There are several reasons why your back might be hurting. Maybe its stress, your before-bed routine, or even your diet.
Nevertheless, the same place you derive comfort and a good night’s rest might just be the same thing that’s causing you to sleep poorly and experience back problems.
A low-quality bed will not affect your quality of sleep, which causes you to experience a bad day but also exposes you to several health problems, including back pain.
Today, we’ll look at 5 signs that show your mattress is causing your back pain. You’ll also learn how to solve this problem.
You wake up with a stiff and sore lower back
Sometimes you can go to bed feeling great, but end up waking up feeling miserable. Sometimes you may even wake up with a stiff and sore lower back pain. If this is the case, your mattress is the problem. Maybe it’s too soft or too firm.
A very soft mattress usually lacks enough support and comfort. And if it sags a lot, it can cause serious health problems.
A very soft mattress allows your body to sink too deep, causing misalignment of the spine, increased pressure at the lower back, and even joint twist. As a result, you’ll wake up with a painful back. A research-based review on soft mattress from Sleep Standards indicates that quality soft mattress should provide you with enough support, comfort, and offer your body pressure relief.
Although a firm mattress is recommended for people with lower back pain, sleeping on a very firm mattress might not be so convenient. According to studies, sleeping on a medium-firm mattress can help alleviate lower back pain efficiently than sleeping on a very firm mattress.
A mattress that’s too firm might push the shoulders and hips, resulting in misalignment of the spine. It’s therefore important to find a mattress that doesn’t stress your spine. It should allow your spine to sit in a neutral resting position throughout the night.
You have trouble getting comfortable
If you’re having trouble lying still during the night, then the problem isn’t your unfinished project but your mattress.
You might find it hard to get a good night’s sleep because your mattress can no longer conform or support your body as it should.
Also, your pressure points might not be getting enough support from the mattress, that’s why you keep on tossing and turning throughout the night.
Although there are numerous health problems associated with tossing and turning during your entire sleep, back pain is indisputably the first health issue you must deal with.
Constant readjustment during the night means that your mattress is too old or too soft and you need to get another one.
You feel immersed in your mattress
A quality mattress should be able to maintain its shape irrespective of the amount of weight being exerted on it. Usually, a quality mattress comprises a top (comfort) layer, middle (transitional) layer, and a support layer.
The comfort and translational layers are built to provide countering comfort for your body curves. However, if you realize that the central part of your mattress dips down too often when you’re sleeping, you should consider buying a new mattress. This is true, especially if you’ve started experiencing back pain.
A low-quality mattress will alter your hip and spine flexibility, consequently forcing you to adopt a new sleeping position which can cause you back pain.
You occasionally wake up in the middle of the night
It’s not normal to wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason unless you have an underlying health condition. But if this is the case, there’s a high chance that your mattress is contributing to your back pain.
Your mattress is at least eight years old
It’s always recommended that you replace your mattress every 7 to eight years. As your mattress ages, it experiences wear and tear which causes it to lose its shape. They also affect the level of support the mattress provides you during the night.
Over time the mattress foam, coils, and toughness tend to gradually decrease, making it less comfortable. The foam won’t cradle your hips as it should, and the spring won’t support both the weight of your body and the top layers of the mattress. Eventually, the mattress will sag.
The absence of optimal support and comfort from a mattress forces you to adopt a sleeping position that’s bound to misalign your spine and push pressure to your hips, shoulders, and lower back. So, it’s right to say that an old mattress and back pain have a strong correlation.
How to solve the problem?
Now that you know how a mattress can cause your back pain, let’s look at what you can do to solve this problem.
Get a new mattress
First, if your mattress is older than 7 or 8 years, it’s prime time to get a new mattress. The more you stay with an old mattress, the more you’re putting yourself in the risk of developing chronic back pain. A new mattress will provide you with all the comfort and support you require during the night. Also, it helps to ease back pain.
Flip your mattress
Don’t sleep on the same side of the mattress for over 2 years. Rotate your mattress regularly to maintain its shape over time. You might be experiencing back pain because you’re sleeping on a side that’s too soft, or that sinks too much.
By rotating your mattress, you’ll be distributing weight more consistently across the sleep surface. Therefore, you’ll receive enough support and your mattress will last longer.
Check out your mattress foundation
Without the right foundation, your mattress won’t deliver the maximum lumbar support you desire. So you need to ensure that you use the right foundation, whether it a box foundation, adjustable power base, or a flexible platform.
Upgrade your mattress
If your mattress is too firm or too soft and is causing your constant back pain, then it’s time to upgrade it even if it’s not the due date.
Takeaways
Your mattress and back health go hand in hand. If you want to reduce the risk of developing chronic back pain, consider finding a quality mattress that offers you quality support, comfort, spine alignment, and pressure relief to your lower back, hips, and shoulders.
