Your spine is the backbone of your body’s balance and stability. Its proper shape and functioning are crucial to maintaining perfect body movements, mobility, flexibility, and posture. In our hectic work life, we often overlook the health of the spine. The number of cases of backpain, shoulder pain, and neck injuries is continuously rising. Poor bedtime and sleeping habits are the biggest reason behind the increasing back pain. Our bedtime habits significantly affect the spine and result in discomfort and long-term back issues. Things like sleep pattern, sleep posture, pillow and mattress, pre-sleeping habits, etc., influence this important part of the body and its functionality. A thoughtful approach, healthy bedtime habits, and good quality mattress are three important things to maintain a correct spine shape and health. In this article, we will delve into the depth of how and what bedtime habits affect the spine and play a role in either strengthening or stressing the spine.
Table of Contents
Mattress and Pillow Quality
The type and quality of a pillow and a mattress significantly affect the alignment and health of your spine during sleep. A mattress’s quality and stiffness can affect your spine’s health. If the mattress is too hard, your spine will not get the desired support. It will not be in its natural position and create pressure points that result in immense back pain. A too-soft mattress makes your body sink in it, degrading the natural shape of the spine’s curvature. It droops in and does not provide the necessary support due to its sagging nature and ultimately causes joint and back pain. In short, both too-hard or too-soft mattresses negatively affect the health of your spine and give it an unnatural shape. In the same way, a too-high or too-low pillow does affect the neck and spine health and disturbs its alignment. Therefore, a medium-firm orthopedic mattress is best for ensuring natural curvature of the spine and maintaining its health.
Type of Mattress
Although there are multiple types of mattresses that provide proper back support, relieve pressure points, maintain spine curvature, align the spine and neck, reduce aches and pains, and ensure better posture. Mattresses like latex Plus mattress, diamond mattresses, spine coir mattresses, Kurlon Inspire Mattresses, etc, are some of the best mattresses you can purchase for a healthy body and spine. If we make a diamond puffy comparison with the latex plus mattress, the diamond mattress easily wins due to its material variety, motion isolation, high durability, more support, targeted contouring, climate control layer, thermoregulation, etc. It comes in TwinXL, queen, king, cal king, and split king sizes. Due to its ultra-responsive latex and customized alpaca wool, it guarantees better sleep and strong spine health.
Sleep Position
The sleep position significantly affects spinal health and curvature. Sleeping on the stomach is considered the worst sleeping position as it affects not only the spine but also the neck, joints, shoulder, and chest area. The head is turned completely to one side, which causes neck stiffness and pain. Sleeping on the side is considered a fine position as it evenly supports the spine and distributes the body weight across the body. Moreover, placing a pillow between the knees is good advice for side sleepers if it reduces the strain on the lower back and keeps the spine in a healthy position. Sleeping on the back is the best position that supports both the neck and spine properly. Back sleepers are generally free from long-term back problems and spinal injuries. Placing a desired height and quality pillow beneath the knees and head is crucial to maintain the natural curvature of the spine. It’s essential to check the mattress quality, and a medium-hard mattress works best for any posture.
Pre-Sleep Activities
Many people use electronic devices like mobile, laptop, etc, in bed before sleeping. When such gadgets are used while sitting in the wrong position, it affects the neck and spine poorly. Looking down at the screen and continuously scrolling causes a hump on the neck, which ultimately leads to neck injuries and cervical pain. Moreover, physical activity right before sleep disturbs the muscles and leads to discomfort and spine issues. Basic stretching, meditation, and relaxation techniques are suitable to eliminate muscle tension and ensure flexibility.
Sleep Environment
A proper sleep environment is important for good sleep and better spine health. Ensure that the room is silent, dark, cozy, and comfortable for your sleep. Check the room temperature to avoid sleeping in the most uncomfortable and unhealthy sleep position that significantly affects your back and spine. Ensure that the mattress and pillow adapt to your body’s sleeping position and do not cause stress on pressure points and back. Aromatherapy is a successful and simple method for ensuring the highest possible quality of sleep. To maximize the benefits of aromatherapy and create a relaxing and pleasant environment before sleeping, use calming scents such as lavender, jasmine, and chamomile.
Proper Nutrition
A well-balanced and healthy diet is required to maintain the body parts alive and strong. It might have an impact on the overall health of the spine and back by giving necessary nutrients and proteins to keep the spine strong. Green leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants that help people to recover from spine injuries and maintain their functionality. Fruits are another good source of nutrients that reduce the chances of spine injury. Besides that, dairy products, nuts, avocados, salmon, etc., are some great food items that increase the strength of the spine and maintain its natural shape.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that bedtime habits and the quality of the mattress majorly affect spine health. As the spine is the backbone of the body’s functionality it’s our responsibility to keep it as healthy and strong as possible. Consider buying a good quality mattress that supports your back and gives natural curvature to the spine. Avoid falling for cheap and low-quality mattresses, as they have the tendency to disrupt your spine in the long term. Spine injuries and chronic back pain start due to a bad-quality mattress and slowly affect your whole body. Therefore, ensure you buy the best diamond mattress and get a calm and peaceful sleep.