Are you a back sleeper?
Sleeping on your back puts approximately 50 pounds of pressure on your spine! If you have to sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees to maintain the natural curve of your lower back, and ensure that your head pillow supports your neck.
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Are you waking up consistently with back pain? You might think that you just “slept wrong”, but it may not be from just one night’s bad sleep. Most back pain isn’t caused by one event. Instead, it is often the result of an accumulation of events that have been adding up over months or even years, which can affect your spinal health. In fact, there is a strong relationship between sleep and spine health.
How can sleeping contribute to back pain?
From spinal alignment to mattress support, there are various ways sleeping habits can increase or relieve your back pain. Spinal alignment is the number one factor. When the spine is not in proper alignment, it can cause muscle tension, stiffness, and worsen underlying issues over time. This can cause pain and discomfort throughout the day. Poor alignment is an even bigger problem if you already have back issues like spinal stenosis or herniated disks.
How can sleeping alleviate back pain?
Studies from the American Sleep Research Institute have found that the ideal sleep position resembles the standing position. This keeps the middle ear, shoulder, hip, and ankle in alignment, reducing the chance of unwanted pressure.
To maintain proper sleep posture, invest in a supportive mattress and pillows. Mattresses that use materials such as latex, air chambers, and pocketed coils are especially good at providing proper support.
It is essential to address any underlying back problems or sleep disorders with your doctor or chiropractor.
You can also add gentle stretching or mobility exercises into your daily routine to help improve flexibility and reduce tension in back muscles during sleep.
What is the best sleep position to relieve back pain?
The key to healthy sleep is alignment, not position. So whether you are a side sleeper or a back sleeper, maintaining good alignment while you sleep is a good starting point.
The American Chiropractic Association describes sleeping on your back as putting about 50 pounds of pressure on your spine! If you sleep on your back, put a pillow behind your knees to relieve stress to the lower back.
If you sleep on your side, placing a pillow between your knees can keep your hips balanced and reduce the pressure on your spine by nearly half!
If you like to sleep on your stomach, you favor the sleep position that puts the most pressure on your spine. This is because it counters the natural curve in the spine and forces you to turn your neck, which can cause neck and upper back pain. If you can’t avoid this position, try placing a thin pillow under your pelvis and lower abdomen to relieve back pressure.
Which mattress is best for relieving back pain?
When you lie down, the weight of your body is more evenly distributed, alleviating the strain on your spine that may occur during the day. Your nightly sleep is your spine’s opportunity to rest after supporting your body against the heavy weight of gravity.
During sleep, the body undertakes a process of tissue repair and regeneration. This allows for the repair of damaged spinal tissues like muscles, ligaments, tendons, and spinal discs. This helps maintain the overall health and integrity of the spine. To make the most of this time, you need a supportive mattress that helps maintain good spinal alignment. Without it, you won’t achieve proper rest.
The American Sleep Research Institute has found that a mattress that uses a combination of coils, air chambers, and latex provides the best spinal support.
Coils
Coils create a base that adjusts to your body’s natural curves while providing even weight distribution. Research has shown that pocketed micro-coils are the best system for achieving these results.
Air chambers
The air chamber relieves pressure while allowing for normal nighttime movement; however, all air chambers aren’t created equal. Some allow heavier body sections to sink and push the head and feet upwards, creating a hammock posture that can contribute to pain. It is important to use an air chamber with differentiated support to maintain the best sleep posture.
Natural latex
Latex padding is the best material for building a mattress that is both comfortable and supportive. Unlike memory foam, which is a petroleum product, latex is a natural, non-toxic material. While memory foam holds body heat, latex naturally circulates it away from the body. And the heat that is retained in memory foam causes it to break down much more quickly than latex, which is why latex lasts 20% longer on average.
The iSleep Mattress
Only the iSleep mattress uses a combination of pocket micro coils, differentiated air chambers, and natural latex padding. The iSleep team has drawn on decades of research and over 30 years of input from chiropractors and their patients to create a mattress built to maintain proper spinal alignment. And unlike other mattresses, ours are adjusted to each sleeper’s unique body type and sleep profile.
Your spinal health is integral to your overall health and well-being, and spinal pain can make a significant difference in your quality of life. By understanding how sleep may be contributing to your back pain and learning how to sleep smarter, you can wake up to less pain and improved spinal health.