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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
