By Heather A McCarter
Poor support when sleeping is one of the main causes of chronic back
pain,especially back pain in the morning. Experiencing restless nights,
achy joints, muscle pain, arm or leg pain, or general morning stiffness-then
look to a new mattress for additional comfort and support.
Here are a few tips to improve the quality of sleep throughout the
night and to decrease the pain the day after.
A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there
are gaps between the body and the mattress (such as at the waist),
then full body support is being neglected. The muscles "creep,"
or stretch, when a position is held too long, thus causing chronic
pain, especially in the morning after waking. This leads to muscle
spasms and dysfunction which can then lead to spinal and pelvic misalignment.
This in turn, causes pain, headaches, or arm/leg numbness.
If the mattress is soft, or has permanent "body indentations"
in it, then try putting a board between the top and bottom mattresses.
This will add support and prevent the gapping where the indentations
or soft spots are formed. Firming up the mattress will help the body
from over-stretching throughout the night. If it is too soft, it might
be time to buy a new mattress. There is no criteria for how long a
mattress should last-it varies with how much it is slept upon, and
the quality of the mattress.
Rotate the mattress! Every few months, turn the mattress clockwise
and upside down so that the body indentations are kept to a minimum.
The purchase of a new mattress may be tedious. Where to begin? Look
for a semi-firm to firm mattress. Try them out in the store, lay in
all positions that feel comfortable for normal sleeping habits. There
are air filled mattresses (tubes of air within columns in the mattress
that one can manually vary the pressure from soft to firm, depending
on the needs of the person), memory foam mattresses, and general polyfiber
filled mattresses (remember semi-firm to firm). Pillow tops do not
decrease the value of a firm/semi-firm mattress.
Weight gain or weight loss, changing sleeping partners, or medical
conditions can also affect a good night's sleep.
If the mattress is new, but the back pain, or other symptoms still
persist in the morning then there are a few other options. Stretch
the affected areas before bed to decrease muscle spasms and joint
pain. Put a pillow between the legs at night to decrease hip, low
back, and leg pain. Make sure the pillow beneath the neck is positioned
at shoulder level, to add support to the neck and shoulders.
Sleeping face down, on the stomach, can cause chronic neck and low
back pain. Try buying a body pillow to put up against the body in
order to prevent falling into a stomach sleep.
Chiropractic attention may help get those joints aligned and the
muscles worked out to reduce pain, numbness, and headaches.
A good nights sleep leads to a productive day.
For more information, questions or comments contact: drheather@mccarterchiropractic.com.
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