Lower back pain is one of the most common medical complaints in the industrialized world. About 70% of people will experience lower back pain in their lifetime, and it can be debilitating. It can interfere with all aspects of daily life, including everyday activities, and work. Furthermore, lower back pain interferes with slumber. In turn, sleep disturbances aggravate the discomfort. There is a broad range of symptoms of lower back pain and a wide variety of treatment options.
What Causes Lower Back Pain?
There are many causes of low back pain. Some specific factors that influence the development of this condition include:
- Poor posture
- Joint disease
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated disc
- Nerve dysfunction
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
- Fractures
When the source of the problem can be identified, it can be treated. Addressing the root of the issue often takes care of the discomfort and prevents it from returning. In some cases, lower back pain is not attributable to a specific pathology, and treatment involves reducing discomfort and enhancing the quality of life.
Good sleep is an important factor in any type of back pain. Getting proper rest can improve your condition in a number of ways.
Why Is A Good Sleeping Setup Important?
Although you don’t feel like you’re doing much while you snooze, your body undergoes important healing functions. Your pituitary gland secretes growth hormone, which helps your body regenerate. Levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, go down. Reducing physical and psychological stress goes a long way in mediating low back pain.
Circulation improves, which sends nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to regenerate cells. Your body also releases cytokines, which are proteins that combat infection, trauma and inflammation.
Even if you are undergoing treatment for lower back pain, the discomfort may not go away if you’re not getting good sleep. Moreover, an inadequate sleeping setup can make the pain worse.
Create an environment for good sleep by establishing a bedtime routine that helps you relax. Encourage deep, high-quality sleep with a mattress and pillow that support your body. You’ll rest better and wake up with fewer aches and pains.
What Should I Do To Get Better Sleep With Lower Back Pain?
Some of the ways to promote good sleep have more to do with your brain than your body. Things that you do during the day can make it harder to snooze at night.
For example, a sedentary lifestyle can make it difficult to settle into bed at night. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. You may see results that same night. However, don’t get too much physical activity close to bedtime. This may elevate stress hormones and body temperature, making it tough to relax right away. Still, gentle stretching or yoga before bed can help you rest and alleviate low back pain.
Maintaining your circadian rhythm, which allows you to get sleepy at night and stay alert during the day, can also help. Keep the lighting bright as you go about your day, dimming the lights in the evening and close to bedtime. Avoid using screens and electronic devices within 30 minutes of closing your eyes.
Creating the optimal environment for good sleep is also essential. Avoid doing active work or other projects in your bedroom. Save the room for relaxing activities, such as meditation and snoozing.
Make sure that you’re as comfortable and supported as possible while you sleep. This may involve revamping your bed and pillow setup. However, there is no one-size-fits-all setup for everyone with pain in the lower back. Working with a medical professional to identify pain triggers can help you optimize your bed setup and sleeping positions.
Optimize Your Setup
Some tips for adjusting your sleeping setup to improve rest include:
- Trying out different mattress toppers for additional support
- Inserting a plywood board between the mattress and box spring to determine whether a firmer bed would be better
- Buying a new mattress if yours is old, sagging, and unsupportive
- Lying in an adjustable bed, which allows you to change positions based on your needs that night
Choose A Different Position
You may also try snoozing with your body in different positions. Some of the best positions to get good sleep with low back pain include:
- Lying on your side in the fetal position – This reduces pressure on your discs, maintains an optimal curve in your back, and creates space between vertebrae.
- Resting on your back with a pillow under your knees – Lying flat on your back can create an unnatural curve in the spine. Bending and elevating your knees slightly flattens your back and reduces lower back stress.
- Sleeping on your back with your upper body elevated – With an adjustable bed, you can raise your torso to support your lower back.
- Lying on your side with a pillow between your knees – This position is excellent if you experience pelvic pain along with lower back discomfort. It keeps your spine aligned as you slumber.
- Face down with a pillow under your pelvis – If you like sleeping on your stomach, slip a pillow below your pelvis to maintain alignment and create space between the discs. A flat pillow is best for stomach sleepers.
Are You Getting The Best Sleep For Your Back Pain?
Although good sleep is essential for healing back pain, many people who suffer from this condition are uncomfortable at night. Poor quality rest can impede healing and make the problem worse. Taking small steps to rest easier can produce significant improvements in low back pain.
If you struggle with discomfort at night or wake up feeling worse than you did the day before, getting an accurate diagnosis can help you relieve the problem for good. Dr. Macrinici specializes in back pain relief and helps improve patients’ quality of life. Schedule an appointment with Advanced Pain and Spine Management to find out how to sleep with lower back pain and get your life back.