When you wake up in the morning, you expect to rise felling fresh and boosted up to take new challenges. It can be a plain downer to wake up with a back pain or restless mind.
The most common reason for sleep related back pain is poor sleeping posture. Posture of the body plays a great role in overall health. Majority of people overlook the importance of sleeping posture and keep luxurious and costly mattresses as their prospect. But, a luxurious regular bed is not the cause of emotional and physical well being.
The way you sleep and on what you sleep is what affects your waking life. It is said that “less is better” and “no mattress is the perfect mattress”. Well, that explains how spending too much will not get you on the right mattress. But if you think of a cheap mattress, you consider a bad quality sleep mat that might just last a couple of months.
Not true! An authentic Japanese futon is the actual bed that comes with less price, simplicity and health benefits which are truly visible in Japanese. We will get to the mattress part later in our article; first let’s tell you the three reasons that are causing you to have a poor sleep posture:
Cause #1- You’re not Sleeping Rightr
Our entire life we continue sleeping the way we’re used to and how we find it comfortable. With that much of practice you’d think we’re great sleepers, but no! Climbing into the bed does get you into an initial comfort, but once you have slept, the posture you chose can add the extra stress on your back or neck. Your head, neck and spine has to align correctly for a better sleep and future health.
Your spine has to be straight- Unnatural bending and twisting of the back will cause the muscles to strain and exert pressure on your nerves. Keeping the spinal cord straight and back aligned will potentially eliminate back pain.
Avoid Stomach Sleeping- Mostly stomach sleeping causes the upper body to arch and majorly stomach sleeping is the cause of lower back pain. Side sleeping or sleeping on your back are good choices for sleeping in the right posture, which might not feel comfortable to you in the start but eventually with a little effort you can achieve the desired posture.
Cause #2- Use the Right Pillow
Using the wrong pillow can double the effect of sleepless night and a tired body, leaving you with a stiff neck. If the pillow is too soft or thin, it will result in bending your back downward in an awkward angle. A very thick pillow on the other hand will unnaturally bend your spine upward. If the head is supported correctly at the right level, muscles of both neck and back will relax completely.
Those who are used to sleeping on regular beds also use soft pillows filled with polyester fibers. You should remember that the regular and traditional soft pillows will collapse after some time and will not support your head correctly throughout the night. If you’re to transition from regular bed to a Japanese futon bed, try directing yourself towards the buckwheat pillow.
Traditional Japanese pillows are made of buckwheat hull which makes them malleable and adjustable. Buckwheat hull is unique as it adjusts to the space between the head and mattress, eliminating the potential cause of the pain. The buckwheat pillows are also adjustable and allow you to add or remove hull.
Cause #3- Use of Wrong Mattress-Upgrade Your Mattress to a Futon
Now comes the most important part of “Sleeping Wrong/Right”. To be in the right posture and to wake up refreshed, your mattress needs to provide the proper amount of support. We said sleep on a futon to correct your posture. There isn’t much study to support the benefits of sleeping on a hard surface, but from some research and practical analysis of quite a few experts, laying on a soft or a squishy mattress will allow your body to bed more.
Japanese futon bed is made of 100% natural cotton fibers which keeps it lightweight and easy to manage. Authentic futons used to come in standard sizes but now, with their advancement and introduction into American lifestyle, you can have a custom made futon mattress. Futons are known to be firm but they also come with the options of adding more comfort to them.
Moreover, a firm surface like futon not only provides relief from back pain and neck issues but it also corrects your posture, prevents your ligaments and joints from becoming loose, gives you great sleep, offers a hygienic platform to sleep on as the cotton fibers allow proper air circulation, prevents accumulation of dust and molds, and brings you back to healthy living.
