Bedtime back pain preventing a good night’s sleep for almost half of Brits

The link between back pain experienced at night and beds is being overlooked, says research from the British Chiropractic Association and Sealy (the world’s biggest bed company), even though neck or back pain has prevented nearly half of people from sleeping.

Despite 43% of 2,000 people surveyed saying that sleeping can cause them to suffer from neck or back pain, 61% do not think that their sleeping position is important for their back or neck health.

And a staggering 96% said that they do not think that the way they get in and out of bed is important for their back or neck health, which chiropractors regularly attribute to triggering back problems in patients.

“Despite complaining of back and neck pain occurring after sleep, most people don’t think that getting in and out of bed is important to their back health,” says chiropractor, Rishi Loatey, from the British Chiropractic Association.

“In fact, disc injuries are more likely to occur with bending movements first thing in the morning.  As you sleep, the discs in your back hydrate and increase in size. This makes the disc fibres more susceptible to injury. Try and avoid bending movements for the first hour after waking. Your chiropractor will be able to recommend some gentle stretches you can do in the morning”.

Before getting out of bed in the morning, wake your body up slowly, recommends the British Chiropractic Association. Then gently get out of bed and avoid bending or doing anything sudden or strenuous until your back wakes up.

Consider your sleeping position too: lie on your side rather than on your front with your neck twisted to one side.

Neil Robinson, marketing director of Sealy UK, comments: “An important part of a good night’s sleep is a supportive mattress. You should change your mattress every seven years and if you’re in pain at night, it might be that you need to buy a new one. If you are buying a new mattress, it’s vital to try it before making the purchase – you wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes without trying them on and mattresses are no different, especially as we all spend such a large amount of our lives in bed.”