Surely increasing age is easy to blame for the new pains in your back, but even at a young age, you may experience these pains inexplicably. Not all back pain is due to underlying disease either; sometimes back pain presents itself and it’s just a temporary hiccup. Here are a few offenders that may be causing your back pain.

1 – Sleeping Position

Bedtime. The most hated word for a child and the most desired word for an adult. When it’s time to hit the hay, the last thing you need is for you to rise again and find that your back is in pain.  The position you are sleeping in may be causing you pain.

The optimal position for sleeping is on your back with a neutral spine. This means your weight is distributed evenly and there isn’t any extra stress on your back. If you’re a back sleeper then use a pillow beneath your knees and also a pillow beneath your head and neck so that you fill the space between your head and the mattress and your body remains neutral.

If you’re a side sleeper, alternate sides to even out the offset distribution of weight when sleeping on one side. Place a pillow under your head and neck, as with your back, except the pillow will rest under your ear. Also, place a pillow or knee pillow between your legs to align your hips and spine while sleeping on your side. Sleeping on your stomach is contrarily the worst position to sleep in, so consider training your body to sleep in a less stressful position.

2 – Mattress

To prevent and alleviate back pain, your best option for a mattress is a medium-firm innerspring mattress, a memory foam mattress, or a hybrid mattress. If you need extra support, add a memory foam mattress topper to your innerspring mattress.

3 – Posture

Your posture is the position of your body when you stand, sit, or lie down. If you have good posture, your body parts are supported by the correct amount of muscle tension and are aligned appropriately. This is not normally a conscious act, but when the body is out of line, you typically recognize it and correct your body to a more comfortable position. The American Chiropractic Association has plenty of suggestions to help you properly adjust your posture. The correct posture involves recognition of poor posture and adjusting using corrective practices such as:

• Avoid sitting/standing for long periods of time
• When standing, bear your weight on the balls of your feet
• Find the right mattress and pillows

4 – Stress

There are many ways to stress manifests when things aren’t going so well. One of those is through physical pain. Our bodies respond to stress just as intensely as our minds do. Take care of any problems going on in your life that may be throwing off your mental health and you’ll notice your physical pain starts to dissipate as well.

5 – Shoes

The shoes you wear could be contributing to your back pain. When you take a step, the rest of the joints and muscles in your body follow, and this has an effect on your back and posture. Shoes that are marketed for toning, like Shape-up Sketchers, force your body to move in a way that is not normal, causing pain in places that the appropriate shoes wouldn’t. Needless to say, heels are also frowned upon when it comes to proper shoes for minimizing back pain. Additionally, shoes without any support at all, such as hard flat flip-flops, can cause back pain as well.

In addition to addressing the common culprits mentioned, check out these ways to alleviate back pain. Always take the proper precautions when exercising, sitting, standing, and sleeping to ensure you are maintaining good posture. If you experience back pain for an extended period of time then it is best to consult your doctor to find the cause and address it appropriately.