What Causes Pain in the Morning?
Why do I wake up in pain? Pain and sleep don’t go hand in hand. There are countless reasons for waking up sore in the morning. Hopefully your experience is just temporary. Maybe you’ve recently just come across an unusual amount of stress or anxiety. If you do not have a memory foam mattress, your mattress springs could be hitting your back in all the wrong places, leaving you sore in the morning.
Or perhaps, you’ve engaged in physical activity that you’re not used to. Heck, maybe someone is kicking you in your sleep. Otherwise, here’s a list of more common reasons that may relate to your personal experiences. Read through the causes below and see which solutions may apply to you.
1. Not getting enough sleep
Sleep is the time for your body to rest and rejuvenate. If you’re waking up in pain, you might not be getting enough sleep at night. So, how much sleep do you need? It’s recommended to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. However, that number can change based on your age, as children and teenagers often need more sleep than seniors. Regardless, getting quality deep sleep night after night will allow your body to get the rest it needs to recover from the previous day’s activities.
2. Dehydration
A lack of fluids in the body can cause you to feel body soreness, aches, and pains. By drinking plenty of water during the day, your body will have the fluid it needs to transport oxygen and nutrients to your cells to reduce inflammation and pain. Aim to drink at least half a gallon, with one glass of water before going to sleep. Another great solution is to hydrate your body’s largest organ (your skin) by taking a hot shower right before bed.
3. Exercise
Exercising during the day without properly stretching before and after can build up lactic acid, which can result in waking up sore. Make sure to stretch before and after exercise, and to give yourself a good stretch right before bed for good measure.
4. Your mattress
You spend a third of your day and life sleeping, which means if you have an old or uncomfortable mattress, it can be the reason why you’re sore when you wake up. An old mattress may be causing your bones and joints to be misaligned. How often should you replace your mattress? Most mattresses last between 7 and 10 years, or when you start to lose quality sleep due to pain resulting from your mattress.
5. Sleeping position
Sometimes you have pain when waking up because of your sleeping position. When you fall asleep, you might toss and turn in the middle of the night and find yourself in an unusual position, such as with a cranked neck or misaligned back. Because one of the most common causes of morning back pain is the wrong sleeping position, it’s important to find a sleeping position that allows you to wake up the same way you fall asleep. If you’re a side sleeper, try placing a pillow in between your knees, which can help relieve lower back pressure.
6. Stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety not only take a toll on your mental health, but can impact your physical health, too. This is because stress and anxiety can cause your muscles to tense up, which can result in pain. And because stress and anxiety take a toll on your immune system, you can be at an increased risk of illness or infection. Allow yourself some time to calm down and relax before going to bed to help prevent waking up in pain.
Get Rid of Pain With Layla Sleep
If you’re waking up sore and achy, you’re most likely looking for ways to relieve lower back pain and body pain. To help you wake up pain-free, we have several tips for getting rid of pain in the morning:
- Buy a comfortable mattress: One of the top reasons you’re waking up in pain is sleeping on a poor-quality mattress. To wake up pain-free in the morning, invest in a mattress for back pain relief that supports your body weight and feels comfortable to you.
- Try yoga or meditation: If you’re waking up in pain, whether it’s because of exercise or stress, try practicing yoga or meditation. These exercises can help you wind down while stretching your body and increase blood flow to your muscles, which can help reduce inflammation and pain.
- Maintain a healthy weight: One reason you may be sore waking up is due to an unhealthy weight. To relieve pain, start with easy exercises or refrain from living a sedentary lifestyle.
- Eat a healthy diet: It’s also important to eat a nutritious diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and to limit foods that cause inflammation, such as dairy, wheat, and sugar.
- Avoid cigarettes: Smoking can cause a host of problems, with pain in the morning one of them. This is because cigarettes prevent oxygenated blood from reaching your tissues and bones to repair them and keep them healthy.
Remember that depression, stress, and anxiety are all medical conditions that can also cause morning soreness. If you’re waking up in pain in the morning, consult with your doctor to determine the underlying condition and find the right solutions.
Get Rid of Pain With Layla Sleep
One of the best ways to prevent waking up in pain is to invest in a quality mattress. At Layla Sleep, we aim to help you live a happy, energized waking life, which we make possible with our memory foam and hybrid mattresses. Our mattresses are constructed with body-contouring memory foam that helps relieve pressure points and reduce pain. In addition to pain relief, our mattresses are the perfect sleep hot solution, as the copper-gel particles in the memory foam help regulate body temperatures to transport body heat away from you while you sleep.
