With so many causes of back pain, many people forget to look at their bed as a potential source. Considering you are spending about 1/3 of your life on one you should ask the question, is your bed causing your back pain?
So how do you evaluate if your bed is contributing to your back pain.
- When you wake up in the morning, do you feel refreshed and back relaxed?
- Your bed should afford you a restful night sleep and your back should be relaxed. If not, your mattress may be ill fitting and need to be changed
- Do you seem to toss and turn all night?
- If you toss and turn at night, it may be your sleeping position. Back sleeping is optimal, side sleeping is OK, and stomach sleeping should be avoided.
- If you share a bed, does your bed partner complain of restless sleep?
- If both you and your partner are complaining of discomfort while sleeping, it is probably time to look for a new mattress.
- Do you sleep with children or pets in the bed?
- Pets and children move around a lot and can limit the space you have on your bed. This can result in awkward sleeping positions that contribute to back pain
- Is your bed over 10 years old?
- Beds wear out over time, and you should consider replacing your mattress about ever 10 years.
If you answer yes to many of these questions, you may be wanting to change your sleeping environment. Better sleep and bed can lead to reduced back pain.