causing your back pain.
Think back to when the mattress was new – did you sleep comfortably on it? When did your back pain begin? Rather than going softer or firmer, would it make sense to buy a new mattress with a similar firmness to your old one?
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Pillow Use For Back Sleepers
Sleeping on the back or supine is the most recommended sleep position to get rid of upper middle back pain after sleeping. It does not only promote good neck and spinal posture at rest, but helps relieve pain related to a muscle strain or injury. These conditions include a stiff neck, rotator cuff tear injuries, adhesive capsulitis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Unfortunately, no matter how healthy this sleeping position is, only 8% of the worlds population sleeps in this pose. Like all the sleeping positions, sleeping on the back can also use a little bit of padded support. In this case, its the knees that will benefit a lot from a pillow. When you sleep with knees, spinal cord, and neck muscles extended straight you also risk creating lower back strain. That is because when you sleep, you are pulling your pelvis out of its neutral alignment and into an arched lower back.
By propping a memory foam or regular small pillow under your knees, your legs will bend in a more natural sleeping posture. This sleeping position can also help get rid of severe shoulder pain and upper-middle back pain after sleeping, as it places your body in a more neutral position. If you feel like this position is too uncomfortable, you can prop your head and neck with a memory foam pillow against the mattress. That can ensure that your body is straight while its natural curve is supported.
How Do I Check For Sagging
Its important to be able to identify when your mattress starts sagging and starts causing you back pain. Use the method outlined below to figure out if your mattress is sagging.
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Poor Posture Through The Day
Do you slouch while working at your desk? Slouching results in a tilt of your pelvis, which has a direct impact on the curvature of your spine. When you repeat poor posture daily, your bodys structure slowly changes and adapts to it, leading to misalignment and pain. If your pelvis is in a neutral position, it is easy for your spine to hold itself upright. Proper sitting posture relieves the back of any pain.3 Try these postural changes to alleviate back pain and avoid it in the future:4
- Sit on a chair with a firm back and move it close to the desk to maintain contact between the chair back and your back. This will also relieve pressure on your back and shoulders and maintain the natural, inward curve of the spine.
- Ensure that the upper back is straight, shoulders are relaxed, and your knees are slightly higher than your hips.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Avoid sitting for a long time at a stretch. Stand up and move around every one hour to stretch tight muscles and give them a chance to relax.
Myth : Exercise Cant Help Pain Caused By Breast Size
To manage back pain, including pain caused by large breasts, Dr. Venesy recommends working to strengthen the core muscles in the abdomen and back.
Weemphasize core strength, cardio exercise and stretching, she says. Especiallyfor upper back pain, work on improving core strength and the strength of themuscles between the shoulder blades.
Dr.Venesy recommends the following to build these muscle groups and ease pain:
- Take a yoga or Pilates class.
- Do stretching and back-strengthening exercises several times each week.
- Practice good posture.
- Make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D.
- Talk to your doctor about the issue.
- Avoid sitting for long periods of time at a desk, get up and move.
- Use a lumbar roll in desk chair.
- Try a standing desk at work.
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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.
Need More Help With Back Pain
These free resources will help you get on the right track to ridding yourself of back pain!
- Find a mattress to relieve you of back pain with Mattress Match
- Learn about all the options with our Mattress Buying Guide
- Experience the REM sleep deserve with our Better Sleep Guide
- Go from Zs to As in college with this sleep guide for students
- Want to conquer sleep deprivation? Check out our sleeping disorders guide
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What Else Can I Do For Back Pain
Changing your mattress will most likely do wonders for your back pain, if that was the cause. You can also implement a short stretching routine into your day. Aim to do a few stretches before you go to bed and after you wake up to help with spine flexibility. Also, it is important to learn how to sleep in the best position possible. Many experts recommend sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs to support the hips and lower back. Certain pillows can also help promote less neck and back pain while you sleep.
For sweeter dreams and less back pain in the morning, consider getting a new mattress. Your sleep is essential, so make sure you are getting a mattress that will improve your sleep, not make it worse. When mattress shopping, bring your own pillow and spend a good ten to fifteen minutes on each mattress. It may seem silly, but it is the best way to ensure you get the right mattress 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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