Millions of adults across the U.S. suffer from chronic back pain. Unlike other medical conditions, chronic back pain doesn’t just occur because of conditions like arthritis but also because of poor posture and incorrect bedding.
Most people don’t think their pillow can have a big impact on their backs. You may just think that your pillow’s only purpose is to provide comfort. But pillows do a lot more than that — they support your body and facilitate spinal alignment.
In fact, when you sleep, your sleeping position should be geared towards enhancing spinal alignment and your pillow should help with that. If your sleeping position is incorrect or if you use the incorrect pillow, your neck falls out of alignment, which can also affect your upper back and lower back.
In this article, we discuss what is the best sitting posture for lower back pain, what is the best sleeping position for upper back and neck pain, and what are the best pillows for upper back pain.
What is the Best Sitting Posture for Lower Back Pain?
The best sitting posture for lower back pain is one that maintains the natural curvature of your spine. Your spine usually follows a curved path with a slight hollow around the lower back region. When you sleep with a slumped posture, your spine falls out of alignment.
To achieve the best sitting posture for lower back pain, you need to maintain a right angle between your hips and your knees. Furthermore, your lower back should be slightly arched with a hollow. If you can’t achieve or maintain this naturally, you can place lumbar support on your chair so that it pushes your lower back in the correct posture.
Desk Jockey Lumbar Pillow is the ideal lumbar support pillow to place on your chair. This pillow comes with a strap with which you can secure it to the chair. It’s made of memory foam so it conforms to your body and provides optimal support. It has a curved shape that helps you maintain the natural curvature of your back, thus preventing lower back pain.
What is the Best Sleeping Position for Upper Back and Neck Pain?
The following are some of the best sleeping positions for upper back and neck pain:
- Sleeping on your back with a pillow under your thighs to support your lower back.
- Sleeping on your side in a fetal position with a high-loft pillow under your head.
- Sleeping on your side with a contour pillow between your knees.
- Sleeping on your stomach isn’t recommended because it places immense pressure on your back. But if you must sleep in this position, you should use a low-loft pillow or no pillow under your head and use a low-loft pillow beneath your stomach to take the pressure off your back.
All of the aforementioned sleeping positions relieve back pain and neck pain by taking the stress off crucial pressure points on your body.
Best Pillow for Neck and Back Pain
Elite Rest Contour Sleeper — Best Cervical Pillow for Side Sleepers
Elite Rest Contour Sleeper is a side sleeper pillow or a back sleeper pillow. There are several strong highlights in this pillow, but the most attractive feature is the contoured design. This pillow has a contoured shape with a 4-inch loft at the highest point and a 2.75-inch loft at the lowest point. As such, you can rest your neck on the higher loft and your head can lay cradled in the lower loft. This provides optimal neck support, which, in turn, takes the pressure off your upper back as well.
This also happens to be a memory foam pillow, which ensures that the pillow conforms to the shape of your neck and head. Wherever you lay your head, the memory foam bunches around you to provide greater support. It also comes with a removable machine-washable 100% cotton cover that encourages air circulation and keeps you cool.
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper — Best Pillow for Neck Pain and Stomach Sleepers
Do you sleep on your stomach? If so, Elite Rest Slim Sleeper is the best choice for you. This is a low-loft pillow with a height of only 2.75 inches. As such, you can lay it under your head and rest assured that your neck won’t fall out of alignment. You can also keep this pillow under your abdomen to support your back.
This pillow is made of natural latex foam, which is an extremely comfortable yet firm material. When you rest your head on this pillow, it won’t feel like a slab of bricks but your head won’t sink down either. It’s also hypoallergenic so you don’t have to worry about allergic reactions.
BioPEDIC Premium SofLOFT — Best Body Pillows
BioPEDIC Premium SofLOFT is the best body pillow on the market. This pillow has hypoallergenic fiberfill and it measures 20 inches by 54 inches. This pillow can be used to sleep comfortably in several sleep positions. You can snuggle against it and tuck it between your knees if you’re sleeping on your side. You can also rest your body against it to prevent yourself from rolling on your stomach. This pillow comes with a 240 thread count cover that’s extremely durable and breathable.
Coop Home Goods Premium — Best Adjustable Pillow for Multiple Sleep Positions
Coop Home Goods Premium is one of the most unique pillows in this list because of its adjustable loft. This pillow is made of shredded memory foam which means you can add or remove the filling to adjust the loft according to your needs. As such, this pillow is perfect for you whether you’re a stomach sleeper, back sleeper, or side sleeper. As a memory foam pillow, it also conforms to the natural curves of your body, thus alleviating stress from pressure points.
