Is My Mattress Causing My Back Pain

The Mattress Is More Than 5

Although the study I referenced earlier defined an old mattress as being 8 years old, the average expected lifespan of a mattress is typically around 5-7 years.

Although its worth noting that some of the best anti-sag hybrid and natural/organic latex mattresses may last for up to 10 years or more.

But such anomalies aside, if your regular spring/foam mattress is more than 5-7 years old and youre also waking up with back pain in the morning then the correlation between your mattress and your back pain becomes stronger.

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?

Can A Firm Mattress Cause Back Pain

• Article medically reviewed and fact-checked by Dr. Dimitar Marinov .

You may have heard that a firm mattress is better for back pain, whilst other sources may say that a firm mattress can actually cause back pain.

However, the real answer depends on the characteristics of the individual:

A firm mattress can cause back pain in lighter individuals under 150 lbs due to increased pressure points, greater compression forces, and poor posture whilst heavier weighted front and back sleepers over 230 lbs may experience reduced back pain due to better posture.

The rest of this article explains in detail how a firm mattress can specifically cause back pain, whilst also revealing which mattress firmness is likely to help alleviate or prevent back pain relative to your physical characteristics and dominant sleeping position.

Ive also listed the 4 signs that indicate that your mattress could be the cause of your back pain along with 5 ways that you can make your firm mattress softer to help you potentially alleviate discomfort.

Alternatively: if youd like to buy a new mattress to help lessen or prevent back pain then have a look at my list of the best mattresses and beds for back pain .

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How To Fix Mattress Sagging

• In case of sagging the best way to move forward is to replace the mattress.
• A cheaper solution that may help, but would only do so for slight sagging, is a mattress topper. This would also be more of a quick fix than a long term solution.
• Consider the below when purchasing a new mattress, and remember that a good nightâs sleep is an important investment.

Warning Signs Your Mattress Is Causing Back Pain

Sleeping on the wrong mattress can actually cause or worsen back pain. Read on to know how your mattress impacts your back health.

Can a mattress cause back pain? Yes, a wrong one can. Our mattress plays a big role in enhancing our sleep quality and controlling the way we feel every morning after waking up. Continuously sleeping on the wrong mattress can cause the spine to lose its natural alignment and strain the muscles resulting in back pain. On the other hand, a supportive mattress can help your spine maintain a neutral position and prevent back soreness. People who fail to understand the delicate science behind choosing the right sleep surface as per their sleeping habits are more likely to develop not just chronic back pain but neck stiffness and shoulder aches.

Lower back pain is not only the leading cause of disability worldwide but in India alone, nearly 60% of Indians suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives. The exact cause of back pain is tricky to diagnose in cases there hasnt been a recent sudden stress or strain due to a pulled muscle or tendon. So how to tell if your bed is causing back pain? How to be sure that your mattress is the main culprit behind your back problems?

Top 10 signs to look out for

Here is a list of 10 signs to look out for in a mattress to know if it is the sole reason behind your back pain:

1. Your Mornings Start with Pain

2. You Are Tossing & Turning All Night

3. Your Mattress Seems to be Eating You Up

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Is It Normal To Have Back Pain With A New Mattress

While not normal to always have back pain with a new mattress, it is common in certain situations. Mattresses have a set life, normally about seven years, after which their materials start to break down and the mattress becomes less supportive. This can mean you are not getting the support you need and a change to a new, fully supportive mattress brings with an adjustment period.

Think about when youre on a chair in a slouched position. Straightening up into good posture can be painful even after a short period, let alone extended hours of sleeping in a similarly bad position.

High Cost Of The Mattresses

This company invests a lot in development and as a result, their mattresses contain several types of patented foam blend layers. Top this off with excellent guarantees and warranties and the fact that this is a really strong brand name, and you get a mattress thats much more expensive than traditional mattresses.

Haters hate it all

Most people who dislike their Tempur-Pedic mattress for whatever reason will mention the price point as one of the problems. For example, if they sleep hot in Tempur-Pedic, theyll complain about a hot and expensive mattress.

This is not unusual because if they pay between $2000 and $5000 for a mattress, they expect it to be an absolutely perfect, best mattress ever and nothing less than that.

With so many cheap mattresses out there today, a prospective buyer has to think Is Tempur-Pedic worth it?

Look for discounts

To go around the high prices, you should look for online coupons or discounts, but you can also go to one of their stores and straightforward ask for deals they are willing to offer. Also, bear in mind that most mattress companies have sales in May and around Black Friday.

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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.

Returning A Casper Mattress Causing Back Pain

HomePainBack PainReturning a Casper Mattress, Causing Back Pain.

Phil writes:

Hi Pete,

Recently, I got caught up in the hype and bought a Casper mattress in a box from QVC.

Its going back.

Im a middle aged man, a little on the heavy side, and with some minor back pain due to worn discs.

The pain Ive lived with is suddenly much worse, after sleeping on this mattress.

I dont know what I did wrong, but dont want to do that again.

Can you help me figure this out? What would you recommend?

Thanks, Phil

Hi Phil,

Disc related back pain is always made worse by an all foam mattresswhich provides none of the push back support you spine requires.

In terms of figuring it all out, read this:

As far as a recommendation goes, here is a link to the Natura of Canada Greenspring.

I, too, am older and heavier and with lots of disc problemsHerniated, Bulging and Degenerative.

They sport a very high coil count, with coils made of double tempered steel.

Thanks, Pete

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Mattress Features To Look For To Relieve Back Pain

When shopping for a mattress to help relieve back pain, some features are more important than others. With so many products and a bevy of marketing hype, it can be tough to parse out what really matters. Youre most likely to get the most satisfaction out of your purchase by focusing on certain key considerations:

• Mattress Type: the materials and design will play a huge role in the performance of a mattress. The contouring, bounce, firmness, temperature regulation, and motion isolation of a mattress will be different for each mattress type, so it is critical for shoppers to think about their priorities and choose a mattress with components that will best meet their needs.
• Zoned Support: weight from the body is not distributed evenly instead, certain areas tend to require more cushioning. A zoned mattress takes that into account and offers reinforced support in those areas.
• Quality Materials: a mattress made with excellent materials is much more likely to provide the performance, reliability, and durability that people with back pain need.
• Firmness Level: firmness is a key driver of mattress comfort and is largely a matter of personal preference. At the same time, the right firmness level can play a big part in whether a mattress offers sufficient support, and that will depend significantly on a persons body weight and sleeping position.

More Than A Minor Inconvenience

Seeking relief, Americans spend over $50 billion each year just on lower back pain. Its the second most common reason people miss work, third most common reason for surgeries, and fifth most common cause of hospitalization, and its responsible for 20% of doctor visits as well. Two 2014 studies suggest back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

Pain can also affect sleep. A2014 Korean studyVerified SourceNational Library of Medicine Worlds largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View sourceof people with chronic lower back pain found that 32% of respondents experienced sleep disturbances due to pain, with those experiencing more pain reporting a higher amount of disturbances. A previousAustralian studyVerified SourceNational Library of Medicine Worlds largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View sourcelooking at both acute and chronic back pain found that 58% of people reported disturbed sleep due to pain.

The ongoing impact of back pain in America:

• Over $50 billion in treatment costs
• 15-20% have long-term back pain
• 3-4% temporarily disabled due to back pain
• 1% of workforce disabled permanently
• 2nd most common cause of missed work
• 3rd leading reason for surgery
• Among leading reason for hospital and doctor visits

The 2015 Sleep in America poll looked at the connections between sleep, stress and pain. Over 1000 adults were surveyed, and the results found:

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Help W/mattress Causing Upper Back Pain Below Shoulder Blades04 Jun 201: 15#3

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How To Tell If Your Mattress Is Causing You Back Pain

Linda Nguyen | May 8, 2019

While there are many things that can throw your back out of whack , assessing your mattress as a potential culprit to your back pain is step one. After all, we spend one-third of our lives sleeping.

Spine alignment is key when it comes to a quality mattress that will reset your body and allow you to wake up well-rested. A telltale sign that your mattress is the reason for your back pain is going to bed feeling fine, but waking up in the morning to pain, which can suggest that your spine fell out of alignment as you slept. Although you may be able to stretch out the pain within 20-30 minutes of waking up, letting this pain become consistent can lead to chronic back pain.

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.

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What Makes A Good Mattress

Obviously, not all beds are created equally when it comes to back pain. In general, there is no specific type or brand of mattress that is better than another. The perfect mattress is a matter of personal preference, but some innate properties must exist for that mattress to be healthy for your delicate back.

Here are the top 3 things to look at when shopping for or analyzing mattress quality:

• The bed needs to be supportive of your entire body when it is in a neutral position with proper spinal alignment.
• It must not be too firm, lest it pushes on the main pressure points of your spine.
• It must not be too soft, lest it leaves your pressure points unsupported while creating spinal curvature.

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According to experts at the UCLA Medical Center, a mattress that does not fit into the Goldilocks Zone of firmness and softness can lead to serious back discomfort in the morning the type that could ultimately turn into a chronic problem.

Its better to figure it out now than to be sorry in the months and years to come as you develop a more serious issue.

Your Mattress Is Saggy

Unlike a sinking mattress that enfolds your whole body, a saggy mattress droops where you need support the most usually right under your lower back. Mattress sag can cause spine misalignment, which can contribute to back pain.

Select Casper mattresses include Zoned Support which is designed to ergonomically align your spine, giving extra support where you need it most.

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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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