don’t rest in bed all day.

proukAdmin April 21, 2023

0 77 3 minutes read

Americans aren’t getting enough sleep and it’s not a secret – most know it. In a 2022 Casper-Gallup poll, only 3 in 10 American adults said they get “excellent” or “very good” sleep each night; and a Journal of the American Medical Association study found that nearly half the county is sleep deprived.

Common causes of sleep deprivation include sleep apnea, insomnia, nighttime interruptions, fears of the dark, restless leg syndrome and sleep disorders. For some, sleep can bring dread if they struggle with other issues, like sleep paralysis. Another known cause of sleep loss is chronic pain, including lower back pain.

Why is lower back pain worse when sleeping?

While many people are able to sleep through some level of discomfort, some back pain is more acute and painful than others.

“Low back pain can often make it difficult to get a good night’s rest,” says Stephen Dering, PT, an orthopedic clinical specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Such sleep loss from pain occurs because the anatomy of one’s spine makes it more sensitive to sleep positioning when lower back pain is present.

“The way you position yourself at night affects the alignment of the lumbar spine, and thus can affect the pressure imparted on pain sensitive structures throughout the night,” explains Dering.

Should I rest in bed if I have lower back pain?

While sleeping at night is essential and unavoidable whether back pain is present or not, a common myth is that bedrest is a good treatment for back pain during the daytime as well. While some rest can certainly be helpful, doctors do not generally recommend staying in bed both night and day to treat most instances of back pain because activity and mobility are usually essential for recovery. Not moving enough during the day can weaken core muscles and limit blood flow, and strengthening exercises and stretches are important for regaining spinal stability.

How should I sleep with lower back pain?

At the same time, the rest one achieves while sleeping at night is vital – and there are proven ways of improving the quality of that sleep even with the presence of lower back pain.

Safely administered pain medication or the application of ice can be helpful, but simple adjustments to one’s sleeping position are the best way to take the strain off one’s back when trying to get a good night’s rest. “It’s important to note that there is not a ‘best’ sleeping position for everyone,” explains Dering, “however, there are ways to modify sleeping positions in the presence of low back pain.”

These include the bend of one’s knees and the use of an extra pillow to aid in one’s comfort for each sleeping position:

Side sleepers should place a pillow between their knees “to achieve neutral alignment of the spine and pelvis,” says Dering.
Back sleepers can reduce pain by placing a pillow underneath their knees to “help support the natural curvature and reduce stress on the lumbar spine,” he suggests.
Stomach sleepers ought to place a pillow beneath their hips, “to achieve a more anatomically neutral position of less extension,” Dering explains, but he generally recommends against stomach sleeping when dealing with back pain as the position may aggravate the issue further.

Andrew Frost, PT, a practicing physical therapist with Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, says that in lieu of a pillow, some people prefer the firmness of a rolled-up towel, and others find that “temporarily sleeping in a recliner,” can be helpful in reducing their back pain at night.

“If you find your current sleeping situation painful, think through how your spine is positioned, then brainstorm different ways to change the sleeping environment to address one of these aspects of positioning,” he advises.