Best Sleep Positions for Back Pain Relief

How you lie at night can ease back pain or make it worse. The aim is the same in every position: keep the spine in a straight, natural line from the neck to the hips.

This is general advice, not medical advice. If your pain is severe, lasts more than a few weeks, or comes with numbness, tingling or weakness in your legs, see a doctor.

On your back, with a pillow under the knees

Lying flat on your back spreads your weight evenly. A small pillow under the knees lets the lower back relax into the mattress instead of arching. Use one head pillow, not a stack, so the neck is not bent forward.

On your side, with a pillow between the knees

Side sleeping is comfortable for many people with back pain. Without support, the top leg falls forward and twists the lower back. A pillow between the knees keeps the hips level. Your head pillow should fill the gap between the ear and the shoulder, no more.

Curled up, if you have a disc problem

Some people with a slipped or bulging disc find it easier to lie on their side with the knees drawn gently towards the chest. It opens the space between the vertebrae.

Avoid sleeping on your stomach

Lying face down arches the lower back and turns the neck to one side for hours. If you cannot sleep any other way, put a thin pillow under your hips and use a very flat pillow, or none, under your head.

The mattress matters too

A mattress that is too soft lets the hips sink, and one that is too hard pushes on the shoulders and hips. Research on lower back pain has found that people tend to do better on medium-firm than on very firm. A sagging mattress gives no support at all, whatever its firmness.

Get out of bed carefully

Roll onto your side, drop your legs over the edge, and push up with your arms. Sitting straight up from your back puts a lot of strain on the lower spine.