Finding the Best Bed for Back Pain is Life Changing – Literally!

If you have back pain, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that 31 million Americans suffer from lower back pain at any given moment. Approximately 50 percent of all American workers experience the symptoms of back pain every single year. Just as alarmingly, about 80 percent of the population will have a back problem at one point or another over the course of their lifetimes.

Back pain is one of the most commonly cited reasons for missing work. It’s also the second most common reason that leads people to visit their doctors. People in the United States spend a combined total of at least $50 billion trying to resolve their back pain every year, and that figure only includes costs that are easy to detect.

If you suffer from back pain, one of the smartest things you can do to alleviate your discomfort is choose the bed that’s best for the kind of pain you’re experiencing. When you choose the right mattress, it can relieve pressure and achiness in your most sensitive spots, like your lumbar region, shoulders, neck, and hips. If you get the wrong mattress, it can make your pain even worse and cause new, painful pressure points to develop in your back. Finding the best bed for back pain isn’t hard. You just have to know what to look at. 

Sleep Positions

There are two primary factors you should keep top of mind when you’re trying to select a mattress that will alleviate your back pain and prevent new sore spots from developing. The first one is your sleep position. 

Here are three common sleep positions and a description of the mattresses that are often best for people who sleep in each one:

• Side: In general, side sleepers need a mattress that’s firm enough to support their body and prevent them from sinking too far into the mattress.
• Back: People who sleep on their back often need a mattress that provides an even amount of support from their neck all the way down to their tailbone. If back sleepers get a mattress that’s too firm, it can create a gap between their lumbar region and the mattress’ surface. If a back sleeper chooses a mattress that’s too soft, the individual may sink too far, which can result in poor alignment.
• Stomach: Sleeping on your stomach is widely viewed as the unhealthiest of all the possible sleep positions. If you simply can’t sleep in any other position, you should look for a mattress that has enough firmness to stop your tummy from sinking into the mattress too deeply.

Body Weight

The second factor you should keep in the forefront of your mind when you’re shopping for a mattress is your body weight. As a general rule, people who weigh less than 130 pounds need softer mattresses to experience relief from the pressure that’s causing their back pain. Individuals who weigh over 230 pounds typically feel better on firmer mattresses that prevent them from sinking into their mattress while people in between those weight classes often do best on medium or medium firm mattresses.

Find a New Mattress at Bens.com

For more information about choosing the bed that’s best for you, we encourage you to read our mattress buying guide. When you’re ready to find a new mattress at a discounted price, shop at Bens.com or visit one of our Atlanta-area retail stores.