If you wake up with a stiff or aching back, it’s easy to blame your mattress. After all, we just woke up, and all we were doing was sleeping. Plus, we spend close to a third of our day in bed. The correlation makes sense at first. Don’t get me wrong, an unsupportive mattress can contribute to discomfort, especially if it has lost its form, but it’s rarely the root cause of ongoing back pain. Why?
Back pain is often the result of how you move (or don’t move) throughout the day. Prolonged sitting or repetitive motions often strain your spine far more than the comatose hours you spend in bed. If you’re spending long hours at a desk or frequently lifting heavy loads with poor mechanics, this can lead to such high levels of stress on the joints and soft tissues of the back that you’re at risk of developing a repetitive strain issue. This happens when the demands on our body outpace the time we have to recover from them.
This is a natural continuation of point 1. Our body loves to move, and the less difficult it is for us to carry out a movement or hold a position for a long period, the less stress it places on our body.
Let’s give the example of running. Running requires our hips to move into flexion and extension. It requires some rotation through the spine. It demands that the feet absorb and transfer force up through the leg. It does this repeatedly while we run—hundreds or thousands of times. A professional runner can complete a 5K easier than an occasional weekend runner because they likely have more range of motion through their hips and spine, have created robust joints and tissues required during running, and have the strength and endurance to maintain good technique throughout the entire run. The professional runner likely isn’t getting hurt during a 5K unless they’re excessively fatigued due to other circumstances.
The casual runner trying to keep pace with a pro is at a much higher risk of injury. Even if they don’t keep pace, the repetitive movements involved and the transfer of forces through their body create much more strain for them. They take longer to recover too. The next day, the professional runner could do the same thing again and again. The casual runner will most likely perform worse.
If your capacity and recovery outpace the demands of your job, lifestyle, or sport, then you lower your risk of injury. The most common reason people get injured is that they can’t meet the demands of their work, lifestyle, or sport. If you work a physically demanding job or play a sport, you may need to think of ways to increase your capacity for it or modify the demands so that you can keep up.
Sleeping in awkward positions, such as on your stomach with your neck twisted, can cause discomfort. Adjusting your sleep posture—like placing a pillow between your knees when sleeping on your side—can help relieve strain. But why is this a strain for you?
Instead of rushing to replace your mattress, consider the possibility that your body is sensitive to spending too much time in that position. Maybe you could benefit from more regular physical activity so your body can easily stay in a slightly twisted position for the night without it causing you a lot of strain. You may also find that a variety of positions become comfortable to sleep in as well. When your body has options, it will use them.
Not for nothing, but when you sleep, you spend the whole night lying down (typically). When you wake up, you start to move, bend, and twist again. It’s normal to feel a bit more sensitive. I don’t want anyone waking up in a lot of pain, but we do become a bit more sensitive over the night due to the lack of profound movement.
One of the reasons an acute injury hurts more in the morning is that we are more sensitive when we wake up. If you have ever gone to the cinema during the day and walked out into the sunlight afterward, you have experienced what being sensitive to something feels like. The sun is almost painful. This is how the body works—it adapts to our environment.
When we sleep, we also go through a whole range of hormonal changes that can contribute to feeling more stiff and sore in the morning. These shifts affect inflammation, fluid balance, and nervous system sensitivity. Here are some key hormonal factors at play:
So, before you go out and replace your mattress and pillows, try to reflect on whether any of these factors could be contributing to the pain and stiffness you’re feeling.
If you have been dealing with ongoing pain, have tried the above tips, and nothing seems to be working—or you simply can’t find the time or motivation to change your routines—then find a great manual therapist. Whether it’s a Chiropractor, Osteopath, Physio, or Masseuse, I suggest you find someone skilled in manipulative techniques because they can be a lifesaver. Find someone and go to them regularly for care.
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