Lower back pain often causes many doctor visits. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) states it's the main reason behind job-related disability. A minimum of 80% of individuals in the U.S. will likely struggle with low back pain at some point in their lifetime.
Injuries like muscle strains or sprains from poor body mechanics, or sudden movements while lifting heavy objects cause most low back pain. Common causes of back pain in the lower back include:
The ligaments and muscles in your back can tear or stretch because of excess activity. You'll likely feel muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain in your lower back. Physical therapy and rest can help with the symptoms.
Your back discs are susceptible to injury, which increases as you age. The outside of your disc can herniate or tear.
Herniated discs, also referred to as ruptured or slipped discs, occur when the cartilage that surrounds your disc pushes against your nerve roots or spinal cord. The cushion sitting between your spinal vertebrae extends outside its regular position.
This can lead to nerve root compression as it exits from your spinal cord, and through your vertebral bones. Usually, you'd get a disc injury suddenly after you lifted something, or after you twisted your back. Pain from disc injury, unlike with back strains, typically last for over 72 hours.
When your disc is pressing on your sciatic nerve with a herniated disc, it could lead to sciatica. The sciatic nerve connects your spine to your legs; therefore, sciatica could cause leg and feet pain. This pain often feels like pins and needles, or burning.
This condition is where your spinal column narrows and adds pressure on your spinal nerves and spinal cord. It's often due to disc degeneration between your vertebrae, resulting in compression of your spinal cord and nerve roots by soft tissues or bony spurs.
Spinal nerve pressure could cause symptoms like:
Your symptoms may become worse when walking or standing.
There are numerous other conditions that might cause low back pain, including:
Lower back pain can not only ruin your sleep at night, but if you're sleeping in a poor posture, too, it can make your existing pain worse. A poor sleep posture might even be what's causing your lower back pain, since certain positions could place pressure on your hips, back, and neck.
If you're experiencing low back pain during the night, you might want to try the following tips and postures that might offer you some relief:
Lying on your back is typically believed to be the best sleep position for a healthy back. By doing so, you're distributing weight evenly throughout the full length of your body's biggest surface. It also ensures proper alignment of your neck, head, and spine, and minimizes pressure.
You can place a small pillow under your knees to offer extra support, and help maintain natural spine curve.
To adopt this sleep position, you should:
For additional support, fill in any open spaces between your mattress and your body with a few pillows, like beneath your lower back.
While lying on your side can be comfortable, it could also pull your spine out of position, straining your lower back. But, it's simple to correct this. You could simply put a firm pillow between both your knees, which will raise your upper leg, and restore the natural alignment of your pelvis, hips, and spine.
To adopt this sleep position, you should:
Fill in any open spaces between your mattress and your body with several pillows for extra support, particularly at your waist.
If you're suffering with a herniated disc, sleeping in a curled-up fetal position might provide you with some relief in the nighttime. This is because when you lie on your side, and tuck both your knees into your chest, it decreases the bending of your spine, and helps open your joints up.
To adopt this sleep position, you should:
When you sleep in a reclined position, it might benefit low back pain, especially if you have isthmic spondylolisthesis.
If substantial relief is found when you rest in a reclined chair, it might be worth investing in an adjustable bed you can position as you see fit.
Some would say sleeping on your front is not a good idea because by doing so, your head is usually turned to one side which can twist your spine, and place extra stress on your shoulders, neck, and back.
However, you can avoid this. First, try lying face down, and prop up your forehead with a tightly rolled-up towel or a firm pillow, allowing some room to breathe. You should also place a pillow under your stomach.
To adopt this sleep position, you should:
The worst position to sleep in is believed to be on your stomach. It's not good for your spine because it places the most pressure on the joints and muscles of your spine, since it flattens your spine's natural curve. It also causes you to have to turn your neck, which could cause upper back and neck pain.
A mattress can play a significant role in reducing or preventing lower back pain because it's a principal means of supporting your body while you sleep.
Good spinal alignment requires a mattress that's in great condition, and doesn't excessively sag. A medium-firm mattress is the best mattress to use for combating lower pain, although the proper firmness could vary based on your:
Again, a medium-firm mattress is what you'll want to aim for for lower back pain. Latex is great. It's pressure relieving, and contouring. When you sleep on a hard mattress, it may be too firm, and this could lead to more pain. If your mattress is too soft, it can lead to too much sinkage, and this can cause your joints to twist, which can also be painful.
A medium-firm latex mattress provides the body-cradling qualities of memory foam, but it also offers cushioned support. It provides these things without harmful chemicals, too. But, you'll want to check the latex mattress you're considering buying to ensure it's 100% natural, like a mattress from Latex For Less that contains no additional chemicals or fillers.
Obtaining quality sleep is an essential part of recovering from low back pain, but to sleep well might seem like a challenging task when your back is hurting. While you won't find any guaranteed ways of obtaining better sleep with lower back pain, these tips could helps:
Focusing on your sleep hygiene could enhance your sleeping habits, thereby reducing your lower back pain, and improving sleep quality.
Be sure to see your doctor for additional tips, and to help you manage your back pain.
Some benefits of sleeping on a Latex For Less mattress when you have back pain are:
These are only some ways a Latex For Less mattress can help with lower back pain. You can visit the Latex For Less website to learn more about our natural latex mattress's features and benefits.