People are always in a hurry in the morning. Whether to catch a meeting, the first school class or running late to make breakfast. Mornings are always messy because of so much going on simultaneously. The only thing that they don’t need to add to this chaotic morning routine is back pain.
Most people have faced unfortunate morning situations where they are unable to move and get up from their bed painlessly. Their back hurts, and they just lie there thinking, what to do now.
If you’re feeling relatable and looking for reasons for waking up with back pain and how to stop it, this article will be of great help.
Here’s what you’ll get to know in this article;
- The Relationship Between Sleep and Back Pain
- Common Reasons to Wake Up with Back Pain
- Disc Degeneration
- Pregnancy
- Overexercise
- Irregular Sleeping Positions
- Stress
- Bad Mattress
- 5 Tips to Relieve Back Pain in the Morning
- Measure Your Sleep Time
- Get a Good Mattress
- Appropriate Posture While Sleeping Matters!
- Some Stretching Might Help
- Hot and Cold Therapy
The Relationship Between Sleep and Back Pain
There is a direct relationship between sleep and back pain. Research shows that a lot of lower back pain patients report facing sleep disturbance.[1] Moreover, another research reveals that sleep problems have contrasting effects on the risk of back pain.[2] Some other researches also show a high association between back pain and sleep problems.
The position you sleep in, the amount of sleep you get, the position you wake up in; everything has an effect on your back health and vice versa.
Common Reasons to Wake Up with Back Pain
The following are some of the major reasons for waking up with back pain every day. Let’s have a look!
1. Disc Degeneration
Around 50% of people face disc degeneration issues at the age of 70 years.[3] It's pretty common as the disc between your spinal discs dries out as you age.
You can think of it as a result of natural wear and tear of the body according to age, and it can cause mild to severe back pain that can get a lot worse in the morning when you wake up.
2. Pregnancy
Pregnancy and back pain go hand in hand. In the first and second semesters of pregnancy, you can expect a lot of back pain as your body starts to widen to expand the womb to make a place for the baby to grow.
Now you will be wondering, why is back pain worse in the morning? It's because your muscle might become stiffer as you rest for long hours.
3. Over Exercise
You might have noticed when you woke up with back pain in lower back whenever you have a long rough-n-tough day at the gym. Also, the back pain isn’t planning to leave you so soon. Because of the over-stretching, overextension, and overusing of muscles, they become stiff and more prone to pain.
4. Irregular Sleeping Positions
According to research, sleep posture could increase or decrease spinal pain.[4] One of the major culprits behind your sleeping problems is your irregular sleeping position.
If you’re sleeping in an inappropriate position, such as lying on your stomach, you’re most likely to turn your head along with your spine left or right, which can put pressure on your spine and result in pain when you move.
4. Stress
Structurally, you might question the topic of stress related to back pain because there is no visual connection. However, stress can have a drastic effect on your back pain.
For instance, when you’re stressed, every breath you take is in an irregular rhythm and pattern. Such patterns can cause strain in your mid-back and directly associate with waking up with back and chest pain.
With every breath, you increase the risk of tension building up your middle back and radiating that pain to your shoulders and upper back. This can be why you woke up with upper back pain between shoulder blades.
5. Bad Mattress
A wrong mattress can contribute in lots of ways to disturb your sleep quality and induce back pain.
A mattress that is too firm or soft might be the reason you wake up with back pain in the middle back. You need to see if your mattress is causing you that lingering back pain in the morning. If yes, then it needs to get changed asap!
5 Tips to Relieve Back Pain in the Morning
Looking at all the reasons, you must be eager to learn some tips that can help you solve your sleeping and back pain problems. The following are some ways to help you avoid waking up with back pain in the morning.
1. Measure Your Sleep Time
Avoid sleeping for extended hours because as much as you sleep, your body absorbs the environment of rest and inactivity and starts to when you move it in the morning. Try not to sleep for more than 8 to 9 hours maximum.
2. Invest in a Good Mattress
A new mattress is a big step. However, it may be the best investment for your back pain. You need to search for a mattress that will align your spine and alleviate your back pain without putting pressure on any part of your body.
3. Appropriate Posture While Sleeping Matters!
Ask your physician to help you set some better sleeping positions to ease your back pain issues. Although, if you’re a back sleeper, then you can put a thin pillow under your lower body, such as knees and legs, to support your spine alignment.
Also, if you’re a stomach sleeper, then you can place a pillow under your neck to align your neck with your spine.
4. Some Stretching Might Help
If you keep waking up with back pain every morning, it means your muscles have become stiff and hurt when you move them.
Try some stretching exercises or yoga in the morning to introduce your body to some flexibility for the muscles to lose. You can try exercises such as side bends, back flexion stretch, hip stretch, supine twine, etc.
5. Hot and Cold Therapy
The infusion of hot and cold therapy used together is one of the most popular and successful ways to reduce back pain in the morning.
Moreover, heat therapy alone has a high success rate as a back pain reliever. Many menstrual women use hot water bottles to reduce their back and abdominal pain during periods. Similarly, you can also use heat therapy through different measures to cure your back pain.
Try the new SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System, as it will be a dream come true for you! Your waking up with back pain issues will be solved rapidly with its advanced targeting technology that targets your sore and stiff muscles and improves blood circulation through heat therapy. This belt will provide your body with a slight heat therapy that’ll directly target your aching muscles and relieve all the tension that was once built up in your muscles!
You can wrap up this belt as you wake up or even sleep with it, no worries!
Conclusion
Waking up with back pain is stressful! It can affect your mood and overall activeness and routine. You must start thinking of all the possible reasons for your back pain. But hey, stop questioning yourself why does my back hurt every time I wake up and start using the tips mentioned above to reduce this pain. Don’t miss out on the SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System !
[1] Alsaadi, S. M., McAuley, J. H., Hush, J. M., & Maher, C. G. (2011). Prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with low back pain. European Spine Journal, 20, 737-743.
[2] Skarpsno, E. S., Nilsen, T. I. L., & Mork, P. J. (2021). The effect of long-term poor sleep quality on risk of back-related disability and the modifying role of physical activity. Scientific reports, 11(1), 15386.
[3] Kos, N., Gradisnik, L., & Velnar, T. (2019). A brief review of the degenerative intervertebral disc disease. Medical Archives, 73(6), 421.
[4] Cary, D., Jacques, A., & Briffa, K. (2021). Examining relationships between sleep posture, waking spinal symptoms and quality of sleep: A cross sectional study. Plos one, 16(11), e0260582.