Sleeping on your side has many benefits, and that includes reduced pain in joints and the lower back.
However, sleeping on your side can increase the risk of shoulder pain, as one can collapse towards the mattress and lead to spine misalignment. A firm and supportive mattress can greatly reduce this discomfort.
Sleeping on your back is often recommended for people with chronic pain in their joints and back as it helps keep the spine aligned and reduces pressure and compression on joints.
Similarly, it also helps alleviate a class of tension headaches that are rooted in the cervical spine and are often mistaken as migraine.
There is only one advantage to stomach sleeping over back sleeping — a reduced risk of snoring and sleep apnea.
Otherwise, sleeping on your stomach disrupts the neutral position of your spine and can cause pain in the back, neck, joints, and shoulders.
Stomach sleepers may benefit from a body pillow placed beneath their lower back and pelvis, but overall this position is not healthy for your body.
Combination sleepers get benefits from all the positions and suffer less pain as their joints move while shifting to different sides. This keeps major joints such as knees, shoulders, elbows, and the neck from stiffening up or being strained.
If you’re a side sleeper, try putting a pillow between your knees as it can help keep your hips aligned. Another option is shifting to lying on your back to equalize the pressure on both hips.
One of the best sleeping positions for a lower back herniated disc is either on your side or flat on your back.
Try not to sleep on your stomach, because this can put the most pressure on the natural curvature of the spine, causing worse pain and damage.
Like with hip pain, utilizing a pillow to keep your spine aligned can help too!
If you suffer from sciatica back pain, lie flat on your back and keep your buttocks flat to the bed too. Slowly raise up your knees and bring your feet towards you.
As you do this, place pillows below your knees until you find a spot that feels supportive and relieving.
Extra tip: Try taking a hot bath just before bed. This generally helps relax muscles and can massively help with sciatica back pain.
Try sleeping on your side with a pillow under your upper arm and a contoured cervical pillow (or rolled blanket) under your neck to keep your spine aligned.
Knee pillows will also help, as these can help to keep you aligned while you sleep.
Try not to sleep on your stomach if you have mid back pain. This may be comfortable for a short time, but when you’re on your stomach, you’re actually compressing your back and spine. This can make issues worse in the long term.
Although obviously separate pain points, these 3 areas for sleeping can be grouped together with the same problem-solving sleeping positions.
Hugging your pillow can actually help with your neck and shoulder positioning as it can support the right muscles, allowing the painful areas to rest and heal.
The simple answer is yes, and there’s two major potential reasons for that (among others).
For people with chronic pain, Medium-Firm mattresses are usually the most comfortable.
They allow your shoulders and hips to sink in, alleviating pressure points, while still maintaining spinal alignment through good support.
If you experience challenges with moving around in your bed, a strong edge is necessary to prevent the mattress from collapsing while sitting or leaning on its edge.
Innersprings, Hybrids, and Foam mattresses are all types that perform well in Medium-Firm levels.
Foam mattresses (including extra cushy Memory Foam) are softer and more “comforting”, though they tend to hold heat and sleep warmer.
Innersprings offer bounce with their coil construction, focusing on lots of support.
Hybrids offer the best of both worlds with lots of coil support and a cushy surface that lets you sink in.
If you consistently wake up in the mornings with pain, or if you can’t seem to get comfortable overnight, it’s very likely that your mattress isn’t providing enough support or comfort.
The best mattress firmness to cure back pain is typically Medium-Firm, as it provides the best mix of contouring and support. Different sleep styles and preferred positions can affect this, however.
18 scientifically proven tips
(for 2025) that you can use tonight.
