My bed is breaking my back.

[KingNor]

Hey guys, I'm getting desperate. I'm up right now, and it's 4:30 in the morning. And it's because my back is killing me.

I'm pretty sure something is up with my bed, but i'm not sure how to find the problem. Is my matress to stiff or soft?

I've been thinking about getting a memory foam mattress, are they any good? Medicaly sound? they arn't woo are they?

any help would be appreciated, i'm getting horrible nights sleep these days. ugh..

thanks

-mm

[geonuc]

I have the same problem. I ended up switching to a very hard mattress, which helped.

The memory foam sounds great, with the conforming and all, but what about when you roll over? The foam takes a while to conform - in the meantime, it's worse than a flat mattress. I bought a memory foam pillow and dumped it in a week for that reason.

[closetgeek]

I almost bought a memory foam but was told by quite a few people that the biggest complaint is the heat. The salesperson, despite the fact that the memory foam was more expensive than the mattress I actually bought, even said most people complain that they can't sleep because of the heat coming off the mattress. It has been my experience that the "do not disturb" mattress, is by far the most comfortable mattress I have ever owned. I had one for years and sang it's praises. When we moved to Fl, we didn't bring any furniture so bought the cheapest mattress sold. Both my husband and I complained about back aches. When we could finally afford a brand name mattress again, we bought the delux pillowtop version of the DND mattress and we are back in heaven. It may be more expensive, but it also comes with a ten year warranty. If you create a dent in the pillowtop of more than an inch, they will replace it. The only complaint we have is wanting to stay in bed.

[John Mendenhall]

Check that the mattress is not slightly domed, especially when you are laying on it. The only time I have ever had back problems was from such a mattress, and it took a while to figure out what was wrong.

[Moose]

Another possibility is the pillow or combination of pillows. I tend to sleep on my side. If the pillows aren't the right height, either to tall or too short, my back hurts the next day. If I have the right pillows, everything is fine and I sleep well.

[Larry Jacks]

My wife and I switched to a Select Comfort inflatable mattress years ago and our backaches disappeared. Your mileage may vary but they worked for us.

[Doodler]

Stiff mattress, memory foam pillow, happy Doodler. :)

[KingNor]

Another possibility is the pillow or combination of pillows. I tend to sleep on my side. If the pillows aren't the right height, either to tall or too short, my back hurts the next day. If I have the right pillows, everything is fine and I sleep well.


I've had that pain before, this is distinctly not the lower back-neck muscles. my neck muscles feel fine even the ones that go down the back and i have fine neck flexibility in the morning.

I get horrible lower back pain, that even wakes me up, if i cough or something it sends needles through my back. a long hot shower or soak in the tub gets rid of all of this usually, so i'm pretty sure it's muscle pain and not spine.

It's really frustraiting trying to figure otu what i need. matresses are expencive and other than a full nights sleep, i don't know how to test what i need

How much are the Do Not Disturb matresses? I'm having trouble finding prices. simmons doesn't mention price.. or at least i can't find it on their site, but i'm notoriously bad at unfamiliar sites.

Thanks for the help by the way, you've all been a huge help so far.

[toejam]

I've had that pain before, this is distinctly not the lower back-neck muscles. my neck muscles feel fine even the ones that go down the back and i have fine neck flexibility in the morning.

I get horrible lower back pain, that even wakes me up, if i cough or something it sends needles through my back. a long hot shower or soak in the tub gets rid of all of this usually, so i'm pretty sure it's muscle pain and not spine.

It's really frustraiting trying to figure otu what i need. matresses are expencive and other than a full nights sleep, i don't know how to test what i need

How much are the Do Not Disturb matresses? I'm having trouble finding prices. simmons doesn't mention price.. or at least i can't find it on their site, but i'm notoriously bad at unfamiliar sites.

Thanks for the help by the way, you've all been a huge help so far.

My BOLD
How long has this gone on?
It would be a good idea to get checked out by an MD. A lot depends on your health history, injuries, age, sex, etc etc etc

[KingNor]

just started, doesn't ALWAYS happen though. c'mon man don't scare me like that :-(

[Celestial Mechanic]

And now, a little touch of Schmilson in the night ...
My bed's breaking my back,
It's starting to crack,
So chuck it!
All I want to do is to grab a few winks,
Now I'm blue!

On a more serious note, are you sure you aren't sleeping with an arm curled under your back or something?

[Van Rijn]

I don't find the memory foam mattress to be warmer than my previous mattress, and my back doesn't seem to bother me as much as it used to. I also got an adjustable electric bed frame, which also seemed to help. Of course, it wasn't inexpensive.

[David Mc]

Why not chime in on this one.
The best set up I ever had was when my old waterbed failed.

We plopped a queen size mattress in the frame (no box springs)
and my back problems vanished.

I don't remember what the mattress was, but it was nothing special.
Just a mattress.

[Jens]

Like most people where I'm living now, I sleep on a mattress with no springs, on the floor. So there are no springs at all. I find it comfortable and it doesn't sag, so I actually find it hard to sleep when I go back to the US and have to sleep on spring beds.

I use a memory foam pillow, and never noticed it getting hotter than a normal one.

[EndeavorRX7]

I recommend going to stores that have mattress displays and laying down on them to see which one might be best for your back.

They should also invent a pillow that never gets warm. That would be cool, pun intended.

[Maksutov]

I have the same problem. I ended up switching to a very hard mattress, which helped....That approach worked here too. Didn't solve all the problems since I've had severe neck and back injuries, as well as strokes, etc., but things were definitely better after switching to the hard mattress.

Another thing: what sort of shape are your stomach muscles (abs) in? A lack of tone there can really affect how your back works and feels.

I'd second the recommendation of toejam to see an MD ASAP. Things like this don't just happen due to no cause.

[toejam]

That approach worked here too. Didn't solve all the problems since I've had severe neck and back injuries, as well as strokes, etc., but things were definitely better after switching to the hard mattress.

Another thing: what sort of shape are your stomach muscles (abs) in? A lack of tone there can really affect how your back works and feels.

I'd second the recommendation of toejam to see an MD ASAP. Things like this don't just happen due to no cause.

OK. You've had your mattress for years presumably, the pain is recent & severe. The mattress is unlikely to be the ultimate CAUSE of the pain. Did the pain come on suddenly one night or gradually? Is it just in your back or does it spread, especially when you move, cough or strain in any other way?
Any change in your job, hobbies, sports, new car, new chair at the office, new partner on the mattress, new commuting distance? Any strain, bruising, falls, slipping on ice without a fall, other injury, unaccustomed effort, lifting, travel, snow shovelling, new exercises etc etc.
And as Mak said, what shape are you in? How are your abs, back muscles, general fitness, weight loss or gain?
Don't panic, it's likely a muscle pain, the commonest things are the commonest :), but if you can't diagnose yourself with certainty, see an MD before buying a mattress. And no-one should try to diagnose you "on the net".

[Delvo]

The SelectComfort adjustable air mattress is perfect for this. It costs about the same as a regular mattress minus the spring part, because the mattress just goes on any flat surface, with no springs. And you can make it almost as hard as a board of wood or softer than a waterbed within a minute.

[KingNor]

i don't think it's a medical condition, let me clear up

I get back pain often when i sleep on surfaces other than my bet, like a couch or something or an unfamiliar bed. even my bed sometimes causes me back aches, been doing so for years.

but just recently my bed is causing me more pain than usual. it's not a pain that comes on out of no where, and sometimes it doesn't come on at all if i sorta sleep sitting up more i guess.

I'm under a lot of stress with work right now so that may be contributing, if i'm not sleeping soundly.

I'm in ok shape, i'm 28 and not over wieght, i dont do 100 sit ups or anything but I cycle and walk a lot, fairly fit. My car is comfortable, i can go for 6-7 hour drives with no back pain (stopping only for gas)

Like i said, it takes all night to build up this pain, i just get the distinct feeling maybe my matress is wearing out and it just crossed that threshold where it's lineing me up poorly. also it's not chronic, once i'm out of bed, the pain is gone after an hour or so, faster if i heat it up, with a shower/bath/spa

I think i'm probably laying in a bad position and my muscles are fighting it all night. I can lay in bed for hours awake watching a movie or something and i won't feel a think. but geeze, when 4 am rolls around..

as a side note, i went out of my way last night to sleep in the position a lot of those adjustable beds on tv advertise, propped up my legs and sat up a tad in bed, it seemed to help a lot.

I may try sleeping on the floor like jens said, just to see how it effects me.

[Tunga]

I have been using a waterbed for over 30 years now. I haven't experienced any backpain since I started, unless I am away on travel and use a conventional bed.

[Torsten]

I'll reiterate Mak's comments re muscle tone.

I once had back pain so severe that I could not bend over to tie my shoe laces. I saw a doctor, and his diagnostic method was interesting. He said, "Take off your shirt, and just stand there so I can see your side. Ah yes, you suffer from what is clinically known as poor posture." He gave me a small sample package of pain killer/muscle relaxants and described an exercise program, as well as instructing me on proper posture. The problem went away shortly thereafter, and has not returned. I only used that one small package of medicine to start me on the program. That was in 1985.

I sleep on a firm mattress. A soft one leaves me feeling tired and tense in the morning.

[Noclevername]

Sleep on a firm mattress with a soft partner. Then any soreness you have in the morning will not be resented. :D

[toejam]

KingNor

I don't think it's a medical condition, let me clear up.

If it's bad enough for you to seek advice, it can be considered a medical condition. If you prefer to seek non-medical advice, that's entirely up to you.

But that you, (or I, or any one else here) THINK we know the cause and know what to do for it, is NOT as good as seeing someone qualified to diagnose the problem and advise treatment.
You can take any advice given here, and it may work, you may get lucky, you may not.

[Mortac]

Didn't read everything so pardon me if I repeat some advice already given.

I also get backpains occasionally from sleeping (woke up an hour ago and my back is hurting right now). There are ways to use pillows that can really remove the whole backpain issue. I.e. if you lie on your right side, use a pillow to support your left knee (this produces less strain on your back). The same can go for the arms, i.e. you lie on your right side, then use a pillow to support your left arm. Something else that can help, although I don't find it as helpful, is to place a thin pillow under your knees when sleeping on the back. This can also be a relief. I did nothing of this tonight and I can tell.

Of course, the most important might still be your mattress or head-pillow, but please do try the advice I gave you because for me they can completely remove any back-issues from sleeping.

[Neverfly]

Army Cots usually gave me a back ache too.

Sleeping in the HMMWV never did though.

Experiment a bit with your sleep- try the couch- sleep in the guest bed if you have one- as a control.

Then research mattresses like Sleep Number and that Swedish Sleep mattress (Foamy bubble thing that doesn't spill a glass of wine if someone's jumping and the opposite far side:p).

If you can talk your wife into it- Remove the box spring and put the mattress right on the floor.

In My case, the problem was solved when I built a solid frame- and just a regular old mattress on top.

[astrotech]

Common problem. Probably a dented mattress and a new mattress doesn't help for long as they wear out pretty quickly in the same dented pattern. I put a board under my mattress and could feel the relief right away. Lasts for a long time and is cheaper than other solutions.

[Trantor]

I've experimented with several different matress setups over the years, in order to get that "perfect" firmness level. I prefer memory foam tops of about 4 inch thick or so. I've tried memory foam from 2 inches to 8 inches thick, and while foam over 6 inches did conform very well to the body, it was a bit too soft for my taste. When using memory foam, I also like using a pillow that is rather flatter than most. A big fluffy pillow, in my opinion, does not work very well on a memory foam surface.

[mike alexander]

Just to show that there is no universal answer, we bought a new mattress a few months ago after my back got down on its knees and begged for mercy. I believe it a type of Sealy, with the individually pocketed springs and some pillowy material on top. Very similar to a memory foam mattress in the support, but about half as expensive you kind of swim into it. My back has felt much better than on the extra-firm Stearns and Foster mattress we had.

If you sleep on your back, try a pillow under your knees. Experimentation is the key here.

And if you can afford it, I agree with others that a visit to the appropriate doctor is in order. Any change should be checked out.