Why is my back stiff when I wake up: 2 tips to manage this

Do you go to bed relatively free from back pain but you wake up in the mornings feeling stiffness in your back and as the day goes by the stiffness gets better with or without residual back pain? If so, you are not alone. Quite a few people complaint of stiffness that interferes with their daily activities, especially in the mornings. But have you ever wondered what can be the cause of this stiffness if you went to bed pain free and you didn’t do any activity in the night except for sleeping? Could it be your sleeping posture that is the cause of this stiffness? 
In this blog we will discuss the cause of this morning stiffness in relation to your sleeping posture followed by two simple tips that you can implement starting today, to manage your back pain and stiffness. 
 
Every one of us has got a different style of sleeping that could range from side sleeping to back sleeping to tummy sleeping or a combination of these.  
If you are a side sleeper a tip for you is to keep a pillow in between your legs when sleeping. This helps to keep your hip joints and pelvis in a neutral position, thus minimising the strain on your lumbar spine and lower to mid back area. When we stand in a good posture our thigh bones are parallel to each other. The same should apply to our sleeping posture as well. To determine the thickness of your pillow lie on your back with the pillow between your knees and see the angle at which your thighs are sitting. If they are parallel to each other this is the correct thickness of pillow for you. If the thigh bones are slanting towards each other increase the pillow thickness. However if the thigh bones are facing outwards reduce thickness of the pillow. Once you find out the correct thickness of the pillow, lie on your side with that pillow and see how you go in terms of your back pain and morning back stiffness. 
 
If you are someone who sleeps on their back keep a couple of pillows or a thick bolster under your knees so that they are slightly bent. This will help to flatten your lumbar curve (the curve in your lower back). When you sleep with your legs straightened out your lower back is not fully touching the bed because of the natural curve that is present in the lumbar spine. Keeping your knees slightly bent will allow the spine to be fully supported and the muscles and ligaments to be relaxed during your sleep. Try this out with different pillow thickness and observe the correct height of pillows that makes a difference to your back pain and stiffness when you wake up in the mornings.
 
Before we get finish off this blog let me just give you a head up if you have been sleeping on your stomach. This can lead to potential neck and back pain or aggravate your existing pain. You can find more details in this video:

 
If you want to learn more about easy ways to manage your back pain and stiffness, join my free community where we discuss this and similar topics in a judgement free friendly group. 
 
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I would love to see you around the internet! For other places you can explore more about me: https://withswati.com/page/link
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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

I finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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Swati Prakash

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Email: info@withswati.com

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