Will A Bad Mattress Cause Back Pain

Your Pain May Be Coming From Your Mattress If:

1. Your pain is worse in the morning

If your pain is worse when you wake up and improves throughout the day its a good sign your body is not getting the proper rest it needs throughout the night. If your muscles have to work throughout the night to support your spine, 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. If youre suffering from any of this, you need to fix mattress back pain by getting a better product.

2. You cant get comfortable throughout the night

If you are tossing or turning throughout the night and cant get comfortable then your mattress may not be giving you the proper pressure relief to allow your body to relax and receive proper blood flow. An alternating pressure relief mattress may help in this situation.

3. Your mattress is out of date

If your mattress is starting to sag, indented, swallows you up, or is no longer responsive then it is time for you to switch it out. It is generally recommended that you change out your mattress after 7-8 years. If youre looking at buying a new mattress, tips are always helpful. Keep reading to see what to look for in a mattress.

Is A Hard Or A Soft Mattress Better For Back Pain

A soft mattress may initially feel very comfortable but after laying on it for a while the lack of support can lead to lower back pain. A very soft mattress lets the lower back sink too far into the mattress, throwing the spine out of alignment and placing extra stress on the muscles, ligaments and spinal joints.

Understanding Your Sleep Position

We tend to fall asleep in roughly the same position every night, and every sleep position has a different impact on your body. However, certain positions may account for some of your pain.

People who sleep on their stomach are more likely to experience back pain because this position pulls the spine out of alignment. Also, the twisting and contorting that stomach sleepers do to get comfortable can put extra pressure on the neck and lower back, which can even cause poorer circulation.

If you sleep on your stomach, try to train yourself to sleep on your side, usually by propping your trunk up with a pillow.

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Clues To Find If A Bed Frame Cause Back Pain

Clue 1

If you feel the back pain after waking up from your bed and you get rid of it within 15-20 minutes, then, you can think that your bed frame or mattress is causing your back pain.

Clue 2

Then if your sleep breaks frequently and you try to get to sleep tossing and turning to both sides, its also a good sign your bed frame or mattress is doing you harm.

Clue 3

If you feel uncomfortable while sleeping.

Clue 4

Feeling the pressure on your hips, shoulders, and knees.

Clue 5

Feeling your bed hard and flat

Clue 6

If your mattress age is over 8 years

Now you know whether or not your bed frame or the mattress is causing you the trouble and decide to change your mattress to get an ideal one for your back support. But before changing your mattress, you should know which type of mattress is good for your back.

Indents Increase Pressure On Your Hips

Mattress indents are concentrated impressions that may be less than a few inches in diameter but potentially up to several inches in depth and may cause hip pain by increasing the pressure on your muscles, joints, and nerves due to the uneven mattress surface that they create.

Indents may happen due to a number of reasons such as broken innersprings, deformed/warped foams, and exposure to repeated and concentrated pressure the consequences of which can be easily seen when pulling back the flat/fitted sheet.

Solution

In many cases, localized areas of indents can be covered up by a mattress topper of a suitable firmness to reduce the pressure points that they may cause although a new mattress may be required in more extreme cases.

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Dont Sleep On A Mattress Thats Too Soft Or Too Hard

Goldilocks was onto something when she picked Baby Bears just right bed.

A mattress thats too soft will cause your back or hips to sag and your spine to fall out of alignment, which can lead to significant pain. A mattress thats too firm will put too much pressure on your joints, especially if you sleep on your side or your back.

Thats why if you want to reduce your back pain in bed, you need a mattress that offers support but that also contours to your body to provide pressure relief and relieve pain.

That being said, theres no one-size-fits-all-best mattress for back pain. Plus, there are plenty of different materials to choose from. So be sure youre investing in a mattress made from suitable materials for your unique needs.

Can A Mattress Cause Hip Pain

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

Hip pain can have many causes.

But if youre waking up with hip pain then you may be wondering if your mattress is the underlying problem.

A mattress can cause hip pain if the mattress is sagging more than 1-1.5 inches,has indents, is too firm, is too soft, and/or has a broken support core that may be causing you to sleep in bad posture or experience painful pressure points.

The rest of this article explains in more detail how a mattress can cause hip pain, how to fix these issues, and how to find a new mattress to help combat your hip pain.

Alternatively: if youre ready for a new mattress, then check out my list of the best mattresses and adjustable beds for hip and back pain to buy in 2021 for some high-quality options.

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Why Does My Memory Foam Mattress Hurt My Back

Memory foam mattresses are supposed to be the ideal foam for getting rid of back pains. However, when instead of reducing the pain, the bed starts to magnify it, what do you do?

Generally, memory foams are an excellent reliever of back pains, but it may not work for everyone. Heres why your memory foam hurts your back.

• Bed Foam Topper

The thickness and density of your bed foam topper can make all the difference when it comes to stopping backaches. This is especially so for back sleepers. It determines how firm the topper will be and also how effective itll be in providing body support. A too firm or too soft topper is no good.

• Your physique

When it comes to memory foams, your physique and the shape of your body matters a lot. Typically, memory foam work more for slim and skinnier body types. This is because their bones stick out and need more support. For people that have Fuller bodies, a semi-firm mattress with a density lower than 5 pounds will be ideal.

Quality Of The Mattress

It makes sense that the quality of your mattress is directly related to back pain. Dr Smycz explains that how well you look after the mattress is a major factor. You need to make sure the mattress is protected and looked after.

If your mattress is in good condition in terms of quality, age, and treatment you should not be waking up with back stiffness, said Dr Smycz.

Youll know its time to replace your mattress if you feel chronic back pain that greets you in the morning.

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Ways A Mattress Can Cause Hip Pain

If you have hip pain then the first thing that you should do is consult your doctor because there are many potential causes that have nothing to do with your mattress.

Some of the most common medical causes of hip pain include osteoarthritis , hip tendonitis, sciatica, hip bursitis, cancer, osteonecrosis, pregnancy, and other conditions .

However, if youre waking up with hip pain that tends to wear off during the day and then return the next morning when you wake up, then this could be a sign that its your mattress thats causing your hip pain.

And if you inspect your mattress and find one or more of the following five conditions to be true, then this suggests an even stronger correlation between your hip pain and your mattress.

An Important Note From Dr. Marinov:

The most common cause of hip pain is osteoarthritis and the pain is often more severe during the night. This study explains that when the daytime activity was higher the pain increased at night.

Therefore, if you wake up in the middle of the night with hip pain it is not necessarily the mattress. If the pain increases during the night when trying to fall asleep, it might be osteoarthritis if it is strongest in the morning, might be the mattress.

Try Changing Up Your Sleeping Position

Changing your sleeping position is one way to try to get back pain relief.

If you are a back or stomach sleeper with a soft mattress and you dont have the budget for a new bed, you can try to switch to a side sleeping position that will receive more support from your existing mattress. In general, experts recommend that stomach sleepers try to adjust to side or back sleeping because its easier to get appropriate support in those positions.

For people with acute pain, temporary changes to your sleeping position may help to reduce stress on already sore or achy parts of your back. For example, people with lumbar pain might try a period of side sleeping to avoid the excess bending of that area that can happen on your stomach or back.

While changing sleeping positions is worth a shot, its often not a long-term solution because the change can be hard to stick with. Some people just cant get comfortable in a different position or they may quickly revert back to their old sleeping position during the night. In these cases, other approaches are more likely to be beneficial over the medium- to long-term.

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The Mattress Is Too Firm Or Soft

Mattress firmness describes how hard or soft a mattress feels when you lie down on it.

Dont make the mistake of assuming that all memory foam mattresses are soft.

Yes, memory foam typically sinks in further than the upholstered layer of a traditional spring mattress and even some latex mattresses, but memory foam can still be firm.

This is because the manufacturer can increase or decrease the ILD values of the foam to make it firmer or softer.

If your memory foam mattress is too firm then you might not sink far enough into the materials which may result in discomfort in your neck, hips, shoulders, lower back, and other areas due to the compression forces building up in your joints.

If your memory foam mattress is too soft, you may sink too far into the mattress and your spine could drop out of alignment which can lead to back pain.

Solution #1: Choose the Right Firmness

If youve yet to buy your memory foam mattress then its crucial that you choose a firmness thats going to increase the chance of you being comfortable in it.

However, its important to note that firmness selection isnt an exact science because the final comfort levels depend on multiple factors.

But heres a rough guide explaining which memory foam mattress firmnesses typically work best with certain body weights, body types, and sleeping positions although personal preferences can certainly override these guidelines:

Can A Bad Mattress Cause Back And Chest Pain

Whilst a bad mattress thats sagging or otherwise had its structural integrity compromised could cause back and chest pain, the chest pain element is particularly worrying if it has come on quickly and you should seek medical advice immediately since sudden, acute chest pain can be an indicator of a life-threatening condition like a heart attack .

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You Wake Up With A Stuffy Nose

Dust mites are microscopic insects that feed on mildew-degraded house dust. If you have dust, you have dust mites.

Many people are allergic to these tiny bugs. In fact, they may be the most common cause of year-round allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America . Dust-mite allergy symptoms include a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and an itchy mouth or throat, the AAFA reports.

If you wake up with those symptoms, your mattress may be to blame. A 2010 study from German researchers found people who started sleeping on mattress toppers that reduced the presence of dust mites and mildew enjoyed a 43% drop in allergy symptoms.

Along with washing your pillowcases and sheets at least once a week to rid them of mites and other allergens, buying an allergen-blocking mattress could also help, the research suggests.

New mattress pick: Snuz makes a mattress wrapped in a dust-mite-proof membrane . A less expensive option is to try a dust mite-blocking mattress cover like Allersoft’s 100% Cotton Mattress Protector .

Why Does My Back Hurt When I Get In Bed

If youre experiencing pain when youre getting into bed, dont ignore it.

Back pain is a symptom of an underlying problem. And when you feel those dull aches and sharp pains, its your bodys way of telling you, Something needs to change!

For many, back pain is just something they live with daily. They think that theyre stuck with it.

But in fact, back pain across the US has actually gotten worse over the years, according to The Lancet.

Graph of back pain across the United States

According to the study, the disability-adjusted life-years from back pain have risen substantially across all age groups.

This may be due to longer work hours, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and more office work.

Simply put, if youre experiencing back pain in bed, its because theres an underlying problem that you need to deal with.

It could be poor posture, stress, or even a medical condition.

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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.

Can A Bad Mattress Cause Health Problems

A bad mattress can cause discomfort, making it more difficult to fall asleep and potentially leading to multiple nighttime awakenings. In turn, poor sleep quality has effects on your physical and mental health.

The restorative benefits of quality sleep are unparalleled. During sleep, your body is hard at work repairing tissue damage, removing toxins, and building new mental pathways. Restorative sleep promotes healthy emotional regulation and helps your brain efficiently process information. Going short on sleep not only leads to next-day fatigue and grumpiness, but may eventually contribute to a wide range of health problems.

Studies have connected poor sleep to memory and concentration problems, weakened immune system functioning, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. A mattress that fails to provide adequate support or pressure relief may also contribute to aches and pains the next day. This may be especially important for individuals who live with chronic pain.

Investing in a quality mattress is one of the most straightforward ways to promote restful sleep and improve your overall health.

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Alternate Sides If Youre A Side Sleeper

Some evidence suggests that habitually sleeping on one side on an ill-fitting mattress may contribute to muscle imbalance and pain. Always sleeping on the same side suspends the middle of your body between your hips and shoulders, the broadest parts of the trunk. Place a pillow between your knees as shown below to keep hips, pelvis and spine aligned.

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.

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