7 useful tips on how to sleep with back pain

7 useful tips on how to sleep with back pain

May 30, 2023Pharmaflex Ltd.

7 useful tips on how to sleep with back pain

Sleep is important, and when pain and muscle tension prevent it, facing the day becomes a nightmare. Yet, sleeping with back pain and getting up rested is possible.

 

If you are looking for tips on how to sleep with back pain, then you most likely fall into that category of people who wake up in the morning tired and sore, with very little desire to tackle daily tasks.

Then again, you know, back pain can be quite a disabling condition, especially when it is so intense that it prevents the simplest movements. And during the night, resting in the wrong position or on inadequate support, the condition worsens and relieving its symptoms becomes increasingly difficult.

The good news is that remedies for sleeping with back pain are there. Ready to discover them?

 

How to sleep with back pain: how and why it affects sleep quality

There is a very specific reason why back pain affects sleep quality: because with injuries, muscle strains, herniated discs, arthrosis, scoliosis, and protrusions, finding a comfortable position in which to rest becomes very difficult indeed.

At the same time, it is not only the physical condition that prevents you from sleeping well, but also your lifestyle, the position you sleep in, and the mattress, the support on which you spend as much as 1/3 of your life. And since back pain almost always worsens when there is little movement, start by giving up your sedentary life and start moving-your back will thank you and let you sleep soundly.

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How to sleep with back pain: the importance of position

Among the tips for getting a good night's sleep with back pain, the first one relates to sleeping position. Sleeping in the wrong position, in fact, can worsen pain, slow recovery and even cause further injury. But what is the best sleeping position for back pain?

Much depends on the type of pain, or rather, the area affected. Indeed, the position for relieving back pain at night will be different if you suffer from lower back pain or back pain. As a general rule, however, know thatsleeping on your stomach is always inadvisable, because it forces the spine to assume an incorrect curvature and subjects the cervical discs to tension that can only make back pain worse. If this is your preferred position, then place a pillow under your pelvis so that the space between the vertebral discs is spaced out.

 

How to sleep with low back pain

The belly-up position is considered one of the best positions for the back, as the weight is distributed evenly over the body and the spine remains well aligned. However, if you suffer from lower back pain, you will need to place a pillow under your knees: this will bring the spine into delordosis, helping the muscles to relax and prevent them from causing abnormal tension on the lumbar discs. 

In case your back pain is caused by lumbar hernias, then try the fetal position, taking care to pull your knees upward. In this way, the vertebrae will move away from each other, providing pleasant relief for the back. 

It is understood that the main advice on how to sleep with lumbar back pain is mainly one: never rest on your stomach, because you will only further compress the discs in the lumbar and sacral areas.

 

How to sleep with back pain

But now let's see how it is best to sleep with back pain. Let's start by saying that rarely is this type of pain caused by problems in the spine. Most often, in fact, back pain is caused by muscle contractures, as a result of overstraining or incorrect movements.

For this reason, the advice on how to sleep with back pain is only one: you should sleep on your stomach, avoiding resting all the weight of your body on your back. But to avoid causing harmful neck and neck twists, place a pillow in front of you and rest only your forehead, taking care to leave a space for you to breathe.

 

How to sleep with back pain: stretching before sleeping

As already mentioned, it is not important whether you are looking for ways to sleep with back pain or a suggestion on how to relieve lumbar back pain: in any case, before going to sleep, you had better do some stretching. 

In fact, this type of activity helps to stretch the spine, which has a positive effect on sleep quality. One particularly effective exercise, especially if you are looking for effective ways to sleep with lower back pain, is to lie on the bed and bring your knees toward your chest. By holding this position for about twenty seconds, your spinal discs will move away from each other, causing an immediate feeling of well-being in your back.

 

How to sleep with back pain: choosing the right pillow

How to relieve back pain in bed? Of course, with the pillow! Many people underestimate the importance of this device, but this is a mistake. Sleeping with back pain on an inadequate pillow, in fact, will only undermine all your efforts to find rest and well-being at night.

 

When choosing a pillow, think about your preferred sleeping position: if you sleep on your back, a thin or medium pillow that supports your neck and head without lifting them too much may be the best choice, while if you sleep on your side, you will need a thicker pillow to keep your spine well aligned. 

 

How to sleep with back pain: choosing an orthopedic mattress

But let's come to the last and most valuable tip on how to sleep with back pain: rest on a Pharmaflex Hybrid orthopedic mattress.

Made of materials specially designed to fit the natural curves of your spine, these devices will help keep your back in a neutral position, reducing compression of the spinal discs. In fact, thanks to its layered structure, this mattress manages to distribute the weight of the body over the entire surface, freeing the musculoskeletal system from those harmful loads that already strain the spine during the day.

Forget pain at night and tiredness in the morning: now you know how to sleep with back pain!



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