What Firmness Is Best For Back Pain
Theres a common myth that you need a firm mattress to get the best support for your spine. But firmness and support arent the same thing.
- Firmness relates to how much you sink into your mattress.
- Support relates to how well your mattress supports your spine to keep it aligned.
So, does that mean that mattress firmness doesnt matter? Its not quite that simple. Lets take a look at the differences between soft and firm mattresses.
How Can A Mattress Cause Back Pain
A mattress can cause back pain if it is too soft or too hard, if it is too high or too low, or if it does not fit the sleeping position correctly.
Sleeping on a too-soft mattress can cause the spine to sink in, which can cause back pain. Sleeping on a too-hard mattress can also cause back pain, as well as other problems such as neck and shoulder pain.
Sleeping on a mattress that is too high or too low can also cause back pain. If a person sleeps on their stomach, they may have to sleep on a lower bed because the mattress is higher up on the
Recommended Fixes For Mattress Sagging Didnt Work Now What
Unfortunately, in the case of extreme sagging the only way forward would be to replace your mattress. Its important to know how to choose your mattress. A cheaper stop gap which may help extend the life of your mattress would be to user a mattress topper.
Our Juno range includes quality pocket spring units at their core. We then combine these with a variety of filling combinations to suit different budgets. All mattresses can be turned too offering great support, comfort, and longevity at a fair price. You may view our range of pocket spring mattresses for more information about our range.
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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.
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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Your Back Pain Is Much Worse In The Mornings
If you wake up and your back is sore and aching, but you dont experience that soreness or pain at any other time, then chances are your mattress is causing it. And if the discomfort gradually improves throughout the day, then thats another key sign that your bed could be the main culprit.
According to Dr. Frank Siraguso at the Siraguso Family Chiropractic clinic, if your muscles are working too hard to keep your spine aligned, 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.
Another sign that your mattress is to blame is if stretching for 15 minutes to half an hour after you wake alleviates the pain. Constantly shifting your sleep position in order to get comfy is also an indicator that your mattress is causing your back and hips to ache.
Why Mattress Causes Back Pain
There are many reasons why a mattress may cause back pain. One common cause is that the mattress is too soft or too hard.
When a person sleeps on a soft mattress, their body sinks into the mattress and puts pressure on the spine. This can cause back pain because the spine is not in its natural alignment.
Similarly, sleeping on a hard mattress can cause back pain because the pressure on the spine is constant. When the spine is in its natural alignment, it takes the pressure off of the discs in the spine and reduces the chance of back pain.
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#reason : Your Mattress Cant Give Enough Support
Another reason for creating back pain is that your mattress cant provide you adequate support to your back, spine, hip, and other joints of your body.
Solution: Choose The Mattress That Provides Perfect Support
Support is an essential part of all kinds of sleepers such as heavy sleepers, light sleepers, side & back sleepers, stomach sleepers, etc. The memory foam mattress that gives you a lack of support can cause lower back pain. You must choose a mattress for the right support. If you are a heavy sleeper like over 200 lbs, you must sleep on a mattress that has high-density base foam. It will give you the highest support and prevent sinking and safe your spine and back.
Most memory foam mattresses use multiple layers for different purposes such as top foam layers for comfort or feel, the base support foam layer for providing adequate support, etc. When you choose a new mattress that has high-density support foam, it will give you more support than others. If you feel your mattress sinks, you should change it quickly and get a good high-density supportive mattress. So, I recommend you choose a mattress that will give you enough support. You can check my researched list of top-rated highest supportive memory foam mattresses.
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:
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How Can I Tell If My Mattress Is Causing My Back Pain
If you are experiencing back pain, it is important to determine if the pain is caused by your mattress.
There are a few ways to do this. You can try to change your bedding, sleep on a different mattress, or use a foam mattress topper. If you are still experiencing pain, you may need to see a doctor.
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 our testers believe 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. Our pressure tests on various mattresses have shown that 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 on our test team get the best results from a medium to medium-firm mattress.
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Sagging Causes Poor Posture
A sagging mattress is one where theres a dip of 1-1.5 inches or more across a significant area of the mattress surface to the point where it causes you to sleep in poor posture which can result in hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and general musculoskeletal discomfort.
You can check to see if your mattress is sagging by placing a broom/mop handle across your mattress, getting down to eye level, and measuring any gaps that you can see :
Solution
If you have a mattress thats only sagging slightly, then you may be able to temporarily fix this issue by placing a mattress topper on your mattress to even out the surface and help you stay in good posture as you sleep.
However, youll need to make sure that you buy a mattress topper thats of the correct firmness and made of the right materials relative to your body type .
But to properly fix a sagging mattress especially if your mattress is more than 5-7 years old then you should buy a new mattress thats well suited to your physical characteristics and dominant sleeping position.
Check out my list of the best anti-sag mattresses for some high quality options.
Its Unique Grid Structure Offers Optimal Airflow
Labor Day sale: Right now, save up to $300 on a Purple mattress and up to $500 on the brands adjustable bases.
Type: Hybrid | Firmness: Firm but responsive | Delivery: Bed in a box | Trial: 100 nights | Warranty: 10 years
Thanks to its patented Purple Grid, the Purple Hybrid Mattress is unlike any other on this list. It consists of five layers, and the Purple Grid gently gives under your body, hugging your pressure points and fully supporting your back while you sleep. The grid sits on top of a 7.5-inch layer of responsive coils that offer additional support while you sleep. Plus, there are open air channels that allow air to freely flow through, making it much cooler than memory foam-only mattresses. This particular model is the companys firmest and offers the most support in the hybrid collection the Hybrid Premier 3 and Hybrid Premier 4 are medium-soft and soft, respectively.
What the reviews say: When it comes to cooling and pain relief, several sleepers say it hits both marks. husband and I have been through three mattresses and Purple was the only one that helped with his chronic back pain, one review states. The grids also keeps us cool during the night. In terms of brand trust, one Forbes Vetted editor and experienced mattress tester says the plush Purple Hybrid Premier 4 is in her top three favorite mattresses ever in her full-length review.
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How We Chose The Best Mattresses For Back Pain
We researched tediously, compared features, combed through reviews and enlisted expert advice to compile this list of the best mattresses for back pain. Further, weve beds from several picks on this list. We also have a broad base of mattress knowledge from writingand continuing to improveour base of sleep, which includes over 15 mattress-specific round-ups.
To make the cut, each mattress had to be from a reputable brand and offer a generous sleep trial period. This list is regularly updated to reflect current information and pricing, including sale pricing it was last updated in August 2022.
How Can A Firm Mattress Cause Back Pain
Mattress firmness is a setting configured by the manufacturer that influences how hard or soft a mattress is likely to feel when you lie on it.
However, the final firmness, feel, and overall comfort level will depend on how your individual body weight, body type, and dominant sleeping position interact with the mattress.
This means that a firm mattress will typically feel softer to heavier weighted sleepers over 230 lbs who sleep on their back or front, whilst a firm mattress is likely to feel even firmer the lighter you are and sleep on your side .
Furthermore, back pain can have many causes and is highly dependent upon your individual circumstances and medical conditions.
All of this variability, subjectivity, and uncertainty means that its NOT accurate to make the sweeping generalization that a firm mattress causes back pain, nor would it be fair to say that a firm mattress is automatically the best choice if you have back pain.
For example, Eileen Vollowitz, BS, PT a physical therapist specializing in orthopedics and occupational health who is the founder of Health by Design says that the traditional medical advice of sleeping on a firm mattress may help some individuals but also harm others potentially exacerbating lower back pain .
Based on my own experience of sleeping on mattresses with different firmnesses and what I know about mattresses in general, here are the 3 primary ways that sleeping on a mattress thats too firm for you could cause back pain:
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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.
Issues With Overly Hard Mattresses
When your mattress is very hard, it mounts pressure on the various pressure points on the body, this includes, the head, shoulder, buttocks, knees, feet as well as hips. In fact, a significant amount of pressure is exerted on the hips, especially for those who lie on their side. This is because this posture on a very firm mattress provides little or no support for the upper part of the body. The waist, and the abdomen region beneath the rib cage is unbalanced hence the weight of the body lies on the hip which could lead to hip pain.
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Why Is Back Pain Worse When Lying Down
But why does your back pain occur when youre getting into bed? Most people who experience back pain have strained muscles. Not sitting up straight at the desk or lounging unsupported on the couch can cause specific muscles to contract over long periods.
You may not notice it at the moment or when youre up walking around because theres no pressure on them. But when your back hits an unsupportive bed, those sensitive, strained, and damaged muscles are agitated.
And that added pressure on the affected part of your back causes those muscles to hurt.
How To Tell If Your Bed Is Causing Back Pain
If youre coping with back pain, youre not alone. Its estimated that 5080% of adults experience at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime.
Serious or chronic pain always warrants a trip to your doctor to uncover the root cause. But if your aching back feels better after youve been up and moving for a while, your mattress may be the cause. Here are some telltale signs.
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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.
How To Pick A Good Mattress For Your Back
Every one has different sleep preferences, which can make it hard to find the perfect mattress. Look for one that is not too firm or too soft. If the mattress is too firm, it will push on your pressure points and cause misalignment. Similarly, if the bed is too soft, it will allow your body to sink into the bed causing bad posture while you sleep, which can then lead to pain. The right mattress should make you feel like you are floating on air.
Financial times might be tough at the moment, but one should consider in investing in a good mattress. Think about it, you should be spending 7-9 hours on your mattress each night, which makes it an important piece of furniture. You want to invest in something that will give you better sleep and less pain, instead of going frugal and buying a mattress that is not right for your body.
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