Treating Hernia Pain At Home
Use A Mattress Designed For Back Pain And Sciatica
First, you need a mattress that provides adequate support and comfort. A mattress that is too soft will not help your back and may worsen your pain. Conversely, a mattress that is too firm will be uncomfortable, leading to additional pain.
The best mattress for people with back pain is a medium-firm memory foam mattress. Youd want to select a memory foam mattress that contours the body and provides support while relieving pressure points. Consequently, they are suitable for back pain sufferers and people with sciatica.
Also, an adjustable bed base can be a game-changer when sleeping with back pain. This type of bed allows you to adjust the head and foot of the bed. This way, you can find a comfortable position for a good nights rest. If you are in doubt, youd want to consult a spine specialist to see what product and features they recommend for you specifically.
When To See A Doctor About Lower Back Pain
In most cases, lower back pain decreases after a week or two and does not cause any long term damage. However, it is important to talk to your doctor about your lower back pain if you experience any of the following:
- Pain becomes progressively worse over 2 to 3 days
- Pain began with an injury
- Pain becomes debilitating and prevents mobility
- Pain radiates down the legs or arms
- Pain causes weakness, tingling, or numbness in the lower body
- You also experience fever or redness, warmth, or swelling near the affected area
- You have a history of cancer or another serious health complication
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What’s The Best Way To Get Rid Of Low Back Pain
Low back pain can affect your sleep as well as your daily routine, and disrupting or not having the ability to have quality sleep makes everything worse. Even though you can incorporate tips to ease your pain, having a solid solution is essential. The best way to get rid of lower back pain is by tackling the root cause of the pain. You can achieve long-term pain relief through using the Hip Hook, a tool that’s specifically designed to release tension in your iliopsoas muscles, which are often the main cause of lower back pain.
Get Into And Out Of Bed Carefully
It may sound obvious, but be extra careful when you get into and out of bed. Bending forward at your waist or making quick and jerking motions can cause you more back pain.
Take your time and roll over onto one side and use your arms to push your way up. You can then swing your legs out of bed to stand up slowly. Reverse the movements when itâs time to lie down at night.
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Stomach Sleeping With Hip Support
Stomach sleeping is hard on the back and not recommended for people who suffer from lower back pain. However, if you struggle to sleep on your back or side, start by placing a pillow under your hips. The extra cushion prevents your back from curving unnaturally and reduces the pressure on your lumbar spine. Also, use a thin pillow under your head or no pillow at all so your head doesnt curve backward and result in further pain.
Tip #: Be Mindful Of How You Get In And Out Of Bed
Jerking yourself out of bed quickly or getting in too fast can exacerbate lower back pain, so make sure youre careful about doing each.
- When getting into bed: Sit down on the edge of the bed. Now engage your core and bend over the side while supporting yourself with your forearm. At the same time bring your knees to the bed. Now you can either stay on the side position, or roll onto the back.
- When getting out of bed: Do the opposite of getting into bed. Roll onto your side first towards the edge of the bed, bend your knees, engage your core, then use your arms to help push yourself up and bring your legs over the edge of the bed. This will prevent you from doing a sit up, which can trigger pain.
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Tip # : Keep Your Bedroom Cool Dark And Quiet
The ideal sleeping environment is a quiet, cool, and dark place. Try to keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature, and use blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out light. If you have problems with noisy neighbors or the environment, try using a white noise machine or earplugs to help you sleep.
Sleep On Your Side In The Fetal Position
How to relieve lower back pain while sleeping on your side? One way to do it is sleeping in the fetal position. Instead of sleeping straight, curl up your knees and tuck them into your chest to open up your spinal joints and prevent them from curving backward.
The fetal sleeping position is useful for patients with a bulging or herniated disc. So, if you want to maintain the health of discs and tissues in your spine, back pain doctor Plano TX recommends sleeping in the fetal position. Curling up creates more space between your vertebrae and decreases pressure and tension on your discs.
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Sleep On Your Stomach With Hip Support
Although it is difficult for many patients to sleep on their stomachs, it is useful for those who struggle to sleep on their back or side. Place a comfortable pillow under your hips to provide some extra cushioning to your spine.
This sleeping position prevents your spine from curving unnaturally and helps reduce pressure on your lower back. Make sure you use a thin pillow under your head to ensure your head does not curve backward. That way, you can get severe back pain relief Plano TX.
On The Back With Knee Support
Lying on the back evenly distributes the bodys weight, helping to minimize pressure and ensure a good alignment of the head, neck, and spine.
Placing a small pillow under the knees may provide additional support and help maintain the natural curve of the spine.
To get comfortable in this position:
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If A New Mattress Isnt In The Cards Make Adjustments To Your Bed
Buying an entirely new mattress may not be economically feasible for you right now. You can make small adjustments now, though, if youre still trying to figure out how to get rid of lower back pain while sleeping.
WebMD.com recommends a few quick solutions. Their major one? If youre looking for a firmer mattress, try adding plywood supports between the mattress and its base. This can increase the firmness of your mattress, quickly and easily.
What Is The Best Pillow Positioning For Back Pain
Sleep posture can exacerbate or alleviate back pain. Sleeping on your back is often considered the best positioning for back pain. This position is most likely to encourage sleepers to maintain a neutral posture, which keeps the spine aligned and reduces pressure on the lumbar region. Sleepers can use pillows strategically to relieve back pain.
Stomach sleeping is one of the worst sleeping positions for back pain, as it puts pressure on the lower back and often leads to spinal misalignment.
The following sleeping positions, along with their potential benefits and drawbacks, should be considered:
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The Best Sleeping Position For Your Back Pain
When you sleep, you lose conscious control over your body, and you can end up twisting your spine or tucking your pelvis in. An existing back pain can get further aggravated, resulting in a restless night of sleep.1 Using supported sleeping postures can prevent the concentration of stresses on your spine, keep your back relaxed, and create a healing environment.
As a general rule, avoid sleeping on your stomachit disturbs the normal alignment of your spine.1 Also avoid sleeping on the side that hurts more, especially if you have sciatica and follow these guidelines:
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Sleeping On The Front With Pillow Under The Stomach
Lying on the front of the body is usually considered the worst sleeping posture. However, for those who struggle to sleep in another position, placing a slim pillow underneath the stomach and hips can help improve spinal alignment.
Sleeping on the front may also benefit people with a herniated disc or a degenerative disc disease.
To adopt this sleeping position, a person should:
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Does Laying On The Hard Floor Help Lower Back Pain
Some people find laying on the floor supports their back and keeps their spine neutral, but this doesnt work for everyone. The floor is too solid for side sleepers, but it might be okay for some back and stomach sleepers. If youre planning on sleeping on the floor, still use pillows so your head and neck are supported.
Try It Before You Buy It When Looking At New Mattresses
Even if youve found what you think is the best mattress for lower back pain relief, you may want to spend on a few nights on it before swiping your credit card. This is especially true if youre making the switch to a significantly softer or harder mattress. If you can, ask to do a trial run on the new mattress. If thats not a possibility, EverydayHealth.com has a few recommendations. From their expert, Santhosh Thomas, DO:
He suggests spending a night in a hotel that offers options for guests to purchase pillows and mattresses so that you can try before you buy. Or, see if your mattress store lets you try out a bed overnight or even longer. If that is not an option, perhaps sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag may mimic a firm surface, and sleeping on a couch may mimic a softer surface.’
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When Should I See A Doctor About Lower Back Pain
It’s importantto remember you may need to do more than change your sleeping habits to addressyour back pain. If you are unable to find how to sleep with back pain bychanging your sleeping position alone, you may need to see a doctor.
Typically, backpain should resolve within one week. If you have been experiencing back painfor longer than four to six weeks that is affecting your ability to sleep, youshould make an appointment with your doctor. An orthopedicsurgeon has special training in bones, muscles and joints and will beable to evaluate the alignment of your spine. They may order X-rays or othertests to diagnose the cause of your back pain and provide you with a treatmentplan.
You do not needto live in pain and without quality sleep. Your doctor can help youfind relief from your pain and achieve healthy sleep.
Takeaway: Prioritize Your Comfort And Sleep
Often sleep deprivation is a sign that pain may get worse. And since sleep debt takes a long time to recover from, youll want to start making tweaks to your sleep hygiene and bedtime routine ASAP. Whether thats trying new sleep positions or engaging in nighttime self care, your efforts should focus on maximizing comfort and relaxation before sleep. This could also mean giving your bedroom a small makeover that noise and light are blocked from waking you up at night.
Its the small steps that help you feel more fully restored overnight.
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Best Sleep Positions For Lower Back Pain
According to experts, the best sleep position for back pain is resting on ones side with the knees partially bent. This posture is often referred to as the fetal position.
In the fetal position, you should place a firm pillow under the head to support the neck. An additional pillow can be placed between the knees to prevent tension build-up. This position helps the back muscles relax and ensures no pressure is placed on the lumbar spine.
If you are not typically a side sleeper, you can train yourself to rest on your side by placing a pillow barrier along the back of your body. If you start to roll to your back during the night, the pillows will remind you to stay on your side. Likewise, if you are a stomach sleeper, hugging a pillow in front of your body can help you remain on your side.
Do neither of these options help? Are you still more comfortable sleeping on your back or stomach? There are other steps you can take to reduce lower back pain while sleeping.
Those with lower back pain often find an adjustable bed beneficial. Lifting the legs during sleep provides extra support to the lumbar region, allowing the muscles to relax and recover.
If you are not able to purchase an adjustable bed, you can get a similar effect with a high-quality wedge pillow. Place a wedge pillow under the knees to keep the legs elevated during sleep.
Reset Your Posture To Improve Backaches
How we sit has a huge impact on our backs. By sitting with poor posture, we are misaligning our spines and putting stress on our muscles in places we didnt intend to. If you sit or stand for extended periods of time that can also be bad news for back pain.
When sitting down, keep your back straight and resist the urge to bend in close to your screen or whatever youre working on. Dont cross your legs either. That will put strain on your spine and cause irritation. Take breaks every hour to walk around and stretch to relieve strain that youll have accumulated from sitting.
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Lower Back Pain Can Interfere With Your Ability To Be Productive During The Day However It Can Also Affect Your Ability To Sleep
19:24 18 November 2021
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Back pain and sleep are deeply intertwined with each other: pain can stop you from falling and staying asleep, while poor sleep can worsen your pain.
If left untreated, this is a vicious cycle that will ultimately destroy the health of your back. If your lower back pain is keeping you up at night, you should address it immediately. Putting it off until later can lead to more serious complications in the future.
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People With Spinal Problems
Spinal problems can be bone-related or spinal cord-related. Either way, if its something you have to deal with, sleeping on the floor is not recommended.
Because youll be in an unusual position, things can get compressed and put pressure on nerves. This can either lead to pain, or it can lead to numbness. Neither of these are good things, and definitely something you want to steer clear of.
Sleeping on the floor may be unusual, but if you think about it, beds havent been around forever! Theyre a fairly modern thing, and some cultures still sleep on the floor more than on a bed.
If youre keen to try sleeping on the floor, be sure to do it the right way. Dont expect huge changes overnight, either. Stick with it for at least a week , and then decide if its for you or not.
You may find that back pain ceases, posture improves, and you find it easier to get up in the mornings!
Happy sleeping .
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