Most of you who are reading this article have probably experience that unbearable pain the back each time they wake up. Ever notice that sharp sensation at your lower back, and sometimes, your hips, once you tried getting out of bed? How about the time, your lower back felt sore and not even a proper body stretch can take away the pain? How inconvenient, isn’t it?
But don’t worry! You may be uncomfortable from waking up stiff, but it’s likely nothing serious. However, there are ways to ease back pain all at once.
Yes, there are various tips to maintain your spine health, but a few articles related to easing the back pain when we sleep. According to Spine-Health, back pain interferes with getting to sleep and getting deep sleep, and conversely, the lack of restorative sleep increases the pain, thus more problems follow.
Back pain can be caused by many factors; a herniated disks, poor posture and straining back muscles. You can also visit a chiropractor and see what their diagnosis is if you can no longer bear the pain.
Read this article on how to get rid of backpain and how you can finally get the deep, restful sleep you need with these easy and simple practices.
Tips on How To Ease Back Pain
- Get a Good Mattress While Sleeping
Did you know getting a healthy amount of restful sleep is paramount to learning and education? – and that goes as well with our spine health too.
If you think that your sleep and back is compromised, then better change your mattress now. When choosing a mattress, lie down in your preferred position for 10 minutes and pay attention to your pressure points – then try lying on your back, front, and side to check if this specific mattress matches your reference. Remember that a good mattress will gently support your whole body and keep your spine in a neutral position.
Here are two types of mattress to choose from depending on your preference:
- Traditional Mattress with Spring. If you still want a familiar bouncy feel yet a firmer mattress, and with a good temperature control, then go with this traditional one. It’s made with interconnected coils which are extra-durable, covered with fabric to reduce the ripple effect that happens when someone on one side of the bed moves.
- Memory Foam Mattress. Depending on the thickness of your foam, this type of mattress can help you with pressure relief. More and more memory mattresses are layered with different kinds of foam for additional support and comfort. Moreover, soft foam mattresses have built-in pressure relief points around the shoulders and hips, which makes this good for side sleepers, too
- Change Your Sleeping Position
One of the major reasons why you wake up feeling tired accompanied with back pain is because of your current sleeping position. Here are different sleeping positions and how you can relieve the pain while not compromising on comfort.
- Lay Flat
Place a pillow underneath your knees and to keep that curve in your lower back. You may also place a small, rolled up towel under the small of your back for added support. With this type of sleeping position, your weight is evenly distributed and spread across the widest area of your body – thus lesser strain on your pressure points.
- Sleeping on the side
This is probably the most comfortable position for some – but to help ease the back pain, place a firm pillow between your knees, as this helps restore the natural alignment of the hips, pelvis, and spine.
- Sleeping with a pillow under a stomach
It may not be the healthiest sleeping position, however, if you put a pillow underneath your stomach and hips, it can help improve spinal alignment, and benefit people with a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease.
Most importantly, choose a quality head pillow to maintain the natural posture of the neck and help support the spine. Choose something that’s comfortable and something that keeps its overall shape after use.
- Have a Proper Sleep Hygiene
Try out these simple and easy ways to get a proper sleep hygiene and see the positive results at once.
- Put yourself on a sleep schedule. Our body needs at least eight hours of sleep for proper functioning and lesser stress in the morning. Try sleeping early or at a specific time at night for a week, so your body fall into a more natural sleeping pattern.
- Skip coffee before sleeping. Yes, you may be rushing toward a deadline, but skipping coffee before dinner will help you sleep faster. Research shows that you can enjoy caffeine without disrupting sleep when you drink at past 2pm. However, if you need to stay focus and get the job done at night without compromising on your health, try out other caffeine-free options to see if it affects your sleep quality.
- Take a bath or do yoga. If you still find it hard to stick to your sleeping pattern, try having a show or yoga stretches at night. Reading a book or stitching also help put your mind into a relaxing space.
- Dim the lights. When we’re exposed to bright light throughout the evening, it inhibits the natural production of melatonin, which can interfere with the sleep-wake cycle and can lead to sleep deprivation. It’s highly-suggested you get or install a dimmer switch to control the brightness or install low wattage bulbs in table lamps.
While the decision is still yours if you’ll be following this guide, remember that when you sleep better, everything positive follows – a positive mindset, and perhaps, a push to make that passion project come true!
