Are you waking up feeling more tired and achy than when you went to sleep? Waking up in pain is not uncommon, but it probably does have a common cause. A simple change to your sleep routine or environment could be the difference in restful sleep and restless sleep.
Get A Better Mattress
What you sleep on plays a major factor in your quality of sleep. Just like your food and cosmetics, mattresses have an expiration date. The average lifespan of a mattress is 7 to 10 years. If your mattress starts to sag or lose support, it’s probably nearing the end of its life. Even a new mattress could be causing you body pain if it's not tailored to your needs. A soft mattress offers a lot more pressure relief and is ideal for side sleepers, people with shoulder and hip pain, and people with less weight on them. They can cause back pain for back and stomach sleepers, as well as to individuals on the heavier side, since they will sink further into the mattress.
A firm mattress offers good support and is ideal for back and stomach sleepers, people who sleep hot, and heavier people. Firm mattresses are also great for people who may need to get in and out of bed a lot since they don’t cause you to sink in like soft mattresses. If a mattress is too firm, it can cause back and joint pain and can also affect posture if you’re not sinking enough to get proper spine support.
Change Up Your Position
How you sleep can play a major factor in how good you feel in the morning. Researchers found the worst position to sleep on is your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach flattens the curve of your spine and puts pressure on your back and joints. It also forces you to turn your head which can cause neck and back pain.
The best way to alleviate pain is to sleep in a neutral position for your back. The best sleep position is on your back with a pillow under your knees. This helps maintain the curve of your lower back and reduce pain. Side sleeping can also be beneficial to reduce back and neck pain. It’s important that your legs are straight, even better with a pillow between your legs, because sleeping the fetal position with your legs bent forward causes uneven weight distribution and leads to back pain and sore joints.
Try A New Pillow
If you’re waking up with neck, upper back, and shoulder pain, your pillow could be to blame. A flatter pillow could help reduce stress to your neck and shoulders. Orthopedic pillows with a depression in the middle support your head and neck better which can also reduce stress to your neck. Sleeping on your side with a soft pillow can cause your head to sag too much, so you would need a firmer pillow for better sleep. If you sleep on your stomach or back with a firm pillow, it will push your head backward or forward too much and hyperextend your neck.
Get A Full Night’s Sleep
Sleeping is vital to our health. Sleep is when our body goes through muscle growth, tissue repair, and other important recovery. Even mild sleep loss affects how well our body can recover and can lead to inflammation which results in muscle aches and pain. Studies found people who get less than seven hours of sleep a night are more likely to experience chronic health problems like arthritis, depression, and diabetes.
If your bed is not the problem, experts say you can try following a sleep schedule, avoid going to bed overly full, keep your room cool, dark, and quiet, get more physical activity during the day, and try some stress management techniques before bed to get a better, more restful night’s sleep. It’s also important to know when to see a doctor. Sleep restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and reflux are the most common disorders affecting sleep. If you’re experiencing the regular impulse to move your legs, or if you’re snoring or feeling a burning pain in your stomach or chest, you may want to talk to your doctor.