When you have lower back pain, it can be tempting to just lie on the couch all day until it goes away. But even though it’s easy to assume that lying down for hours will help an ache in your lower back, the pain can actually interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing lower back pain that’s impacting your sleep, from a muscle strain to sciatica. The good news is that there are some tips and tricks that can help you feel relief from your back pain as your head hits the pillow at night.
3 ways to help you sleep with lower back pain
Lower back pain is relatively common. It affects up to 85% of the U.S. population at least once in their lifetime. When an issue is that common, there are plenty of tips spread throughout the health care industry that aim to reduce the pain’s impact on a person’s overall quality of life, including their sleep.
Here are three tips to help you get better sleep with lower back pain:
- Change your sleeping position — When you’re experiencing pain in your lower back, it’s important to sleep in a position that reduces stress on the affected muscles. It’s often recommended to sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs as a way to encourage hip alignment and the natural curvature of your spine. You can also relax the muscles by sleeping on your back with a pillow underneath your knees.
- Find a supportive pillow — When your neck isn’t supported as you sleep, it can affect the alignment all the way down your spine and in your lower back. Try to look for a pillow that helps with alignment and offers lumbar support to reduce the strain on your lower back muscles.
- Stretch beforehand — There’s a way to help you get better sleep with lower back pain before you even get into bed. Stretching before you go to sleep can help you release tension and improve the flexibility of your back muscles. It also helps to relax your body for a quality night’s sleep. Knees-to-chest stretches and the cat-cow stretch are just a couple of effective stretches for your lower back.
If you’re experiencing persistent, worsening or recurring lower back pain that’s making it difficult to fall and stay asleep, be sure to talk to your doctor. They can help you figure out the likely cause of the pain and give you a referral for physical therapy, which is an effective treatment option.
At Excel Sports and Physical Therapy, we can help you alleviate your lower back pain with treatments like manual therapy and targeted exercises. We’ll also make recommendations to help you get the best sleep you can throughout treatment.
Call us or request an appointment today to improve your sleep with lower back pain.
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