One of the most common causes of physical complaints among adults is lower back pain – but if you are feeling achy, sore and stiff it’s important to remember that it doesn’t have to be that way and there’s lots you can do to address your symptoms.
Finding out what’s causing your back pain is the first step towards fixing the problem… and it might be something as simple as how you sleep at night that’s giving you issues.
Sleeping on your back is generally considered to be one of the best ways to rest to avoid pain, stiffness and soreness in the morning, but even with back sleeping it’s important to maintain good posture and ensure that it is kept in neutral alignment by not having your pillow too low or too high.
Lying on your side to sleep often comes under fire for causing back pain and problems but the truth of the matter is that you can of course sleep on your side if that’s how you like to, as long as you keep your spine in a neutral position. Stretching your legs out rather than curling them into your body can help you do this.
Also try to avoid curling your wrists to help protect them as you sleep and consider putting a pillow between your legs if you have hip or knee pain.
Finally, if you’re concerned about your physical health, sleeping on your stomach is perhaps a position to avoid for the time being. It can put a lot of pressure on your spine because you naturally have to keep your head turned to the side so you can breathe.
If you stay like this all night, you are likely to experience neck pain and even stiffness in your upper back and shoulders.