The Best Types of Mattresses for Your Lower Back Pain

One of the main reasons that we tend to lose mobility as we approach middle age is because of chronic back pain, especially where on your lumbar spine. This throbbing, aching pain can keep us from enjoying life, engaging in physical activities, maintaining a healthy weight, and even preserving our strength, stamina, and balance. Therefore, the proper treatment and management of chronic back pain is essential for leading a healthy and active lifestyle.

Most of us spend about a third of our lives lying in bed. Choosing the proper mattress can have a dramatic effect on our quality of sleep and our overall physical and mental health. In the past, many doctors would recommend a very firm mattress for managing chronic back pain. But in a more recent study of nearly 270 patients, sleeping on those orthopedic or very hard mattresses actually tends to decrease the quality of sleep while increasing the levels of physical discomfort the following day.

Meanwhile, there seems to be no difference in sleep quality between those sleeping on a traditionally firm or medium-firm mattress. But soft mattresses tend to be somewhat problematic. While these soft mattresses conform to the natural curves and shapes of the human body, they can also cause us to sink so deeply into the mattress that our joints become misaligned. This twisting of the joints is what often leads to the chronic back pain.

For those who are wondering if their mattress is indeed too soft, try placing a sheet of plywood between the mattress and the box springs. Or try sleeping on your mattress for a few nights while it is lying flat on the floor. If you see improvement in your levels of back pain, then the problem might be in your mattress. Of course, another alternative is to “test drive” a variety of mattresses at your neighborhood furniture store. But it is very difficult to get a quality assessment of the mattresses’ comfort levels by only spending a few minutes on each different model.

A better method might be to try sleeping on different styles of mattresses for a night or two instead. The next time that you are vacationing at a hotel or visiting a friend’s house for the weekend, pay attention to the mattress type and the quality of sleep that you receive. If you wake up feeling refreshed and invigorated, then you might have just solved your problem of chronic back pain once and for all!