Are you struggling to get a good night's sleep? Do you find it really difficult to get comfortable in bed or wake up feeling exhausted (or in pain)? If you answered yes, this blog is perfect for you...
A lot of patients at Doylestown Sports Medicine Center are suffering from back pain and want to know how to stop it FAST without medications, injections or surgeries so they can get better sleep.
As well as dealing with back pain in day-to-day life, our patients commonly struggle with poor sleep, which in turn leaves them without energy, affecting their mood throughout the day.
In this blog, we'll cover how to ease back pain at night, so you have the tools to get natural and better rest.
Why do I wake up with back pain?
Naturally, during the night, you move a lot less. Depending on the position you sleep in, this can lead to stiff joints, tight muscles or general soreness.
When you wake up (either during the night or when your alarm goes off), your body may not have moved for several hours, and this can make your back pain extremely uncomfortable.
Reducing Back Pain to Fall Asleep
If you struggle whilst falling asleep, there are a number of natural, drug-free ways to reduce back pain, and help you get comfortable in bed.
A good starting point is to try and establish a nightly routine around 30minutes to an hour before the time you want to fall asleep. This could include drinking warm tea, reading, knitting, listening to soothing music or meditating.
You could also take a warm shower or bath, apply gel heating pads, or do some light stretching exercises to loosen your muscles, which can help reduce your pain.
What is the best sleeping position for reducing back pain?
If you have managed to apply some of the tips from the previous section to your bed time routine, and you can get into bed feeling more relaxed, and with your joints and muscles feeling pain-free (or at least a lot less sore than normal), then the next step to focus on getting into a comfortable sleeping position, which will not aggravate your back pain.
The best sleeping position will depend on your preference. However, to stop back pain at night and get better sleep, you will want to keep your spine in alignment, and here are some things you can do to make sure that happens:
Sleeping on your back
If you sleep on your back, this is a great sleeping position as it evenly distributes your body weight across the widest area and puts less pressure on specific points.
To improve this sleeping position, place a pillow underneath your knees to help keep a natural curve in your lower back. Likewise, you can place a rolled-up towel under the small of your back for added support. This will help ensure that your spine remains in alignment when you are sleeping on your back.
Sleeping on your front
If you sleep on your front, this is generally a poor sleeping position because it can lead / aggravate back and neck pain. However, if you are a front sleeper, and can not get comfortable on your back or side, try placing a small pillows underneath your pelvis and lower abdomen. This can help relieve some pressure on your lower back.
Sleeping on your side
If you sleep on your side, there are a couple of options that can help you sleep without back pain.
The first option is to sleep on your side in the fetal position, with your knees towards your chest and your torso slightly curled towards your knees.
The second option is to sleep with your left or right shoulder in contact with the mattress, along with the rest of that side of your body, and with a pillow between your knees.
With both of these options, your neck pillow should sit between the top of your shoulder and your head, so that your neck is in a neutral position.
An important thing to remember with side sleeping is to alternate which side you sleep on to avoid creating any muscular imbalances.
​Another important thing to remember is that sleeping on your side alone will not reduce back pain. It is using the pillow between your knee, that makes the big difference, as the pillow will keep your hips, your pelvis, and your spine in better alignment.
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If you are able to adjust your sleeping position, and find the best sleeping position suited to you, this should make a huge impact on reducing your back pain and enable you to get a much better sleep.
Another natural, drug-free way to ease back pain at night
Should I Change My Mattress?
If you can not remember the last time you changed your mattress, or you have noticed that it is sagging or uneven, it may be a good idea to find a replacement.
Your mattress can play a vital role in supporting your body during your sleep, and in turn, influence whether you wake up with back pain, stiff joints, and tight muscles, or you wake up feeling well rested and moving freely.
The ideal firmness of a mattress can vary based on a person’s sleeping position, body shape, and individual preferences, but as a general rule using a medium-firm mattress will be the best option for most people.
​If your budget allows you to buy a new mattress, make sure to test drive these when in store, so you are sure that you are making the right choice. A lot of stores even allow you to try the mattress for 30 days or longer, with the option to return it if you are not satisfied.
The fastest way to ease back pain at night and get better sleep
We hope that you have found the advice in this blog useful, and we know that applying some of these tips will reduce your back pain, and help you get better sleep.
However, if you want the FASTEST solution to stop your back pain at night, and you are sick of waking up sore, and with no energy for the day ahead, then reach out to our team of expert clinicians.
​Our team has helped THOUSANDS of back pain patients over the years and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with you.
How to get help from Doylestown Sports Medicine Center
Within Doylestown Sports Medicine Center, we offer expert advice tailored to your life-changing back pain, which is wrecking your sleep, and leaving you reliant on painkillers – for FREE, in under 30 minutes.
In one of our free back pain consultations, you will get the opportunity to speak to one of our friendly team in a relaxed environment on a 1-1 basis and discover:
What the underlying cause(s) of your aches and pains.
How long you should expect it to take to correct your problem.
What to do after physical therapy - which doesn't include medications, surgeries, etc.
What other, natural, drug-free methods are available to help you speed up your recovery alongside treatment.
Our consultations are great for anyone who may be 'unsure' if physical therapy is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions to see for yourself if we can help you.
To request your free consultation, click the button below to be brought to our consultation request page.