How To Sleep Tight With A Lower Back Pain

You are not alone!

Experts have estimated that up to 80% of the population do experience back pain at some time in their lives.

So press the pause button to all your worries and read along to know how to get a good night’s sleep despite having lower back pain.

Yes, you heard me right!

This is common. Experts at Physical Healthcare of Jacksonville who excel in providing the best physical therapy for lower back pain understand that back pain can make a day grievous. What’s worse is that it makes a good night’s sleep even harder! You find it tough to find a comfortable position to hit the sack. Sometimes you may even find it hard to get off the bed in the morning – the reason being severe pain.

But good sleep is essential to the health and your overall well-being right?

What Causes Back Pain?

The joints, ligaments, and muscles on the dorsal side of the human body make complicated structure known as the back. Complications in any of these constituents can result in sprained ligaments, strained muscles, ruptured disks, and irritated joints. Any of these can be the reason behind your back pain.
Apart from these, a sports injury or a recent accident can also be the reason behind the back pain you feel while picking up a pen from the floor.

Factors like arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can complicate back pain.

Diseases in internal organs like kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots, or bone loss can also cause back pain.

Well, here are some tips that can end your morning blues and get you a pain-free good night’s sleep:

Twerking your sleep positions:

1. Sleep with your pillows between your knees, sideways!

• Did you try lying flat on your back? If this makes you feel uncomfortable, then shift to a side.
• Allow either the right or the left shoulder to make contact with the mattress. This will make the entire body rest on the bed sideways putting less stress on your back.
• Keep a pillow between your knees while resting sideways.
• In case there’s a gap between your waist and the mattress, fill that gap with a small pillow. The pillow will keep the hips, pelvis, and spine in better alignment.
• However, after you discover your sweet side to sleep, see that you don’t sleep on the same side every day. Muscle imbalance and scoliosis are the ailments you never want to catch.

2. Ever seen the picture of a fetus? Try sleeping in that position!

• Herniation may happen when part of a disc moves out of its normal place causing neck pain, weakness, etc.
• For someone who has a herniated disc, sleeping on one side curled in a fetal position can do wonders. The discs act like soft cushions between the vertebrae in the spine.
• Lay on the back and then gently roll on one side.
• Tuck the knees inwards towards the chest and curl your torso towards your knees. This curling opens up the space between the vertebrae allowing your discs to move back to their previous positions.
• Switch sides from time to time to prevent any imbalance in muscles.

3. Sleep upside down, but with a pillow under your abdomen

• The moment you sleep on your stomach, there will be someone coming to you and suggesting you not to do it as this may add stress to your neck.
• You can nullify these effects by placing a pillow under your pelvis and lower abdomen. This will relieve some of the pressure off your back. Also, this is the best way to sleep for people having a degenerative disc disease.

4. Sleep on the back and place a pillow under knees

• Sounds simple, right? Yes, this is the simplest way you can tweak your sleeping position.
• People with abrupt sleeping positions can sometimes feel relief just by sleeping on their backs. This happens because sleeping on the back evenly distributes the body weight and spreads it all across the body. As a result, less strain is experienced on the major pressure points.
• Place a pillow under the knees and try to keep your spine in a neutral position. The pillow will keep the curve in your lower back.
• In place of a pillow, you can also keep a piece of cloth or roll a towel under your back.
• This position helps to keep the spine and the internal organs in a better alignment.

5. Sleep on your back in a reclined position

• If you are a person who falls asleep on the chair, then this may not be the best choice for your back pain.
• However, if you practice sleeping on a recliner, then this may be really helpful if you have isthmic spondylolisthesis. This is a condition where one vertebra slips over the one below it.
• Invest your money in an adjustable bed just for the sake of your spine. They must get the best alignment and support.
• Reclining creates an angle between the thighs and the trunk which becomes beneficial for the back.

Visit the best center for physical therapy for lower back pain while following these techniques for a speedy recovery.

The tips are sure to present you the relief that you always wanted. However, there are some more tips that you need to remember in the journey of getting relieved from your back pain.

The quality of the mattress matters.

Determine the kind of mattress you buy keeping in mind your body type.

• Doctors always recommend firm mattresses. For people who have their hips and waist already lining up straight, this can be a good idea. However, in most cases for someone with lower back pain, sleeping on these mattresses can be a cruel experience.
• Researches show that people with low back pain actually sleep worse on firm mattresses.
• A soft mattress can be good if you are among them who have wider hips than the waist. This will keep your spine straight while sleeping.

Avoid extra soft mattresses!
Sleeping on these can result in you sinking in too deep and even twist your joints to unbearable pain!

Experiment by sleeping on different mattresses and and conclude the best one for your back. If you think a hard mattress might be the best for you, then incorporate plywood between your mattress and box spring, or put your mattress on the floor to ensure that the extra support makes a difference.

Get in and out of bed carefully.

A person who is undergoing physical therapy for lower back pain must take extra care while getting in and out of the bed.

• • Avoid bending forward at the waist and making quick and jerking motions.

You must take your time and roll over onto one side and use the arms to push your way up.

Then stand up slowly from the bed. Move your legs slowly and avoid jerking them.

Follow the same while going back to bed at night.

Exercise your core.

If a person with back pain undergoes some physical therapy for lower back pain, then this regular physical activity will certainly improve the quality of their sleep. Regular targeted exercises to strengthen your muscles in your abdomen, hips, lower back, and pelvis provide great relief to back pain.

Look for the best pillow.

The aim of a pillow must be to cradle your head and neck and support the upper portion of your spine.

• IF you are sleeping on your back – A thin pillow must fill the space between the neck and mattress
• IF you are sleeping on the side – Use a thick pillow
• IF you are sleeping on the stomach – Use the thinnest pillow or no pillow.

Remember to change a pillow every year. Pillows are good but over time they may become homes to allergy triggers like mold and dust mites.

Physical Healthcare of Jacksonville can provide you the best physical therapy for lower back pain. We have an efficient team of physical therapy specialists that can help you relieve the pain and restore good spine movements. Contact Physical Healthcare of Jacksonville to book your appointment today and get rid of your lower back pain.