Lower Back Pain Sleeping Advice, part 1

Cork Sports Injury Clinic would like to invite you to follow the series of articles about optimal sleeping positions that provide relief when experiencing lower back pain. Keep a close eye on our blog not to miss the next entry!

Lower back pain affects not only your daily life, but can also affect your sleep. Additionally, bed posture may aggravate or even cause back pain. This is because certain positions can put excessive pressure on the back, neck and hips. So, what are the best sleeping positions for lower back pain?

It is important to maintain the natural curvature of the spine when lying in bed. One can do this by ensuring that the head, shoulders and hips are aligned and that the back is properly supported. The best way to do this is usually to sleep on the back. However, many people are uncomfortable sleeping on their backs or even cause them to snore. Everybody sleeps differently, so there are many options available for people who want to sleep better and reduce their back pain.

For people experiencing lower back pain at night, trying out the following postures may provide relief.

Sleep on the front with cushion under the stomach

Lying on the front of the body is usually considered the worst sleeping position. For those who struggle to sleep in a different position, however, a small pillow underneath the stomach and hips can help improve spinal alignment. Sleeping on the front may also benefit people with a herniated disc or a degenerative disc disease.

To adopt this position, a person should:
1. Get into bed and roll on to their front.
2. Place a flat pillow under the abdomen and hips to raise the mid-section.
3. Position a pillow or rolled-up towel under the forehead to make adequate breathing space.

That concludes the first part. Stay tuned for the next post from Cork Sports Injury Clinic – how to properly sleep on your back.