If you suffer from back and hip pain, chances are you don’t get the sleep you deserve – and you pay for it in the morning. If left untreated, these types of ailments can worsen over time. To offer some relief, we’re breaking down some common contributors, health remedies, and the best mattresses for back and hip pain.
Causes of Hip Pain
First, let’s look at what causes hip pain. While there are many possibilities for why you may be experiencing hip pain while you sleep, we broke down some of the most common conditions responsible.
Sleep Position
Your sleep position throughout the night and the type of mattress you sleep on can play a significant role in your sleep quality.
Side sleepers are more likely to experience hip pain because of the added pressure on the hip joint. Trying to sleep on your back a couple of nights a week may help alleviate the stress and pain from your hips.
However, if you’re privy to staying on your side, a hip pillow may offer relief: Try placing the pillow between your legs to maintain a balanced position for your hips.
Bursitis
Bursitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs in the joints and is a medical condition that contributes to hip pain.
Symptoms of Bursitis include:
- Hip and upper thigh pain felt on the outside
- Sharp pain followed by an ache, especially when touched
- Pain experienced after sitting for a long time which worsens during physical activity
- Hip pain that is worse at night when lying down or sleeping on the affected hip
Arthritis
Arthritis is another condition that leads to hip pain. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, psoriatic, and septic are all types of arthritis that affect the hip.
You may experience any of these symptoms if your hip pain is resulting from arthritis:
- Pain felt in the groin
- Pain felt in the buttocks, thigh, or knee
- Extreme hip pain preventing you from sleeping
- Pain that restricts movement
- Grinding sound with movement (crepitus)
Hip tendonitis
Hip tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons in the hip.
If you have hip tendonitis, you may experience:
- Deep painful aching in the groin
- Pain felt in the gluteus accompanied by inflammation
Pregnancy
The extra weight of pregnancy puts extra pressure on your spine and hips.
At night try rolling up a blanket and placing it behind your back so you can lean into it while sleeping on your side. This way, your body gets the additional support it needs while sleeping.
At-Home Relief for Hip Pain
- Experiment to find the most pain-reducing sleep position
- Place pillows under your hip to provide cushioning.
- Sleep with a pillow between your knees.
- Over-the-counter (OTC) medication may help relieve your pain.
Causes of Back Pain
Like the hips, poor sleeping positions can put extra pressure on your back. Certain health conditions can also increase back pain.
Here are the most common conditions responsible for back pain.
Pulled muscle or strain
A pulled muscle or strain can happen while lifting or twisting incorrectly. In certain positions or while performing certain movements, muscles, ligaments, and tendons can be stretched to the point of being painful., usually resulting in a strain or pulled muscle.
Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis. The pain from AS is typically located in the lower back and pelvis. Often, the pain gets worse at night when you’re less active.
Disc degeneration
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is believed to be a progressive condition that happens over time from wear and tear or injury.
At-Home Relief for Back Pain
Treatment for your lower back pain varies depending on the diagnosis. Short-term treatment can be done at home to alleviate minor aches and pains. At-home treatment includes:
- Switching sleeping positions
- Lifting/supporting legs or knees when sleeping
- Using heat pads
- OTC medication
Minor back pain will typically go away on its own. However, if you are experiencing continuous pain with no signs of relief, you should consult a primary care doctor or specialist.
Best Mattresses for Back and Hip Pain
In addition to the at-home remedies shown above, there are a couple of steps you can take with your sleep products to help alleviate and prevent additional back and hip pain.
We’ve compiled our top recommendations for the best mattresses for back and hip pain!
Best Mattresses for Back Pain
As far as reducing low back pain and improving sleep quality, medium-firm mattresses have been deemed positive.
With this in mind, the Harmony + is our top recommendation for the best mattress for back pain.
The Harmony + is a medium-firm mattress that features foam layers specifically designed to conform to the weight and pressure of every individual. Its cover is soft to the touch and exceptionally breathable. The foam layers provide maximum air circulation and temperature regulation to keep you cool and supported through the night.
Best Mattresses for Hip Pain
The best mattresses for hip pain are medium-plush mattresses, which have shown positive results in alleviating symptoms and pain.
Considering this, the Fusion Luxe is our recommendation for the best mattress for hip pain.
The Fusion Luxe is one of our most popular and best-selling mattresses. It has a medium-plush feel that actively adapts to the contours of every individual, providing pressure relief to side sleepers. The Cooling Knit Fabric Cover and Gel AeroFusion Memory Foam layer promote airflow and a cooler sleep all night long.
Key features of the Fusion Luxe:
- Medium-plush
- Hybrid with memory foam + individual pocket springs
- Gel AeroFusion™ memory foam, adaptive foam, and flex comfort foam core
Additionally, the International chiropractors association (ICA) has officially endorsed MLILY-branded sleep products.
Through a series of tests, the ICA confirmed that all MLILY sleep products allow the spine to sit in its proper natural position while supporting the body. This minimizes the stress on specific pressure points along the spine that contribute to major back pain and hip joint issues.
Visit mlilyusa.com to shop all of MLILY's certified sleep products for the perfect mattress and pillow combination for comfortable and pain-free sleep.