Can My Sleep Position Cause Low Back Pain?

Whenever that twinge in your low back acts up, you might think it’s due to your posture while sitting or standing up. While it is true that your sitting or standing posture can be a culprit in your low back pain, how you sleep—whether flat on your back, curled up in a fetal position, on your stomach, or on your side—can also contribute to your likelihood of developing it.

Below, you’ll learn about how your poor sleep position contributes to low back pain as well as which positions you can adopt to have a restful sleep and avoid the discomforts the morning after.

How Your Sleep Position Can Cause Low Back Pain

According to spine experts, one of the most common causes of low back pain is sleeping on the stomach, as it places so much strain on your spine. Such sleep position makes it difficult to keep a neutral spine position since most of your weight is in the midsection of your body. Stress on even just a region in your spine can create a ripple effect on its other areas and on the other structures of the body.

Another way you can wreck your low back is when you sleep in a fetal position, as it also promotes an uneven distribution of your weight, resulting in sore muscles and joints.

How to Avoid Low Back Pain

While there are no training manuals on the proper way to sleep, there are positions you can try to keep to ensure your spine health and keep back pain at bay. Below are two sleeping postures that you can adopt to prevent or ease low back pain:

Sleep on Your Back.

When you sleep on your back, your spine gets to maintain its natural contour, and your weight is evenly distributed across all the wider parts of your body.

Experts recommend placing a pillow underneath your knees to help keep your spine’s natural curve.

Sleep on Your Side.

If sleeping on your back does not make you comfortable, try sleeping on your side, as this helps maintain balance and keeps pressure off on the lumbar area (low back) of your spine.

However, make sure to alternate sides. If you sleep on one side for too long, your shoulder can either collapse into the mattress or raise toward your neck, causing misalignment, morning-after pain, and ultimately, wear and tear of the joints in your cervical spine (neck).

Low Back Pain Treatment Elliott City MD

If you’re still suffering from low back pain even after modifying your sleep position, visit us here at Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland for a consultation with one of our orthopedic specialists. We can get to the bottom of your low back pain and recommend the most effective solution to your problem—to get you feeling better and moving freely again.

To arrange your visit with one of our orthopedic experts, call us at (410) 644-1880 or (855) 4MD-BONE (463-2663). You may also use this appointment request form, and our staff will get back to you promptly to confirm your schedule.