How To Sleep With Lower Back Pain, According to Experts

It can be hard to sleep when you’re experiencing any type of pain, but lower back pain is its own special kind of hell-and it’s, unfortunately, something roughly 80% of people will experience at some point in their life, according to a 2015 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine . If you’re between the ages of 50 and 55, you’re even more likely to suffer from it, according to the World Health Organization . Lower back pain can happen if you sit all day, either at a desk, on the couch, or in the car. It can happen if you have poor posture or you lift wrong at the gym. It can also be something that happens naturally with age due to general degeneration. “Most back pain will resolve on its own within a few weeks with some basic stretches , but some people can benefit from physical therapy,” says Dr. Matthew Morris, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with MedStar Health in Washington DC. Other people, he says, have chronic back pain due to arthritis. In any case, having back pain can make it almost impossible to sleep . If you’ve been tossing and turning because you’re struggling to find a comfortable position to sleep in due to lower back pain, you’ve come to the right place. We talked to orthopedic surgeons and a sleep doctor for their best tips, including what positions tend to be most comfortable. What kind of mattress is best for back support? Whether you’re already dealing with low back pain or you want to avoid it, all three doctors we talked to say that a medium-firm mattress tends to be best for back support. “Medium-firm or orthopedic mattresses are consistently shown to reduce pain and improve sleep quality compared to soft or very firm mattresses,” says Dr. Michael Breus, PhD, a clinical sleep medicine specialist and iFIT Science council member. Every expert we talked to is in agreement that super soft mattresses are the worst for your back. “Soft mattresses have less structural support,” Dr. Morris explains. While all three experts recommend testing mattresses out, Dr. Morris says that when in doubt, go for a medium-firm mattress. Curious what a sleep medicine doctor has on his bed? Dr. Breus says he has a Purple mattress , which has personally helped his lower back pain. If your lower back pain is chronic, you might want to look into getting an adjustable mattress. “Sleeping on an adjustable [mattress] that allows the head or feet to be elevated can significantly reduce back pain by up to 45% and improve perceived sleep quality and restfulness,” Dr. Breus says. 5 tips for how to sleep with lower back pain It may seem obvious, but when it comes to the best sleep position for lower back pain, Dr. Todd Alamin, MD , an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford Medicine, says to sleep in the position that’s least painful. “Our bodies are programmed to figure out what’s comfortable. The reason why we...

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