The Sleeping Mistake A Surgeon Says People With Back Pain Should Never Make

SleepingAt least 80% of adults will experience lower back pain at some point in our lives, but thankfully, most of the time it’s nothing serious. “Back pain,” Dr Meghan Murphy, a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, said, “is usually caused by muscle strains or sprains, not by a serious condition like a disc or vertebrae issue.” Often, it resolves on its own.Still, the discomfort can be deeply unpleasant, and Dr Murphy pointed out that our habits can sometimes speed up or slow down our rate of recovery. In fact, she shared, a common sleep myth might be keeping your aches alive and well.Firm mattresses don’t always help back painI’ve heard a lot of family members recommend lying on a hard surface – sometimes a firm mattress, and sometimes even the floor – during periods of back pain.But Dr Murphy says this is a “myth”. “The ideal mattress firmness varies from person to person,” the surgeon revealed.“Some people may find relief with a firm mattress, while others may prefer a medium or soft one. When shopping for a new mattress, look for one that provides support and comfort based on your preferences and needs.” Some research has found that people who slept on “very hard” mattresses actually had the worst sleep quality of their group. Medium-firm and firm mattresses, meanwhile, both got roughly the same results. How can I tell which mattress is best for me?Harvard Health says that if you want to find out whether a firmer mattress would help your back, you can trial it by “putting a plywood board under your mattress to dampen the movement from the bedsprings”. You can also place your mattress on the floor.And to test softer versions, it might be worth noting how you sleep in other locations – like at a friend or relative’s house or in a hotel.Related...'Social Apnoea' Could Be Ruining Your Sleep On The WeekendsAlways Unwell? A Huge New Study Suggests It Could Be Your Sleep ScheduleI Thought We Needed To Sleep Apart – Then Came The Scandinavian Method

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