Best sleeping positions for lower back pain: Do you deal with lower back pain? You’re not alone.
The Global Burden of Disease study named lower back pain the leading cause of disability across the globe.
What’s even more interesting is that most back pain isn’t caused by serious medical conditions, like cancer or arthritis. Instead, it’s often brought on by stress or strain from bad posture, awkward sleeping positions, and other lifestyle habits.
What is back pain?
Lower back pain is extremely common, especially in adults between the ages of 30 and 50, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Discomfort in the lower back can be chronic or ongoing. It can also be a sudden and brief condition known as acute pain.
Causes of lower back pain include:
- muscle pulls and spasms
- nerve irritation
- spinal abnormalities, such as a slipped disc or spinal stenosis
What’s the Best Sleep Position?
Do you sleep on your back, side, or belly? You may have a favorite sleeping position, or you may change it up now and then. And if you become pregnant, or have certain health problems, the way you sleep can sometimes change. In those cases, getting your sleeping posture right can make a big difference in the way you feel when you wake up. Are you choosing the best sleeping position for your situation?
Sleeping in the wrong way can cause or aggravate neck or back pain. It may also obstruct the airways to your lungs, leading to problems like obstructive sleep apnea. Some research even suggests that the wrong sleeping position may cause toxins to filter out of your brain more slowly. Keep reading to learn how the way you sleep could be impacting your health in several ways.
Types of Lower Back Pain
There are two primary types of lower back pain: acute and chronic.
Acute lower back pain: is short-term, lasting for just a few days up to a few weeks. It is often connected to an identifiable event or injury. When acute back pain fades, there is no ongoing effect on mobility.
Chronic lower back pain: goes on for three months or longer. In many cases, it occurs without a clear link to an initial injury.
Lower back pain that starts as acute may become chronic. It is estimated that around 20% of cases of acute low back pain persist and become chronic.
The best sleeping positions
Here are the best sleeping positions to try if you have lower back pain, as well as some other things you can do to get a better night’s rest.
1. Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees
If lying flat on your back feels uncomfortable, try shifting over to your side:
- Allow your right or left shoulder to make contact with the mattress, along with the rest of that side of your body.
- Place a pillow between your knees.
- If there’s a gap between your waist and the mattress, consider using a small pillow there for added support.
Whether you use one pillow or opt for two, you should resist the urge to always sleep on the same side. Doing so many causes issues like muscle imbalance and even scoliosis.
How does this position help?
Sleeping on your side alone won’t make you feel better. It’s using the pillow between your knees that’s the trick. The pillow will keep your hips, pelvis, and spine in better alignment.
Also read: How To Sleep Faster: Health Trends
2. Sleep on your stomach with a pillow under your abdomen
You may have heard that sleeping on your stomach is actually bad for back pain. This is partly true because it may add stress to your neck.
But if you find yourself resting on your stomach, you don’t have to force another position. Instead:
- Place a pillow under your pelvis and lower abdomen to relieve some of the pressure off your back.
- Depending on how this position feels, you may or may not choose to use a pillow under your head.
How does this position help?
People who have degenerative disc disease may benefit most from stomach sleeping with a pillow. It can relieve any stress that is placed on the space between your discs.
Also read: Benefits Of Drinking Water: Health Trends
3. Sleep on your side in the fetal position
If you have a herniated disc, you may want to try sleeping on your side curled in a fetal position:
- Lay on your back and then roll over gently onto your side.
- Tuck your knees toward your chest and gently curl your torso toward your knees.
- .Remember to switch sides from time to time to prevent any imbalances.
How does this position help?
Your discs are soft cushions between the vertebrae in your spine. A herniation happens when part of a disc pushes out of its normal space, causing nerve pain, weakness, and more. Curling your torso into a fetal position opens the space between vertebrae.
The worst sleep position for back pain
Stomach snoozers, listen up: The way you’re sleeping is absolutely terrible for your lower back. Resting your head to the side puts major stress on your cervical spine, or the area at the base of the neck, and can mess with the alignment of the rest of your spine as well.If you keep waking up on your belly, taping tennis balls to your chest. Sounds weird, but it works. “It will be so uncomfortable, that you’ll be forced to flip over,” she explains. It should also help you get used to the new, back-protecting position.
4. The Freefall Position
About 7% of people sleep on their stomachs with their heads turned to the side. People who sleep this way have their arms wrapped around a pillow or tucked under a pillow.
How Do Sleeping Positions Affect Lower Back Pain?
Another link between sleep and lower back pain is tied to how sleeping position affects spinal alignment. Although posture is typically associated with sitting and standing, it’s also critical when lying down.
A sleeping position that involves twisting, contorting, or otherwise putting pressure on the lumbar spine can cause pain and stiffness. This pain is often worse in the morning but may persist throughout the day.
Home remedies for fast back pain relief
Back pain is a common problem that can interfere with a person’s work and personal life. Fortunately, many home remedies exist to help relieve bothersome back pain.
Lower back pain is a widespread problem, causing more global disability than any other condition. Up to 80 percent of adults will experience low back pain at least once in their lives.
People can also experience pain in other areas of the back, including the middle and upper back.
The back muscles and spine support much of the body’s weight. A person uses the muscles for everyday movements, including sitting, standing, and walking.
1. Keep Moving
You might not feel like it when you’re in pain. But this is probably the first thing your doctor will recommend.
”A common misconception in patients with isolated back pain is that they can’t stay active,” Ray says.
Try to keep up with your usual level of daily activity and movement. It can be a brisk 30-minute walk or circling the block with your dog. Aim to get on your feet at least three times a week.(Best sleeping positions for lower back pain)
Being sedentary “allows the muscles around the spine and in the back to become weak,” says Salman Hemani, MD, an assistant professor of orthopedics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. “That, in turn, can cause less support for the spine” and lead to long-term pain.
2. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Shedding extra pounds lightens the load on your lower back.
“Weight loss really helps [with pain] because it reduces the amount of mechanical force onto the spine,” Hemani says.
If you need help, ask your doctor for advice on a diet and exercise plan that may work best for you.
3. Try Ice and Heat
You may have heard that one is better than the other for relief from back pain. The short answer is that the best option is whichever works for you.
“Some people come in and they swear by heat or ice,” Ray says. “You might want to try both, and you’ll probably find that one is better suited for your relief.” (Best sleeping positions for lower back pain)
Usually, ice is best if your back is bothered by swelling or inflammation. A heating pad may be better if you’re trying to relax stiff or tight muscles.
Hemani suggests limiting ice or heat treatment to 20 minutes at a time. And don’t use them if you’re also putting muscle-ache creams or ointments on your skin.
Also read: Benefits Of Good Night’s Sleep: Reasons Why Sleep Is Important
4. Do gentle stretches
Gentle stretches, walking, and periodically standing up at your desk can help stabilize your spine and prevent muscle imbalances. And despite how hard it is to imagine doing downward-facing dog with a bad back, yoga can work in your favor, too, says Neel Anand, MD, professor of orthopedic surgery and director of spine trauma at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles.