Can Switching Your Sleep Position Ease Back Pain?

背疼can make it tough to get a good night's sleep. At the same time,how您的睡眠可能会使情况变得更糟 - 虽然某些睡眠位置会使已经酸痛的痛苦造成压力，但其他人可能会帮助您找到缓解。

Although back pain and sleep problems are linked, the connection isn’t well understood. “There is not a lot of science behind sleep as a major cause of back pain,” saysSanthosh Thomas, DO,MBA，克利夫兰诊所的脊柱专家，俄亥俄州埃文的Richard E. Jacobs医疗中心副总监。

Experts do believe, however, that people with sleep problems experience more problems with back pain. “Sleep deprivation is known to affect mood and functional ability and negatively impacts perception of pain,” Dr. Thomas says. Pain in turn can affect the quality of your sleep, according to the国家睡眠基金会, leading to a lighter sleep state and more frequent waking throughout the night.

What's more, there's a relationship between the severity of pain, overall mood, and the ability to function — and a good night of sleep can improve all these symptoms, at least temporarily, according to a study published in the November 2016 issue of the行为医学年鉴.

Worst Sleep Positions for Back Pain

托马斯说，某些睡眠位置会给您的脖子，肩膀，臀部，下背部，膝盖，甚至脚后跟带来增加压力，所有这些都会导致疼痛。没有一种尺寸适合的睡眠位置可以恢复疼痛，但是您可以尝试一些技巧来控制它，以便您可以更加舒适地睡眠。

The most common offender? Sleeping on your stomach. “Typically, sleeping on your stomach can flatten the natural curve of your spine, putting some additional strain on your back muscles,” Thomas says.

另外，胃睡觉意味着您的脖子旋转，这实际上可能导致neck pain新泽西州伍德伯里高地的Penn Therapy＆Fitness的物理治疗师和脊柱专家Paul Grous说，或肩膀之间的背痛。

不必担心整夜保持身体的位置。您睡觉时要四处走动是正常的，这是一件好事，因为一点动作可以帮助减轻背部的压力。托马斯说：“任何睡眠位置都有可能使背部疼痛保持长时间。”

Grous adds that the real culprit may not be sleep position but your daily activity — or a lack of it.

他说：“我对人群背痛的最大因素的看法是我们在醒来的时间坐着的时间。”“我们坐得太久，我们坐得不正确 - 我们的背部圆满坐着。”

During daylight hours, try to vary your posture as much as possible, and practice good posture when standing and sitting to help缓解背部疼痛晚上。

有助于缓解背痛的睡眠位置

First, you’ve got to be comfortable to睡个好觉. Thomas suggests making a few simple modifications to your regular sleep position to help take a load off your back:

• If you're a back sleeper:将枕头放在膝盖下，使您的脊椎保持自然曲线。
• If you're a stomach sleeper:Put a pillow under your lower abdomen and pelvis to ease back strain.
• If you're a side sleeper:膝盖之间的枕头（可以舒适的全身枕头可以舒适）将双腿稍微朝胸部稍微向上拉动。

合适的床垫和枕头睡觉

When it comes to selecting a mattress and pillow, Thomas says personal preference and comfort rule. Some people prefer the firmness of a harder mattress, while others are more comfortable on a soft mattress. He suggests spending a night in a hotel that offers options for guests to purchase pillows and mattresses so that you can try before you buy. Or, see if your mattress store lets you try out a bed overnight or even longer. “If that is not an option, perhaps sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag may mimic a firm surface, and sleeping on a couch may mimic a softer surface,” Thomas says.

Grous says that some people may find it helpful to use a contoured pillow to alleviate neck strain or to sleep on just one pillow instead of a stack of several pillows.

If a few changes to your sleep position don’thelp your back painor sleep troubles, it may be time to get a medical opinion. If your pain worsens, Thomas recommends meeting with your doctor to check for any potentially serious problems.