Lower back pain has always been a painful and stressful issue for people who suffer from it on and off. Lower back pain is common amongst women in India particularly in women who have undergone C sections. It disrupts our daily routines and sleeps as well. Pain in the daytime or nighttime does tend to distract you and affect your concentration levels at work. Still, people do live with it but when it disrupts sleep, that is when it gets to the nerves. So, let us look into certain sleeping positions that are suitable for people who suffer from back pain because even not sleeping in a proper posture can add to your pain, thus worsening it.

Well, it's important to maintain a natural curve of the spine while you sleeping. To ensure that you maintain a proper posture when lying in bed you need to provide proper support to your back when you sleep and keep your hips, shoulders, and head properly aligned. This is not easy as it seems because each one of us sleeps differently like some sleep on their left side, some on their left while some sleep on their stomach. Many avoid sleeping on the back because of snoring issues.

lower back pain

Here are few postures that might help you in dealing with your lower back pain while in bed.

1. THE BEST POSITION – The best sleeping position is to lie on the back because it distributes the weight across the body's surface and uniformly too. It maintains a good alignment of the spine, neck, and head and minimizes the pressure points.

2. FETUS LIKE POSITION – This position is known to be very effective for people who suffer from herniated disc conditions. The fetus position wherein the knees are tucked close to the chest helps in reducing the spine bend and opens the joints up as well.

3. PILLOW BETWEEN KNEES – Many people prefer sleeping on sides, even though it is not considered to be an appropriate sleeping position as it can strain the lower back by pulling the spine out of its position. But, there is a solution to this. Simply place a firm pillow between your knees when you sleep on the sides thus realigning your pelvis, hips, and spine.

4. RECLINER POSITION – This position has helped many with isthmic spondylolisthesis relieve themselves from lower back pain at night. Though an expensive solution, if it is helping you significantly reduce your back pain, then investing in a recline does seem a good idea. You can adjust the chair or bed as per the needs of your back.

Well, many of us are already aware that lower back problems can aggravate if we do not use appropriate mattresses and pillows as well. So, it is important that you buy a mattress or pillow as per your requirement.

  1. Try changing your pillow every 12 -18 months.
  2. If you tend to sleep on your back a lot, use a thinner pillow to avoid straining your neck
  3. Pillows made from memory foam are a good choice as they take the shape of your head or neck.
  4. A medium-firm mattress is a good choice for those of you with lower back conditions.
  5. Avoid softer mattresses because they tend to disturb spin alignment and change them every 10 years.

A good night's sleep is indeed important for good health and fitness so if you have lower back issues the most important thing to do first is to catch up with a Physiotherapist and see what he has to advise on the same.