Degenerative Disc Disease

About Degenerative Disc Disease

Your body changes as you age and this is particularly true for your back. When you’re young and healthy, your body is more adaptive, and the discs between the 33 vertebrae in your back allows it to bend and twist. With these discs, your back stays flexible but is strong enough to resist force.

However, as you age this changes and while it’s a natural process, it can be incredibly painful with many individuals experiencing some form of degenerative disc disease. The discs in your back shrink and don’t provide the same level of support. Most people will see some sign of this as they get old with magnetic resonance imaging providing clear evidence that everyone over 60 experiences some form of disc degeneration. Thankfully, not everyone will experience back pain as a cause of this. However, some will experience tingling and numbing sensations in legs and arms. While others will discover the facet joints in the vertebrae rubbing against each other causes the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Many people may find that this issue with their back causes problems with leg muscles. This is due to the damaged discs impacting nerve cells around the spine which causes legs to feel incredibly weak.

There are many different treatment options for degenerative disc disease. This includes everything from physical therapy to different anti-inflammatory medications, shots for steroids and even surgery.

However, many experts agree that changes in lifestyle can also provide fantastic benefits. Are you experiencing any signs of symptoms of degenerative disc disease at night? If so, you might want to consider investing in a new bed or mattress.

Why can't you get a good night's sleep?

You’re not alone if you experience issues sleeping. Millions of people across the world struggle to get a full night of rest, and this is often due to the symptoms of degenerative disc disease or similar conditions such as arthritis of the spine, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, and sciatica. Why does this stop you from sleeping?

When you are asleep your body will typically stop moving as much. Unfortunately, this puts more pressure on the body and crucial areas like the neck or back. That means conditions like degenerative disc disease often get worse. We spend roughly thirty percent of the day in bed, so it’s important that your spine is taken care of with the right alignment. This will help if you are suffering from degenerative disc disease symptoms while you are in bed or if you wake up in pain.

Getting a good night's sleep with Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms from tingling or numbness to weakness in the muscles and even pain. As well as impacting typical activities in your daily lifestyle it can stop you getting a good night of sleep.

To fix this issue, you need to provide exactly what your back needs, reducing levels of pressure on the nerves in the back and particularly, around the spin. While some researchers have suggested sleeping in reclining chairs, these won’t provide the personal level of individual care that you might need. Wedging pillows underneath you is another option, but that causes a severe lack of choices when determining what position you want to sleep in. Instead, an adjustable bed will typically be the best option as it can provide the ultimate level of support and allow you to sleep in a range of different positions.

Key factors to look for in a mattress

If you want to increase levels of concentration, improve your mood and increase your energy through the day, you need a good night of sleep. A quality mattress can help those suffering from issues like this due to their degenerative disc disease. These are four factors to consider when looking for the right adjustable bed and mattress for your needs. This includes:

The right firmness

Experts recommend that when you’re looking for the right level of firmness, you use the ‘goldilocks method.’ In other words, you want a bed that provides just the right level of firmness for you and isn’t too soft or hard.

Investing in durability

When you are purchasing your mattress, you are going to want to go for a mattress that has a longer than average lifespan. So, you are going to be looking for air, memory foam or latex models ideally. These types of mattresses tend to be more suitable for the adjustable beds due to the wear and tear that will be caused by the constant movement.

Compatibility with adjustable base

The best option for someone with degenerative disc disease is to get a bed that has an adjustable base. This is because having the upper portion of your body elevated by around six inches can reduce the symptoms of degenerative disc disease. You are also going to be better off purchasing a mattress that is 13 inches maximum so that you can be sure it will be flexible enough.

The right warranty

When you are buying an adjustable bed and mattress, there should be a warranty offer that comes with each. Usually, these are roughly 10 to 25 years for the adjustable base, and it can vary for the mattress. However, some of the companies will say that there is a lifetime warranty for the mattress, if this is the case you need to make sure that the company has explained to you exactly what this means.

Additional Advice

Recommended sleeping positions

You are going to want to try and find a position that reduces the amount of stress that is placed on the lower back. As such, one of the most preferred positions for people with degenerative disc disease is laying on the stomach. This works best if you are laying on a firm mattress. To enhance your comfort, you might find that placing a pillow under your stomach will make all the difference.

Or, if you want an alternative, other people have found that sleeping on their back is the most comfortable. It is important to note that to keep the stress off your back here, you need to keep your knees slightly bent, and the top half of your body needs to be elevated slightly above the rest.

Conclusion

Available at a variety of prices, you should find that getting an adjustable bed isn’t a problem. They are the best choice when you are looking for ways to help maximize you sleep when you have degenerative disc disease. Because the bed is able to be adjusted, you will find that finding a comfortable position is easier than ever. With the ability to raise the upper and lower portions of the bed, you can find solution to help you sleep when you have degenerative disc disease.

Mattress solution

If you find it particularly difficult to find a sleeping position that suits you, Natural Form® is going to be the best mattress that you can choose. You might notice that your degenerative disc symptoms become hardly noticeable thanks to Natural Form beds being able to suit any sleeping position that you find comfortable. It has 30 to 80 air pods in each bed, so, if you sleep with a partner, the mattress can adapt to the individual without compromising the sleep of either person in the bed. Hospitals all over the world use this technology and has been proven extremely helpful in its ability to relieve pressure points and bed sores.

The adjustable mattress helps to provide the support that you are going to need at night. As well as this, if you sleep with a partner, the adjustable technology allows for extra support for your partner if necessary. The design is one that makes for a healthy and long sleep due to the advanced technology that is used in all of Natural Forms beds.

Willl an adjustable base help too?

The best option for someone with degenerative disc disease is to get a mattress and an adjustable base. This is because having the upper portion of your body elevated by around six inches can reduce the symptoms of degenerative disc disease.