Lower back pain is an uninvited guest that arrives because of our carelessness, except in a few situations. For example, you can do nothing about accidents and injuries.
Lower back pain is something that compels people to change their lifestyle. It has a very strong negative effect on the daily lives of people suffering from lower back pain. They cannot bend down to tie shoes or pick up anything. The worst effect of lower back pain is poor sleep quality. It’s very tough for people to sleep with constant pain and find a comfortable sleep position. Even changing the sides in sleep becomes challenging and people end up disturbing their sleep. And thus, they suffer from other health problems because of lack of sleep.
The first thing for you to do is consult a lower back pain doctor. Even if the pain isn’t severe, you shouldn’t take the risk. In the early stages, the treatment will be easy and you will recover soon. Most importantly, you sleep well and keep other problems away from you. Along with this, you should make a few simple modifications to get good sleep with lower back pain.
You should become a side sleeper
Many people side sleepers and they love it. They feel comfortable sleeping sideways. You too should try this to keep the spine in a natural alignment. If you haven’t slept ever on the side, it will take time to develop this habit. But, you should keep trying for your benefit.
To become a side sleeper, you should pull your knees up slightly towards your chest to lie in the fetal position. Make sure you feel the tension at ease in your lower back. If it’s difficult, you should place a thin, small pillow between your knees.
Sometimes, the mattress creates a problem in developing a side sleeping habit. There is a gap between the bed and your waist. To overcome this problem, you should roll up a small towel and insert it in there for better spinal support. We recommend choosing softer mattresses as they relieve the pressure points at the hips and shoulders and are good for side sleepers.
You should adjust your way of sleeping on your stomach
Like side sleepers, many people are stomach sleepers, meaning they sleep on their stomachs. In this way of sleeping, the stomach goes flat, and sometimes changing sides becomes challenging.
Sleeping on the stomach is not advised for people with lower back pain. It’s better to forget this habit and become a side sleeper. If you are unable to drop the habit of stomach sleeping and adopt side sleeping, you should find a firm mattress and a pillow.
You should place the pillow under your pelvic/lower abdominal region. Make sure the pillow features a cut-out where your face will rest.
You should modify your back sleeping position
After the side sleeping position, the back sleeping position is recommended for people with lower back pain. It is workable and prevents the condition from getting worse.
For a back sleeping position, you should find a medium-firm mattress. As the back sleeping position disrupts the gentle curvature of the lower back, you should correct it by placing a pillow under the knees.
With these modifications, we hope you get good sleep with lower back pain. And again a reminder, don’t forget to consult a lower back pain doctor.
