7 Reasons Why You Keep Waking Up With Lower Back Pain
So, you keep waking up with lower back pain — and not just mild pain that goes away in a minute or two, either. It’s the sort of pain that makes it hard to get out of bed, stand up straight once you do, and keep from hobbling or shuffling around stiff-legged like Frankenstein for the next hour or so. Even a hot shower does little to loosen things up on some mornings. What gives?
The first thing to realize is that lower back pain is common. And the good news is that unless you fell off a ladder yesterday or pushed yourself too far at the gym, it’s usually not serious. This is especially true for morning back pain. But it doesn’t make it right, either.
In today’s blog post, we’ve compiled a list of some of the more common reasons you keep waking up with lower back pain.
You’re Waking Up With Lower Back Pain Because …
Your body hasn’t moved in a while — Sleep professionals suggest getting eight hours of sleep each night. Doing so improves mental clarity and lowers your risk for serious health problems. Yet it does very little for muscles and joints that are used to staying in motion. Sure, it’s important to let our bodies stretch out and relax, but lying down for eight hours (even five or six hours) can leave us feeling super stiff in the morning. As a result, we experience lower back pain while adjusting to moving around again.
Sleep position — If you naturally sleep on your stomach, waking up with lower back pain is likely due to additional stress on that body part. Think about it: As you sleep on your stomach, you’re impacting the natural curve of your spine as it sinks into the mattress. This isn’t an issue when you’re young and bendy, but you begin to notice the effects each morning as you age.
Your mattress — What about those who never sleep on our stomachs? If you’re still waking up with lower back pain, it’s likely because of your mattress. A mattress that’s too firm applies pressure to joints and tendons throughout the body. Conversely, a super soft or plush mattress can alter the spine's natural alignment and lead to lower back pain.
Pain from injuries that are worse at night — Even minor back injuries or impingements tend to swell and become extremely stiff overnight because you haven’t used them for eight to 10 hours.
Limited blood flow — Did you know your normal blood flow rate slows at night? If you didn’t, you do now. Furthermore, this limited blood supply internally leads to edema and inflammation and can cause you to wake up with lower back pain.
An underlying medical condition — Degenerative disc disease, normal age-related wear and tear, arthritis, scoliosis, infections, and even obesity can cause lower back pain. The difference with these conditions is that your lower back pain will likely linger throughout the rest of the day rather than being limited to the first few moments to hours after waking up.
Getting out of bed improperly — Getting up too quickly or bending too far forward before your body is ready to react places excess strain on the back and can lead to lower back pain. Regardless of age or health, it’s best to move slowly toward the edge of your bed and slowly sit up without putting too much stress on your back. Once you are adjusted and sitting up, you can gently place your feet on the floor and stand up. This may not eliminate all back pain, but it can keep you from worsening it.
How Can You Wake Up Without Lower Back Pain?
For starters, adjust your sleeping position to minimize stress and pressure on your lower back. This is especially true if you always sleep on your stomach. You can also place a folded towel or pillow between your legs to reduce lower back pain. Additional tips to avoid waking up with lower back pain include but aren’t limited to the following:
Don’t sleep longer than you have to; sleeping for prolonged periods leads to more lower back pain.
Add light stretching to your morning routine — before you actually get out of bed.
Sleep on your back or side.
Change out your older mattress.
Visit your chiropractor.
Everyone visits the chiropractor for different reasons. Perhaps yours is because of lower back pain. For someone else, it might be chronic headaches, shoulder pain, and old injuries that never healed and have steadily worsened over 5-10 years.
Chiropractors are more than just “back crackers.” We improve how your entire body functions!
At Compassion Family Chiropractic, we rely on gentle and specific adjustments that correct the root issues of your pain and dysfunction throughout your entire spine. Making these gentle, specific, and consistent corrections to your spine results in progress every visit, adding up to better health outcomes in the long term. By staying on top of your spinal health, you can head off any small imbalances at the pass before they become more significant issues down the road.
We have been blessed to see so many health transformations in our office, and we hope you will be the next success story!
Call Compassion Family Chiropractic Today!!
At Compassion Family Chiropractic in Lewisville, TX, our goal is for you and your family to feel like a part of ours. On your first visit, you will be greeted by warm smiles and a whole team that is happy and willing to serve you. We aim to provide you with the most thorough and effective chiropractic care available while treating you with unparalleled service all along the way.
We look forward to the opportunity to become your family’s home for chiropractic care in Lewisville!
Call us today at (469) 240-2322. To learn more about Dr. David Ravdin, click here.
