Sleeping Posture
Maintaining consistent support with good spinal alignment is important especially at night.
Poor support from a mattress that is too hard or too soft can lead to joint locking, muscle spasms, and cramps as well as increased inflammation of an already damaged tissue.
At night, the disc and other tissues take on more fluid as a part of a process called imbibition. This is a part of the process of nutritional exchange for these tissues. The disc imbibes fluid through the vertebral end plate and interstitial tissues to rehydrate and nourish after the body lays down releasing the compressional load off the spine. If there is swelling from inflammation already in the area, then increasing the fluid content causes a space issue. This is why many disc pain patients have more pain at night.
It hard to say which mattress or pillow is the best because every body is different. We all have different weights and densities and widths in the curves of our bodies.
The best strategy is to spend time laying on a mattress with your eyes shut and feel how the support matches your bodies contours.
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