Want to know how I cured my lower back pain just by improving my sleep habits?
It may sound almost too good to be true, but it totally works!
A few adjustments to the way I slept, the amount of time I spent in bed, and what I did in preparation for my night of rest absolutely helped to manage and reduce my lower back pain.
Once you read how I cured my lower back pain with a better night of rest, I’m certain you’ll want to give it a try, too!
How I Cured My Lower Back Pain With Better Sleep
I’ve struggled with lower back pain for most of my adult life. Call it a side effect of an active life (as a SWAT K9 handler and a member of the Canadian Special Armed Forces), but periodically, I would get nasty flare-ups of lower back pain or suffer an injury that would make existing pains grow out of control.
I spent a lot of time researching how I could alleviate back pain in my daily life. Specifically, I focused on my mobility, how I could move better throughout my day. I worked hard to optimize my training, stretch more, and improve my posture when sitting or standing.
But the one thing I failed to take into account was just how much time we spent in bed.
On any given day, the average person can spend between 6 and 10 hours lying down. You don’t just lie down for your 6-8 hour sleep window, but also while watching TV, relaxing before bed, and waking up in the morning.
Imagine that: in the same place for 6-10 hours a day, and I had never thought about addressing any problems that could contribute to my lower back pain!
But my research led me to some pretty interesting tricks that I could try to help improve my posture while lying down, and encourage better spinal health while in bed. It was a game-changer, let me tell you!
Here’s what worked for me:
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I changed my sleep posture. I used to be a stomach-sleeper, sleeping with one knee extended to the side (called the Tiger Knee sleep position). I never understood why I’d wake up with pain in my lower back and a crick in my neck—literally every morning.
But research made that very clear very quickly! Stomach-sleepers have to twist their head to the side, which strains the neck and shoulder muscles. That tension can ripple all the way down the back and cause mid and lower back pain. Add in the spinal twist of sleeping with one knee extended to the side, and I was creating my own lower back problems.
When I switched to side sleeping (with a pillow tucked between my knees and hugged to my chest), it was a virtually overnight change. Far less pain, better sleep, and I started waking up feeling so much more relaxed without any knots or cricks in my muscles.
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I upgraded my mattress. I always thought that a soft, luxurious mattress would be what I needed for a good night’s sleep. After all, if I feel like I’m floating on a cloud, how could I not sleep well?
Unfortunately, chose a mattress that was too soft, and that failed to provide enough support for my lower back. Without support, my spine was twisted in just about every sleep position—even on my back—so I increased the strain on my spinal muscles and caused my own back pain.
After doing all this research, I decided it was time to upgrade my mattress to a much firmer one. A little bit of testing brought me to a semi-firm mattress (not quite rock hard, but with excellent support) that has eliminated a lot of my lower back pain.
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I stretched before and after lying in bed. It may sound silly to stretch before getting in bed to sleep, but I found it actually helps to relax my spinal muscles and loosen up my joints. At the end of a long day, it’s not uncommon to have knots or tense muscles, and bringing that to bed can lead to more tension in your sleep. When I added a 15-minute slow Yoga routine to my nighttime pre-bed rituals, it helped me to not only feel more relaxed, but helped to loosen me up for bedtime.
And stretching first thing in the morning was another game-changing addition to my pre-work routine. Stretching right out of bed helps to loosen up any muscles or joints that might be tight or in pain after a night of sleep. I end up moving more smoothly not only while preparing for work, but throughout the entire day.
You’ve Read How I Cured My Lower Back Pain; Now You Can Too!
If you’re like me and struggling with lower back pain, you don’t have to just accept it as the way life is. You can take steps to correct it starting NOW!
I created the Back on Track System as a means to address my own lower back pain, but it has gone on to help countless others improve their spinal health as well. It addresses one of the dangerous but ignored syndromes that is behind so many people’s back pains, using simple, practical methods that you can easily incorporate into your day.
If you can combine the three steps I shared above with the information you’ll learn in the Back on Track program, I guarantee you that your spinal health will drastically improve. You’ll move more easily, sleep better, and feel better throughout the day. It’s how I cured my lower back pain, and I have no doubt that it will work for you, too!
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