Living with sciatica is challenging in many ways. The pain in your lower back and legs makes it difficult to move around to sit comfortably. It even affects your ability to get a good night’s sleep. 

The burning, tingling sensation along the sciatic nerve is caused by irritation from pressure on the nerve. To get better sleep while dealing with sciatica, you need to find a way to rest while putting as little pressure as possible on the sciatic nerve.

Exploring the best sleeping positions for sciatica

When you’re dealing with sciatica, you should visit a physical therapist for treatment. Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals who can examine your condition and develop a treatment for the pain. However, you still need a solution for getting through life when you’re not doing physical therapy, such as when you sleep.

Here is a look at some of the best sleeping positions for sciatica:

• On your side — Sleeping on your side helps keep your spine in alignment and helps prevent back pain. This is a good position for reducing pressure on your lower back, but you might feel a little strain on your hips. Place a pillow between your legs to help keep your body in alignment and reduce sciatica pain.
  
• On your back — If you don’t like to sleep on your side, you can lie on your back and place some pillows under your knees to help reduce pressure off your tailbone and hips. 

Whatever you do, please avoid sleeping on your front side. Sleeping in this position exerts more pressure on your back and can hurt your neck too since it stays turned all night. 

You may also want to consider upgrading your mattress. If your current mattress has broken springs or is too soft or hard, you should find a new one that will be more supportive and comfortable.

Visit Rehab Access today for sciatica treatment

Having trouble falling asleep because of sciatic nerve pain? Our physical therapists at Rehab Access can help. We can examine your condition and guide you through a personalized treatment that can help reduce your pain and get you a better night of sleep. Contact our team today for more information about sleeping better with sciatica or to schedule an initial appointment.