Getting a good night’s sleep is important for your mental and physical health and well-being. If you’ve ever spent a night tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable, then you know how difficult it can be to make it through the next day. Choosing the right bed will not only allow you to get a good night’s sleep, but it will also protect your spinal health.
Your Bed Affects Your Spinal Health
The average person spends one-third of their life in bed. In fact, your mattress is the most used piece of furniture in your home and has a direct impact on your spine and overall health. It’s important for you to get an adequate amount of sleep. Your spine works hard throughout the day to support your body. When you sleep, your spine gets time to rest and rejuvenate so that you can get up and go the next day. Ensuring you have the right mattress is essential in maintaining your spinal health. A mattress that doesn’t offer enough support can leave you with fatigued muscles and a restless night’s sleep. A good mattress will allow you to maintain the spine’s natural alignment you have when standing. This means your muscles will be relaxed which will give you a more refreshing sleep. When choosing a mattress, you must take into consideration the positions in which you like to sleep.
Sleeping on Your Stomach
Medical professionals agree that this is not the best position for sleep. It puts quite a bit of stress on the spine and can leave you with neck and lower back pain. When you sleep on your stomach, most of your weight is in the middle of your body. Because of this, it is almost impossible to maintain a neutral spine position. Unfortunately, when you put unnecessary stress on your spine, other parts of your body will also be stressed. But, if you must sleep on your stomach, then you should choose a firm mattress that will support your body.
Sleeping on Your Back
Most people can sleep on their back with no trouble at all. Although it’s not the ideal position for your spine, there are some steps you can take to protect your spine when sleeping on your back. If you suffer from lower back pain, then you may benefit from elevating your legs. If you snore or have sinus problems, it may be necessary for you to sleep with your head elevated using firm pillows. If back sleeping is your position of choice, then a medium to firm mattress is going to offer the needed support to take excess strain off your spine.
Sleeping on Your Side
The ideal position for reducing stress on the spine is to sleep on your side. If you suffer from lower back or hip pain, you may find it most comfortable to sleep with a pillow between your knees as this relieves pressure placed on these areas. If you have shoulder pain, then you might be more comfortable using a firmer pillow and a softer mattress. For those who primarily sleep on their sides, a softer mattress is the best choice as it conforms to the body’s natural curves and pressure points. A firmer mattress will put pressure on the shoulders and hips leaving you very uncomfortable.
All Beds Are Not Equal
When shopping for a new mattress, the first thing you might do is check online reviews. A mattress is an investment in your health so it is only natural that you want to know what others have to say. But, there’s a problem with online reviews. First, you don’t know who’s writing the reviews. Second, you don’t know if the people who wrote the reviews were paid to do so. Some online reviewers have no first-hand knowledge of the product they are reviewing. This means many reviews are misleading and downright false. Your chiropractor can recommend a mattress that fits your needs and will be most comfortable for you and your particular back issues. Ultimately, your choice of a mattress will depend on your personal preferences such as layer thickness and firmness and whether you prefer latex or memory foam.
Visit Your Chiropractor
You should visit your chiropractor even after you choose a bed to match your needs. This is necessary to maintain your spinal health and ensure you aren’t suffering from problems that could cause you issues further down the road. Your chiropractor can reduce your back pain naturally, eliminating the need for medications. Regular chiropractic care can relieve stress of the muscles surrounding the spine, improve muscle strength and increase your range of motion. Chiropractic adjustments may also allow you to heal more quickly from injuries. Your chiropractor will use either spinal manipulation, massage or physical therapy or a combination of these techniques to treat back pain.
Spinal Manipulation
Spinal manipulation is a technique that your chiropractor will use to realign the spine and surrounding muscles. Force is applied to joints that have restricted movement due to injury. This reduces pressure on pinched nerves and allows the spine to bend and flex.
Therapeutic Massage
Your chiropractor may opt to use therapeutic massage in conjunction with spinal manipulation to break up scar tissue that may have developed in soft tissue or muscles from overuse. When scar tissue forms, it hardens and pulls on muscles which causes pain. Another technique, called trigger point therapy, is used to work out knots that have developed from overuse, thus reducing pain.
Physical Therapy
Once the bones in your spine have been aligned correctly, you may find it helpful to undergo physical therapy. Physical therapy is useful for strengthening the core, back and stomach muscles which keeps the spine aligned and healthy.
If you want to maintain a healthy spine and overcome back pain without the use of drugs, then a chiropractor can help you achieve this. Your chiropractor can also offer sound advice when it comes to choosing a mattress to fit your body type so that you can have a healthy spine and overall good health.