Buying a New Bed
This month sees 'National Bed Month', and 14th March was 'World Sleep Day'.
Chiropractors are often asked for advice on the selection of beds and mattresses and, in truth, there is no one solution that suits all. Choosing the right bed can
minimise those factors that may lead to, or aggravate back pain. We come in different weights, shapes and sizes, but have one thing in common; we spend more than a third of our
lives in bed, so should choose our beds carefully.
Common Questions Answered:
Which is better, a hard or soft mattress?
- The best mattress is a ’supportive one‘. A 16 stone person sleeping on a mattress may not get the same support as a 10 stone person sleeping on the same mattress.
How do I know which is the right mattress for me?
- If you are lying on your side, your spine should be parallel to the mattress and your spine should not sag (bed too soft) or bow (bed too hard). The longer you can spend lying on a mattress before you buy it, the more accurate this feeling will be.
- Your pillow should be an extension of this i.e. your neck should be a continuation of the straight spine and not too high or too low.
What about my partner?
- Always shop with your partner as your respective ideal mattress tensions could be very different. If this is the case, buy beds from a range that allow two single mattresses to be zipped together, so that you both get the support you need.
How do I know if my current bed/mattress needs replacing?
- Are you and your partner getting comfortable nights sleep? If the answer is no, your bed may be the problem.
- Can you feel the springs through the mattress? If the answer is yes, it is definitely time to buy a new one.
- Is the bed more that 10 years old? If the answer is yes, consider purchasing a new one – beds wear out and may sag or lose support with time.
What things can I do to help prevent back problems even with my new mattress?
- Try and adopt a sleeping position which creates less physical stress on the back. For example, lying on your side is better than lying on your front with your neck twisted to one side.
- Keep moving and avoid being in any one position for too long. No matter how comfy the position may initially feel, the longer you stay in one position, the more this will ‘load joints’. If your partner moves around a lot at night, try separate beds for a while as your partner’s movement could aggravate YOUR back condition!
- Drink water. Keep well hydrated; dehydration can make muscles ache.
- Don’t leap out of bed first thing in the morning. After you have woken up wake up, try some gentle stretches.
- Wake up your body. Once up, avoid bending or doing anything sudden or strenuous until you back wakes up!
Bed advice UK provide impartial advice on how to choose the bed that's right for you: https://bedadvice.co.uk/bed-buyers-guide/buying-a-bed-thats-right-for-you/
Sleeping Positions
We all have our favourite sleeping positions, but some may be doing more harm than good. People who find it difficult to get comfortable don't have good quality sleep, as they are tossing and turning into weird and wonderful positions!
Patients often come to see me with pain they have woken up with, or they're not quite sure how it started through the day. Very often this is caused by the way they have slept. This image illustrates some of the most aggravating positions that we can sleep in (front being the worst), and some options if you have back pain to keep you comfortable.
REMEMBER DRINK PLENTY OF WATER - This helps us keep our muscles and joints hydrated and therefore pain to a minimum.
AVOID SLEEPING ON YOUR FRONT - A lot of front sleepers present to us in clinic with chronic problems as it’s difficult to maintain a neutral spine position. Sleeping on your stomach forces your head and spine into an unnatural position, and staying in this position for hours on end is not good for your back or neck and can result is significant discomfort and restless sleep. Patients have seen great results from trying to change their habits.
As I always say you can't control what you do in your sleep (especially snoring!) and it is hard to change the habit of a life time, but we can try and set up in a good sleeping position to avoid it.
This image shows how the spine and pelvis position can be distorted without the appropriate mattress support or positioning.
Sleeping with back pain
The key to sleeping well is to keep your spine as naturally aligned as possible. Whether you are a back sleeper or a side sleeper, understanding the alignment of the spine and maintaining that alignment while you sleep is a good starting point.
When side lying use a pillow between your legs to lift the top knee and take pressure off your hips and lower back.
*Some patients tell me they find it hard to keep a pillow in place so suggest trying a longer body pillow or small folded quilt. This is especially good for front sleepers who want to avoid rolling*
If on your back, a pillow positioned under your knees takes pressure off your psoas muscles which allows your back to flatten and relax. This can be put under the bed sheet to avoid loosing it in the night!
Front sleeping can cause your lower back to curve more, particularly if you have a soft mattress, and your neck will have to rotate. If you can't avoid it, use a thin pillow under the abdomen to elevate, and try sleeping without any pillow under your head
For more detail on the pros and cons of different sleeping positions check out this article by the Sleep Foundation: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions
Pillows
These illustrations demonstrate how an incorrectly placed pillow can stress the neck.
On your back you need fewer pillows than on your side so if you change from on position to another bare this in mind. We are also all different shapes so the amount of support we need varies from person to person.
If you're a back sleeper I recommend using one pillow, thickness depends on the depth of your natural curves, and pull the lower corners around your lower neck so the pillow is no lower than your shoulders.
For side sleepers, or those who tend to end up in this position, you need plenty of support so try two pillows, again the depth required depends on the width of your shoulders. Ensure you are not at the edge of the pillow and the lower front corner is pulled down to your shoulder and around the cheek. This will prevent you head dropping or rotating which can irritate the neck or lead people to sleep on their front.
