Sleep with Lower Back Pain

Lots of people suffer from lower back pain due to injury or sedentary life style. To make things worse, they may find sleeping only aggravates the condition. This vicious cycle has to be ended, and adopting proper sleeping position is where the solution starts. The key is to keep our spine in its natural position, where it looks straight from the front (or back), and has three natural curves from the side.

• Use a towel or pillow to support your lower back and knees when you sleep on the back.
• Put a pillow between your legs and a towel under your waist when you sleep on the side.
• Stomach sleepers should also use a pillow under the belly to restore the spine to its natural position.
• Choose the right mattress. Too soft or too firm mattresses do not support your spine properly and may cause lower back pain. After a couple of years of use, re-evaluate your mattress and see if you need a new one. If the bed is too soft and you have not found the right mattress yet, you may consider sleeping on the floor. Memory foam mattress works pretty well for me. 
• Hot bath before bed also improves circulation and relaxation.
• Finally, strength training and stretching also helps reducing muscle pain.

腰酸背痛，是不少小白领的苦恼，长期坐着，脊柱得不到很好的休息。问题更严重的是，睡觉并不一定能缓解症状，有的人睡觉起来反倒更加酸痛。因为腰酸而睡不着，因为睡不好而腰更酸，这样的恶性循环在不少人身上发生。其实，睡觉本身是有学问的。

我们的脊柱，只有在其自然状态下才是放松的。从正面（或背面）看，脊柱应该是拉直的，没有向左或向右的弯曲。从侧面看，脊柱有三个自然的弧度。我们在睡觉的时候，要尽量保持这样的自然状态。

如果你喜欢平卧，用手摸摸自己的后腰，看看是不是贴在床上了。很多情况下，后腰是悬空的，于是从侧面看，后腰处脊柱的自然弯曲就消失了，由此产生过大的压力。





解决办法是在后腰处垫一块厚度适宜的毛巾，让后腰不再悬空。同样的道理，在膝盖下面垫一个高度合适的枕头，适当抬高腿，也能减轻脊柱的压力。

如果你喜欢侧卧，上面的那条腿没有支撑，直接压在下面那条腿上，后腰就会在重力的作用下塌陷，也会造成脊柱弯曲。

解决的办法是在两腿之间夹一个高度合适的枕头，让上面的大腿根下面的大腿保持水平，而不是塌陷下来。如果你的腰不能贴在床上的话，也可以考虑在腰下面垫块毛巾。

还有少数人喜欢趴着睡觉。这种情况下，需要在肚子下面垫个枕头，不然整个后腰都塌下来了。








床垫的硬度应该合适，老床垫往往会变软，对腰的支撑不够，应该尽量换新的支撑好的。在还来不及换床垫的时候，不妨打几天地铺，看看有没有缓解。建议试试memory foam的床垫，对脊柱的支撑比较好。好的床垫会让你的脊柱处在自然状态。

睡觉前泡个热水澡，也是个好习惯。

最后说句题外话：力量和肌肉训练对腰痛是很有帮助的。看看常见的动作是什么？

Photo credit: http://trucontour.com, http://b-reddy.org, http://vustudents.ning.com/