I think we all know that a good nights sleep is important. It goes a little deeper then feeling tired from a bad nights sleep because your quality of sleep has many impacts on your health. You might have gone out and tested lots of mattresses or read every review on mail order mattresses in a box ultimately to settle on a memory foam mattress. But now that you’ve started sleeping on it is your memory foam mattress causing back pain?

Well, don’t run and fill out the return request form just quite yet. We’re going to go through what happens with new mattresses, your sleeping positions, and what happens to your body as it adjusts to something new.

Whether it’s a memory foam mattress or another newer technology like a purple mattress causing back pain the answers here will still be the same.

Is New Mattress Back Pain A Real Thing?

Before you purchased a new mattress you may have tested out dozens of mattresses and read countless reviews until you came to your decision. If you bought your mattress and are experiencing new mattress back pain it might not just be disappointing, but also discouraging if you’re thinking you made a mistake. After all, mattresses are expensive and you’re supposed to spend a third of your life on it. And if you have back pain from sleeping, well, obviously your daily routine is also impacted or disrupted. But is there a such thing as new mattress back pain? Short answer is, YES! Now let’s get to the long answer.

Breaking In A New Mattress

Think about your new mattress like a brand new pair of shoes. Have you ever picked up a new pair of shoes and try to bend them at the toes? If you’ve never done this – they’re very stiff. But after you walk on them for a little while the material loosens and it’s a lot easier to walk.

Well your new memory foam or purple mattress is no different than this new pair of shoes. The purple mattress is made with a Hyper-Elastic Polymer® and most other mattresses like Tempur-Pedic or Casper are made with a Polyurethane Foam. In either case, These mattresses tend to start out more stiff because of unopened cells in the material. Like walking in new shoes as you sleep on these mattresses the cells in these mattresses begin to open up and the mattress becomes softer.

Most companies, including Casper, Purple and Tempur-Pedic, give a trial period for you to test the mattress and make sure you’re satisfied. The minium trial period is 90 days with some extending out even further. If your memory foam mattress is causing back pain you should use the full trial period to allow the mattress to break in and see if your back pain subsides over time.

Your Body Resists Change

Another reason your memory foam mattress is causing back pain is that your body is resisting the initial change. This could also be the case for any memory foam mattress you might have otherwise purchased. So why does this happen? It has to do with overall posture. We stand a certain way. We sit a certain way. And we also sleep a certain way.

Well, the alignment of your bones and muscles form to, and are used to, these certain postures we use every day. Laying in a bed for sleep is no different. Your body has set a form to your old mattress, and that form is disrupted when you purchase and begin laying on a new mattress.

If you’re used to sleeping on your side and you sunk into your old mattress, but now you don’t sink in like you used to there’s a chance you’ll start to have back pain. The reason is your upper body and hips will sink into the mattress a little more than your stomach area, and the spine in your lower back will not curve the way it is used to when laying down.

Now, this doesn’t mean that your body isn’t able to adjust to a new sleeping position. Because it can. However, it might take some time. That’s why you should give your mattress the full 90 day trial period if it’s causing back pain. With that said, if the pain is very sever and painful then you should contact the company support and look into a refund.

What To Do For A Memory Foam Mattress Causing Back Pain

It’s not uncommon for a new memory foam mattress to cause back pain. But there are some things you can do before and after your mattress purchase to help prepare or correct your back for this rapid change that’s about to happen.

1. See Your Chiropractor – you can start to prepare your body for a new mattress with a chiropractic exam. A good wellness exam will correct the alignment of your back and your posture so you start off on the right foot with your new mattress.
2. Stretch Before Bed – Stretching before you go to bed will help loosen up your spine and muscles allowing more flexibility in your body. This stretching can allow a little more forgiveness in your back and muscles and can help to reduce or eliminate pain. Stretch for a few minutes before you go to bed and even after you wake up in the morning.
3. Sleeping Position – Take a look at how you sleep. What position do you sleep in? Sleeping on your stomach or back are the most likely sleep positions to cause back pain. Try and switch to sleeping on your side to give you relief from back pain.
4. Could a New Pillow Help? – In addition to sleeping on your side you can also sleep with a knee pillow or a pillow between your knees to help keep your hips aligned. But the pillow you put your head on can make a difference, too. You don’t want your pillow to flatten out, and some pillows are designed for cervical comfort and to help keep your neck aligned properly.

How To Tell If Your Bed Is Causing Back Pain

Although there is no way to know with complete certainty that your memory foam mattress is causing back pain we can piece together some puzzle pieces to lead you to a reasonable conclusion.

If you normally go to sleep without pain but wake up in the morning and start to experience back pain it’s a good indication that your mattress may be the cause. Generally, the pain subsides after 20-30 minutes. Mattresses that are too soft will cause your body to sink into the mattress more and cause misalignment in your spine. This will lead to middle or upper back pain. A mattress more firm puts more pressure on your hips causing more pain in your lower back.

Are you tossing and turning throughout the night? Take notice of your sleeping habits. Were you a sound sleeper before but ever since you got your new mattress you start tossing and turning throughout the night? If this is the case the mattress may be the culprit. If your spine is now misaligned because of the new mattress your body will naturally seek a new position for more comfort.

Final Thoughts

I think it’s common when we get a new mattress that we’re excited to go to sleep. The thoughts of getting the best sleep of your life are too good to resist. Especially, since we all hear so much about a memory foam mattress like Tempur-Pedic or a new technology mattress like Purple is all the rage. It’s a shame when that memory foam mattress causing back pain starts ruining your sleep and impacting your day.

Hopefully you found our suggestions and recommendations useful and you can enjoy your sleep once again. With a few changes to your bedtime routine and breaking in that mattress hopefully you can say goodbye to new mattress back pain!

The post Memory Foam Mattress Causing Back Pain? Here’s What To Do! appeared first on Calming Journey.

We’ve all heard it before when we have a cold or the flu. They say “sleep it off” and rest, and soon you’ll start to feel better quicker than you normally would. But does sleep help a cold or the flu? Or maybe you’re up all night with a sore throat or a cough. What benefit could sleep have to help us feel symptom free and get rid of our cold? Well let’s take a deep dive into this question and see if sleep really helps us feel better no matter what they symptoms are.

As you continue to read the details in this article you’ll find that additional sleep does help a cold go away faster. All of those terrible symptoms you have can be helped! So the advice that has been passed on for generations is true. Not only can sleep help get rid of a common cold, but the proper amount of sleep each can help prevent you from becoming sick in the first place.

How Sleep Impacts Your Health

As we dive into the topic if sleep helps your cold let’s first take a look at how sleep impacts your health. It’s all related. A 2015 study from the University of Southern California, San Francisco concluded that the less sleep you get the more likely you are to get sick. More specifically, the study concluded that people who slept six hours a night or less were four times more likely to catch a common cold when exposed to a virus. This compares to people who slept more than seven hours a night. In other words, this means that sleeping keeps you healthy!

The following statement was made by Aric Prather, PhD, who is the assistant professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and lead author of the study.

“Short sleep was more important than any other factor in predicting subjects’ likelihood of catching cold. It didn’t matter how old people were, their stress levels, their race, education or income. It didn’t matter if they were a smoker. With all those things taken into account, statistically sleep still carried the day.”

Potter, Lisa Marie, and Nicholas Weiler. “Short Sleepers Are Four Times More Likely to Catch a Cold.” Short Sleepers Are Four Times More Likely to Catch a Cold | UC San Francisco, www.ucsf.edu/news/2015/08/131411/short-sleepers-are-four-times-more-likely-catch-cold.

Additionally, prior studies from Prather have also shown that people who sleep fewer hours aren’t protected as well against illness after receiving a vaccine. Uh oh. So even if we have a vaccine sleeping less can reduce how much the vaccine works which still increases our chances of getting sick.

I think we’re beginning to figure out here that sleep and rest are great for your colds and overall health! So now that we understand that sleep itself helps fight off a common cold let’s further understand why sleep is good for a cold.

Why Is Sleep Good For A Cold?

So now we know that sleep is good for a cold let’s finally dive into why it helps your cold and your overall health. And it all has to do with what happens to your immune system with sleep. Specifically, lack of sleep can greatly impact the T Cells in your immune system and the T Cell count. The T Cells are only a small part of the immune system. There are also B Cells which are also impacted. Both of these cell types fight off virus and bacterial infections. When your body can’t fight off these infections is when you’ll start to show the symptoms of being sick.

So does sleep help a cold? Absolutely! By “sleeping it off” you’re rejuvenating your immune system and giving your body the ability to fight off the viral or bacterial infection. Not only is sleep good if you have a cold, but it can also act as a preventative to getting a cold in the first place.

The proper amount of sleep will keep your immune system strong and functioning as it’s supposed to function. A healthy immune system will fight off those viral and bacterial infections. Of course, your body can’t fight off every illness but at least your giving your body a better shot to fend off or get rid of a common cold or sickness.

What Are T Cells?

T Cells are white blood cells, and they’re critical cells in your body that help to fight off disease. These are cells that respond to viral infections and also give other cells in your immune system a boost to fight off infections. So they’re extremely important to your health!

T Cells originate in the bone marrow. Without going into all the nitty gritty details they are then sent to tissue or circulate in the blood stream or lymphatic system.

What Are B Cells?

B Cells are also white blood cells that originate in the bone marrow. These cells are also critical to keeping you healthy. B Cells bind to specific antigens which initiates an antibody response. These cells also help to fight off infections. But these cells are also have a “memory antibody” function. It’s actually a critical part of your bodies immune system.

So what does this memory antibody function do? Well, to put it simply the B Cells remember what happens during previous infections so the immune system knows how to fight future infections.

Best Way To Sleep When You Have A Cold (Without Meds)

When you have a cold or the flu it’s easy to pop some pills or down some liquid to help you sleep through the night. But maybe you don’t want to take pills. Or maybe medications don’t always work for you. Are all the medications healthy for you? A lot of people don’t like the way they feel after taking medications because of side effects.

Does sleep help a cold if you can’t ever actually get to sleep? Of course not!

So let’s talk about some of the best ways to sleep when you have a common cold or flu without taking medications. It’s all natural! These recommendations also help if you have a cough or sore throat. Although sleep may not be the complete cure to a virus it will definitely make a contribution to helping you better. Try these tips to help get you through your symptoms and on your way to getting healthy.

1. Try Sleeping With A Humidifier

One of the biggest culprits to cold and flu season is dry air. A humidifier can help solve both of these problems. By adding moisture to the air you can help lubricate your nasal passages and your throat if it’s sore. This could also help a cough or a scratch throat since the moisture will have the same impact on your throat.

Please make sure you keep your humidifier clean. If it’s not cleaned regularly mold and bacteria can build up and ultimately do you more harm than good.

2. Take A Steamy Shower Before Bed

A steamy shower is great, especially, if you don’t have a humidifier. The steamy shower would have a similar effect that a humidifier does, but you just won’t have the continual moisture added to the room during your sleep. Moisture will be added to the air, and it’ll open up your nasal passages to help clear out your airways. It should also help you to wind down and relax at night.

3. Add Some Pillows To Your Bed

Have you ever laid down to go to sleep when you’re sick, and all of a sudden your head clogs up and you feel worse than you did before? Well, it happens because when you lay down it gives the mucus a chance to collect in your nasal passages. The collection of mucus can also cause a cough if you didn’t already have one. So when you go to sleep at night (or during the day) prop yourself up a little bit to help clear the nasal passages. Be sure to elevate your whole head. You don’t want to be bending your neck because it can cause neck pain and possibly restrict your airways.

Tip: If you have a sore throat also try to gargle with warm salt water before you go to bed.

4. Make A Saline Rinse

For a long time I used NeilMed to help clear my nasal passages. I started doing this after a nose surgery and it was recommended by my doctor. But you can make your own saline rinse at home. This mix will help to safely flush out your nose which would also take some of the infection out with it.

The recipe is:

1. 1/4 teaspoon salt
2. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3. 8 oz. warm distilled water (Do not use tap water because that could be dangerous)

5. Drink A Hot Cup Of Water

You might see a lot of places recommend a hot soup, tea, or some other beverage before you head to sleep at night. We recommend that you just stick with a warm cup of water. Although a nice cup of tea sounds great most teas have caffeine in them which can help keep you awake.

A warm cup of water will keep you hydrated and add some steam for your nasal passages. But there’s more! It also cleanses digestions and helps eliminate toxins from your body. Lastly, to also promote sleep a cup of hot water will increase blood circulation and calm down your central nervous system.

Final Thoughts On How Sleep Helps A Cold Or Flu

A few twists and turns aside I think we can answer our question on how does sleep help a cold. Part of the process is knowing not just if sleep is good for a cold, but WHY sleep helps to get rid of a common cold or the flu. A better understanding can go a long way.

In addition to sleep it’s also important to stay hydrated when you’re trying to get rid of a cold. Most of our recommendations for the best ways to sleep when you have a cold involve not just hydration but moisture content in the air. It’s how you help clear your nasal passages and alleviate a sore throat.

If you’re sick we hope reading this article helps you feel better quicker. If you’re healthy, hopefully you learned some preventative things you can do to stop the next illness from coming your way.

The post Does Sleep Help A Cold? Know Why And How Sleep Impacts Your Health. appeared first on Calming Journey.