How To Improve Sleep Quality
Back pain is an issue that affects us all. Unfortunately, most of the population will have back pain at least once. There are many ways to remedy it, particularly by obtaining a suitable mattress!
However, we have all felt this pain or stiffness in our back and shoulders one morning when we wake up. Is this normal because “we are getting old? “Does everyone wake up in pain?” But above all, what can you do to relieve this pain to wake up pain-free? Let's take a look at our sleep and our back pain.
Summary
Back pain
The importance of good sleep
Why should you choose a good mattress?
How to choose your mattress?
And the mattress topper in all this?
Are there mattresses for different body types?
Back Pain
An important thing to consider is that back pain has many causes. So, when four people talk about their back pain, they can talk about four separate items. Muscles, nerves, tendons, or even the intervertebral disc: there are a lot of tissues that can make you suffer.
- However, back pain these days has one common denominator: physical inactivity. The majority of the population has drastically reduced their physical activity.
- Another major cause of back pain is excessive activity: seasoned athletes or professionals that put a lot of strain on the back are prone to this type of pain.
- Finally, the psychological state is a third relevant element in the appearance of this type of problem: fatigue, stress, anxiety, depression, or illness are also culprits of this problem.
In short, we understand that back pain is a complex subject but that there are simple solutions to remedy it, and a primary tool is quality sleep.
The Importance of Good Sleep
To summarize the previous chapter, our back makes us suffer when we use it too much or not enough, which is associated with our psychological state.
In any case, sleep is an essential tool to fight against this.
When you have too much activity, sleep is the time to recover. It will allow your tissues to heal and your body to fight against inflammation. Quality sleep is also essential to fight against painful sensations.
When we sleep, our back muscles lack activity, and sleep corresponds to inactivity. The back is often "stiff and tense" in the morning due to spending 8 hours per day resting on an unsupportive surface. That said, your mattress must adapt to the morphology of the back.
Owing debt on quality sleep promotes depression, anxiety, or even chronic stress. Therefore, you should always consider the environment in which you sleep. Room temperature, light, or outside noise can interfere with your sleep.
But a crucial element for an effective night is a good mattress, whoever the individuals or the morphologies are.
Why Choose A Good Mattress?
When we sleep, our body is relaxed. It will spontaneously place itself in the position dictated by the surface in contact. Sleep on concrete; your back will have to submit to the force of gravity on a rigid surface.
The softer the mattress, the more it will allow your body to adapt, move and take comfortable curves.
A big misconception is that you MUST choose a mattress that respects the alignment of your back. Newsflash it's a myth. In reality, our back (and our body in general) is a formidable structure that adapts to many demands.
However, everyone has limits to what they are willing to put up with or sleep on. For example, you can spend 2 hours sitting without a problem, but you wouldn’t like to spend 2 hours sitting in a split position.
For the back and bedding, the same applies. Individuals who need alignment from head to toe are typically so stiff that the slightest movement takes them to the end of their range and, therefore, into discomfort.
Stomach sleeping is alright! However, if you are stiff in the cervical region and have difficulty turning your head, this position will be too uncomfortable to maintain for 8 hours. The problem is, therefore, not the position but the individual.
Have you ever seen a child afraid to sleep on their stomach? During our first years, the body constantly moves and can adapt to anything. Our adult lifestyle forces us to watch our sleep, depending on a body that has lost its ability to adapt.
We understand that at night, it's not up to our body to adapt to the bedding; it's up to the bedding to adapt to each person's body.
And by extension, there is no perfect sleeping position, and there is no perfect mattress and pillow because every body is different.
However, there are a few significant rules to help you choose the perfect mattress for YOU.
How To Choose Your Mattress?
As we have just seen, the ideal will always be to test the mattress as well as possible to understand if it suits you. Here are some general points which can direct you to the most suitable models:
Memory foam mattresses have many advantages. They allow the shape of the bed to adapt to each individual. These solutions correspond to a large proportion of individuals.
Then, there are different firmnesses ranging from soft to firm.
Generally, tall people tend to prefer softer mattresses. The length of the spine and its segments require a minimum adaptation time on the mattress due to gravity.
Very flexible or hyper-lax people will prefer firmer mattresses. Their body is already in “excess” of mobility, so the mattress is an anchor point necessary for good support during the night.
Very muscular or very toned people often prefer softer mattresses to facilitate the release of muscle tension.
Overweight people tend to choose soft mattresses to facilitate pressure distribution over larger surfaces and thus limit excessively localized pressure.
Once again, the ideal is to test, but if you recognize yourself in specific categories, you can easily choose which mattress to lie down on.
The Mattress Topper In All This?
The mattress topper allows you to change your bedding. If your current mattress is not suited to your needs, a mattress topper is a relevant solution for changing your bedding firmness. We have seen that the type of mattress depends on each individual.
It is essential to change your bedding regularly when it’s worn out or uncomfortable. However, our way of life can mean our bodies no longer require the same bedding as the previous year.
I'm getting back into sports, moving more, and in better shape; I may need softer bedding for restorative sleep.
I gain or lose weight significantly: my bedding may no longer be suitable.
My large bed no longer accommodates one but two people. One partner may want a slightly different firmness than the other.
In short, life is all about change, and a mattress topper is a quick and effective tool to support you in these changes.
Are There Mattresses for Different Body Types?
As we said earlier in this article, when you have back or joint pain, the causes can be many. Between lumbago, chronic low back pain, sciatica, or a herniated disc, there are many causes and treatments. Therefore, if you suffer from a specific issue, you should not ask yourself, “which mattress is ideal for a person with a herniated disc?” but rather, “ which mattress is ideal FOR ME, knowing that I have a herniated disc?
Morphology, flexibility, mobility, muscle tension, size, etc., are all elements to research when choosing a mattress.
By now, you should understand the importance of suitable bedding. It allows a sleep of paramount quality for any individual, but even more when one suffers back pain. If sleep is crucial in improving quantity and quality, the mattress will be a tool of choice to achieve your goals.
For more information, you can consult the following articles: