If you’re a side sleeper, you may suffer from hip pain. There are a few ways to try and ease that pain, which will be addressed in this article.
The first thing you need to consider is what is causing your hip pain. There are a few things that could be the culprit;
~ You could be sleeping on the wrong kind of mattress
~ Pregnancy
~ Your sleeping position.
If you lead an active lifestyle, there’s a couple of things you can do to try and ease that pain;
~ Try to avoid repetitive activities that put a strain on the hips. That could be certain types of exercise and can be altered by changing your positions or by stretching carefully before and after your workout.
~ Work on strengthening your hips and build strength at the hip joint with exercise.
~ Make sure you’re wearing the right footwear when you exercise. Consult with certified professionals in this field like the fix body group.
If you’re waking up in the night regularly with hip pain, it’s an indication that your sleeping position or mattress is the problem. If your mattress is too soft or too hard, it can trigger your pressure points, causing aches and pains, especially in your hips. If this is the case, you should start looking at a new mattress or to attempt to change your sleeping position. As a side sleeper, you can train yourself to sleep on your back instead with just a few tricks;
~ Rearranging your pillows to keep you laid on your back is a quick and easy way to help. Having pillows on either side of you under your arms should help to prevent you from rolling onto your side when you’re asleep.
~ Using a thinner pillow under your head to align your spine properly and keep you comfortable will also help keep you still throughout the night.
It can take a few weeks of training yourself this way, but it should help you stay on your back instead of ending up on your side. It’s also helpful to put a pillow under your knees to support your back, making sure you aren’t relieving your hip pain but causing any pain in your back.
If this doesn’t work, or you don’t want to alter your sleeping position, it’s time to consider a new mattress. The best mattress for side sleepers suffering from hip pain should be soft to medium, allowing the mattress to contour to your body shape keeping you comfortable and supported. When you sleep on your side, your hips and shoulders will usually stick out somewhat. If you’re sleeping on a firm mattress, this can cause pressure points and misalign your spine, causing you pain. A softer mattress will help ease that pressure and let you sleep comfortably without that pain.
The best thing you can do for your hip pain is to narrow down what is causing the pain, so you can then take the steps to ease it. Evaluate your sleeping position and mattress, and usually, you can find an easy way to relieve that pain.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.