Sleeping on an unsuitable mattress can cause or increase back pain. Continue reading to learn how your mattress affects your back health.
Is it possible for a mattress to cause back pain? Yes, a bad one may. Our mattress significantly impacts our sleep quality and how we feel when we get up in the morning. Sleeping on a filthy mattress regularly can cause the spine to lose its normal alignment and strain the muscles, resulting in back pain.
A supportive mattress, on the other hand, can assist your spine in maintaining a neutral position and preventing back pain.
People who do not grasp the delicate science of selecting the correct sleep surface for their sleeping habits are more prone to acquire chronic back pain, neck stiffness, and shoulder problems.
Lower back pain is not just the most significant cause of disability worldwide; approximately 60 percent of people experience it at some point in their lives.
When there hasn’t been a recent acute stress or strain due to a strained muscle or tendon, determining the exact reason for back discomfort might be difficult.
So, how can you know if your mattress is causing back pain? How can you be confident that your mattress is the primary cause of your back problems?
Top 10 signs to look out for:
Here is a list of ten symptoms to look for in a mattress to determine if it is the sole cause of your back pain:
- Your Mornings Start with Pain: If you have back pain shortly after waking up every morning, the mattress and your sleeping posture are most likely to blame. An old mattress or a mattress that is excessively soft for you can place undue strain on your spine, resulting in morning back pain.
- You Are Tossing & Turning All Night: An uncomfortable mattress could be the source of your disturbed night’s sleep. Your failure to find a comfortable sleeping posture may be causing your constant tossing and turning, which can add to back pain.
- Your Mattress Seems to be Eating You Up: If you feel like you’re sinking into your mattress and your spine cannot maintain a neutral position, this could be the source of your back pain.
- Your Mattress is Either Too Soft or Too Hard: A mattress that is overly soft for you can cause back pain sooner than you realise, and a firm mattress puts strain on the joints. To tackle this condition, most sleep experts prescribe a medium-firm orthopaedic mattress.
- Your Mattress is new: Our bodies frequently require time to acclimate to a new sleeping surface. If you are having back discomfort after switching to a new mattress, there is a good chance that the new mattress is causing lower back pain. You simply need to give your body some time to adjust.
- You have an Aged Mattress: Mattresses should be replaced every 7-8 years. The reason is that the mattress will wear out, and our body weight, sleeping patterns, and bone density alter over time. This necessitates the replacement of the mattress with a new one that provides the best firmness and support.
- You Keep Waking Up During the Night: Any type of sleep disorder can be traced back to your sleeping environment. Your mattress is the foundation of your sleeping environment and is critical to achieving continuous sleep.
- Comfortable Sleep Seems Just a Dream: A decent mattress is connected with a good night’s sleep. If you are not getting enough sleep on your present mattress, it may not be the best one for you.
- You are Always Tired: A terrible mattress can directly affect how you feel when you wake up. If you are tired and have back pain, you should look into your mattress.
- Your Mattress is Saggy & Uneven: Sleeping on an outdated and bumpy mattress, according to several sleep specialists, is very likely to cause persistent back discomfort. Look for apparent sagging, particularly in the centre of the mattress, as it is detrimental to your spine’s health.
Which Type of Mattress is Best for Back Pain?
A critical step in selecting a mattress is determining which material works best for you. Based on their construction and materials, almost all mattresses on the market today can be classified into five kinds.
There are common elements within each category; nevertheless, we know there might be a significant difference from one brand or model to the next. Some varieties permit a greater variety of designs, resulting in a more significant difference in the expected feel and performance of any one mattress.
Hybrid
Hybrids have an innerspring support core complemented by a substantial comfort system that may include layers of foam, latex, micro coils, cotton or fibre fill, down, and wool. The comfort layers on a hybrid mattress are substantially thicker than those on an innerspring mattress.
Well-balanced features. Hybrid beds attempt to combine the most significant features of different bed kinds while avoiding the drawbacks of each.
For example, we’ve discovered that hybrids have moderate to significant contouring, which aids with pressure point relief. Their coils allow for excellent ventilation, making temperature regulation benefit most hybrid beds.
Innerspring
An innerspring mattress is almost entirely made up of metal coils. A tiny layer of cotton, polyester, or foam may be present above the coils, but we have found that this layer does not significantly affect mattress performance.
Historically, innerspring mattresses were the most popular, but their popularity has waned as foam, latex, and hybrid types have gained traction.
Low-cost and customisable. Innersprings have the advantage of being among the most affordable alternatives available. One alternative is to utilise the money saved to modify the feel of the bed with a mattress topper.
Latex
Latex mattresses feature an internal construction composed entirely of latex, a form of rubber. Most mattresses use natural latex derived from trees, but synthetic or mixed latex is used occasionally. Different types of latex formulas may be used in the comfort layers and support core.
Supportive Contouring is a highlight. We evaluated a variety of latex beds, most of which offer minor contouring effects, allowing the bed to cushion the body without sinking excessively.
Airbed
Airbeds have a support core made up of inflatable chambers. Sleepers can regulate a pump that adds or removes air from the chambers, altering firmness in real-time via a remote or smartphone app.
Other materials, such as foam, latex, cotton, polyester, or wool, may be added as a comfort system above the support core.
Firmness can be adjusted. Our research team believes that the main advantage of airbeds is their adaptability.
Swiftly adjusting the bed’s firmness can be a significant benefit for persons suffering from back pain because it allows them to get “dialled in” depending on the nature of their discomfort and posture at the time.
Foam
The support core and comfort system of an all-foam mattress are created by layering foam. Memory foam, as well as polyurethane foam (polyfoam), is a common material in foam mattresses because it can be made to have various features. A foam mattress may have latex layers but does not have coils.
Deep Contouring. Memory foam typically provides the most hug, enabling these mattresses to provide proportional cushioning to the parts of the body that require it the most.
Our test team’s side sleepers can verify that foam is especially effective for cushioning sharp impact areas like the shoulders and hips.
