Back Pain and Sleep Deprivation
Finding the best mattress for back pain is fundamental to restorative sleep which affects our overall health. Back pain can affect people of all ages, but as we get older we become more susceptible to back issues.
Preventing and managing back pain ought to begin with your mattress. A quality mattress is a non-drug solution for back issues. With a growing epidemic of prescription opioid (pain-killers) overuse and abuse, there has been a wider acknowledgment of finding alternative, non-drug approaches for managing back pain. A good mattress is also a preventative approach.
Sticking with a poor quality or 0ld mattress is asking for trouble. It can dramatically cause and increase back pain. Back pain then prevents from being able to fall asleep and stay asleep, depleting the body of the restorative rest it needs. Sleep deprivation can put your health at real risk.
Frequent sleep deprivation weakens the immune system and compromises your body’s ability to fend off illness. Long term sleep deprivation can lead to more chronic conditions such as heart disease. This explains why back pain is one of the leading contributors to poor health and early mortality. Back pain with sleep deprivation can be directly related to your mattress choice. The importance of a proper mattress that fits your individualized needs and allows you to sleep restfully really should not be underestimated.
Back Pain Risk Factors
80% of the population will experience some type of back pain during their lifetime. Here are some common risk factors for either acute back pain which is short term pain caused by an injury; or, chronic back pain that lasts 3 months or longer and is brought on by either an accident or a health condition.
Compounding a back problem, poor sleep prevents bodily functions from being able to restore and heal. Knowing what risk factors are avoidable, such as a bad mattress, helps you be proactive:
- Age-after age 30, we are more vulnerable to back issues
- Skeletal irregularities-abnormal curvatures of the spine can lead to back pain
- Obesity-especially around the midsection, puts excessive strain on the spine
- Arthritis-prematurely deteriorates bone cartilage, synovium fluid, or causes joint inflammation
- Osteoporosis-skeletal degeneration where bones become more porous and brittle affects the spine and lead to back pain
- Mental health issues-tends to predispose for back issues
- Diseases-some diseases such as cancer cause back pain
- Lack of exercise/poor health contributes to worsening back problems
- Muscle or ligament strain-sudden contorted movement or lifting heavy objects leads to strain
- Bulging or ruptured discs-the cushion between vertebrae that protects nerves is deteriorated which causes back pain
- Cigarette smoking-deprives the body of nutrients needed to nourish all areas of the back
Best Mattresses for Back Support
Regardless of whether you have back problems or not, you’ll want the best mattress for back support. More specifically, having good posture is important when you sleep.
If your muscles and ligaments aren’t in the proper position (posture), they aren’t able to relax for recuperation while you sleep. Spinal alignment, targeted pressure relief, and a carefully measured balance between close body conforming and robust support from your mattress will give you the sleeping posture you need.
Construction and materials should include multiple high quality, high tech foam layers that work together to form a comfortable surface with resilience and fortification against too much sink.
Good construction and materials do cost money, however, and it is not uncommon for consumers to think they can save money by choosing a less expensive mattress. Unfortunately, this is misleading since the big drop in mattress price generally equals a big drop in the quality of its construction. So, it’s not surprising that back pain is the third most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office.
In fact, back pain accounts for two or more lost work days for every full-time worker equaling 264 million lost work days in one year. While the majority of people recover from back pain, the chances of reoccurrence is again increased by poor mattress quality.
Essential Details for Choosing Your Best Mattress for 2019
Your best mattress for 2019 depends on what’s right for your personal preferences and specific health needs; your best mattress also depends on understanding the value of structural and comfort layer materials that are put together properly so that your body gets what it needs each and every night’s rest.
Here is a checklist you can go over with one of our Mattress Express sleep experts to help you select what’s best for you:
- Mattress Express Construction technology used
- Mattress Express Layers of support
- Mattress Express Firmness levels
- A person’s weight
- Skeletal irregularities and other medical conditions
- Preferred sleeping position/correct posture
- Price point
Test drive Your Best Mattress
Finding your best mattress is a combination of your senses and a discussion with one of our knowledgeable Mattress Express sleep specialist, with a focus on support, comfort and health.
A general rule for everyone is that “good posture” is very important while you are sleeping. It’s impossible to know for sure if a mattress is appealing to your senses while properly supporting your posture without testing things out yourself, in person.
With this in mind, come try out an assortment of mattresses at different firmness and plush levels, at one of our Mattress Express locations. One of our friendly associates will be eager to assist you with selecting a life-changing mattress!
Sources
https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-statistics
https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/default.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20369906
