What sleeping positions cause back pain?

back pain and sleep

Back pain and sleep are oftentimes related.

And since many people deal with back pain at some point in their lives…

We’re going to cover the worst sleeping position for back pain and what you should do instead.

For more info on back pain, check out: Why do I keep getting back pain?

Improper sleep is one of the biggest contributors to back pain.

However, most people are unaware of how they sleep throughout the night.

The worst sleeping position you can find yourself in is on your stomach with head turned to the left or right.

This is a compromising position that puts loads of stress on the neck and low back.  When someone is on their stomach, it forces the back into extension.

The extended position leads to increased pressure in the low-back, specifically on the discs and soft tissue surrounding the spine.

When you get out of bed, after sleeping in this position for 5-8 hours, the back will be stiff, fatigued, and most likely sore, especially if there’s underlying problems.

So, what can be done to avoid the stress on the low back?

The two sleeping positions I recommend for all our practice members is side-lying, or on the back.

Both of these allow the spine to be in a more neutral posture.

When laying on your back, make sure to place a pillow behind your knees.  This will allow even more pressure to be taken off your back.

Also, try to use as small of a pillow as possible for your head.  Too large of a pillow will force the head into flexion, which will cause stress all the way down the spine and into the low-back.

Likewise, on your side, make sure to place a pillow in-between your knees to help ensure the hips remain even and parallel to each other.  This will reduce tension in the low-back.

I find that many are aware of the correlations between back pain and sleep.  However, most don’t know what to do in order to make it better.

Start with sleeping in these more appropriate positions.

Let me know how it goes…