After trying the IKEA Haugesund, Douglas mattress, and now the Casper Nova Hybrid, I’ve found that I’m still waking up on my stomach despite predominantly being a side sleeper my whole life. The stomach sleeping is accompanied by mid or lower back soreness upon waking - wondering if anyone knows if this is more likely due to the mattress being too firm or being too soft?
I’ve never had this happen before and am especially confused due to the Casper Nova Hybrid supposedly being one of the softest mattresses I’ve tried in store.
Not sure what’s causing you to shift from your side to your stomach, but stomach sleeping (also called the prone position) requires a firm mattress to keep your spine in proper alignment and prevent hammocking. Middle or lower back pain after sleeping on your stomach which then typically dissipates in a couple of hours is due to a mattress which lacks sufficient support or has too soft or thick of a comfort layer which allows too much sinkage.
[quote=“Sweet Dreams post=92609”]Not sure what’s causing you to shift from your side to your stomach, but stomach sleeping (also called the prone position) requires a firm mattress to keep your spine in proper alignment and prevent hammocking. Middle or lower back pain after sleeping on your stomach which then typically dissipates in a couple of hours is due to a mattress which lacks sufficient support or has too soft or thick of a comfort layer which allows too much sinkage.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for your response. The problem is I start with sleeping on my side and find myself on my face in the morning so I’m not sure how much the back pain is caused by the side sleeping portion of my sleep versus the stomach sleeping. You are indeed correct that the pain dissipates over the course of the hours after waking up.
A mattress saleslady told me it’s likely due to the mattress being too firm in my side sleeping position and my body’s trying to relieve pressure by moving to my belly. Is there an objective test to determine if I needed a firmer or softer mattress/does middle/lower back pain ALWAYS signify that a firmer mattress is required? I subjectively felt more pain on the firmer mattresses (IKEA HAUGESUND) over my current (casper nova hybrid.)
Too firm of a mattress when side sleeping generally results in pain from pressure points, commonly in the shoulders or hips which are the widest points. If you have back pain when side sleeping it’s most commonly from a lack of sufficient support which is allowing you to hammock which strains back muscles. Not sure what you have your mattress on, but if it could be flexing you could try the mattress directly on the floor which would likely feel firmer and see how that works in comparison. In my experience pressure point pain occurs when a mattress is too firm and lower back pain when it’s too soft, but it can vary by individual and different physical needs.