Best Sleeping Position For Sciatica (2024)

Updated: November 18, 2024

Sciatica is the medical term for pain that shoots down your leg. It’s usually caused when the sciatic nerve in your lower spine is irritated or compressed, and may be accompanied by tingling or numbness. Sciatica is a symptom rather than a distinct medical condition and can be a sign of several possible diagnoses.

Up to 4 in 10 people will experience sciatica or sciatica-like pain at some point. Getting good sleep with any kind of body pain is difficult, but one of the best ways to relieve your sciatica is quality rest.

In this article, we’ll explain the best sleeping positions for sciatica so you can get back to your life and wake up pain-free as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: We co-authored this article with dedicated healthcare provider Dr. Gregory Stoltz, DC. The following tips, including those from Dr. Stoltz, are general recommendations and aren’t meant to replace your doctor’s professional diagnosis. Always consult your physician before trying these sleep positions at home.

 

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is pain that occurs along the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest nerve in the human body, extending all the way from the base of your spine to your foot. Sciatic pain travels along this neural pathway, beginning in your lower back and extending past your knee.

If you have sciatica, this pain may also occur with tingling and numbness. Most often, sciatic pain only affects one side of your body.

Sciatica is not a medical condition itself but is a symptom of possible medical conditions, like:

• Piriformis syndrome, which occurs when the piriformis muscle (located in the pelvic region) presses against the sciatic nerve.
• Spinal stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal.
• Herniated spinal discs, which accounts for most sciatica cases diagnosed.

Rarely, sciatica can be associated with more severe medical conditions, like:

• Endometriosis, in which case it’s often referred to as sciatic endometriosis.
• Cancer, especially if tumors in the lower back are pressing on the spinal cord.

Like with lower back pain and other forms of bodily pain, one of the best ways to alleviate sciatica symptoms is to consistently get a good night’s sleep.

 

Best sleeping positions for sciatica

While muscles and spinal discs can irritate the sciatic nerve, often with no apparent cause, in some cases, this can happen as a result of some sort of physical activity.

The best sleeping positions for sciatica pain relieve pressure on the affected nerve. It is recommended to keep weight off the affected area as much as possible to allow the area to heal.

 

Sleep Position 1: On your side

Sleeping on your side lets you relieve pressure on the affected leg. Lie on your bed with the affected leg on top, ensuring that your hips and shoulders are vertically stacked. This will also relieve pressure on your joints.

 

 

Sleep Position 2: Fetal position

Sleeping in the fetal position can help to reduce sciatica, though some people find that it makes their pain worse. Lie down on your mattress with the affected leg on top, with your legs bent and pulled up toward your torso.

It may also help to add a pillow between your knees or under your waist.

 

Sleep Position 3: With a towel or pillow under your lower back

If you’re a back sleeper, adding a towel or pillow under your lower back can reduce the gap between your body and your bed, relieving pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Lie down flat on your bed, then place a pillow or towel under your lower back. This will also help to relieve pressure on your hips.

 

 

Sleep Position 4: On the floor

Some beds may not provide the right support to keep your spine in the ideal position, which makes recovering from sciatica difficult. Sleeping on the floor is a workable solution—just remember not to sleep on the bare floor.

Slide a clean rug, yoga mat, camping mat, Japanese-style tatami mat, or thin sleeping bag over where you intend to sleep first. You can then combine this sleep position with any of the ones previously mentioned.

 

Sleep positions to avoid with sciatica

If you have sciatica, do not sleep on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach will throw your spine out of alignment with the rest of your body. It can cause your lower body to arch more than it should, resulting in more strain on your lower back—and more pressure on your sciatic nerve.

This position also requires you to turn your head to one side, which adds tension to your entire spinal column. This will only aggravate your pain, making it harder for you to recover. You should also avoid this position if you have IT band pain or peripheral artery disease.

 

Tips to relieve sciatic pain

• Use hot and cold packs. If properly applied, heat and cold can both help relieve sciatic pain. Applying cold packs to the affected area for 20 minutes a day can help speed recovery and control any inflammation. Hot water bottles or electric heating pads at night are also helpful, and alternating between the two may also help.
• Stretching. Stretching exercises for the lower back, when prescribed by a doctor or physiotherapist, might also provide relief.
• Chiropractic care or massage therapy. Improving the movement of the spine and loosening the muscles around the sciatic nerve can be a great way to reduce nerve tension, relieve pressure, and help you recover faster.
• Get a good mattress. Finding the right kind of mattress to help relieve pressure on your sciatic nerve can greatly help your recovery. You might find comfort with Octave Vista, a cooling memory foam mattress with multi-zone support and pressure relief to help you get pain-free sleep.

What makes sciatica worse at night?

• You’re sleeping in the wrong position. Sleeping in a position that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, or that just doesn’t take enough weight off the affected area, can make pain worse. If one of the positions we’ve mentioned earlier doesn’t work for you, try a different one.
• You have another medical condition. Lower back pain, scoliosis, and other medical conditions can make sciatica worse when trying to sleep, especially if they go untreated.
• You don’t have a nighttime routine. Trying to sleep while you’re in any kind of pain is hard, but being consistent with your bedtime—and switching off all the electronics an hour beforehand—will help you relax.
• Your bedroom may be too hot or too cold. An uncomfortable temperature is annoying at the best of times, but when you’re trying to recover from something like sciatica, it can be unbearable. If you’re too cold, add a blanket or two. If you’re too hot, consider a cooling mattress like Octave Vista.

 

When to see your doctor about sciatica

You should see your doctor for your sciatica if:

• Your pain lasts for longer than three weeks.
• Your pain gets worse as a result of physical activity, especially lifting and holding heavy objects.
• Your sciatica occurs alongside unexplained weight loss.
• You have problems with your bladder and/or bowel.
• You have a family history of cancer (especially pelvic cancers) or blood clotting.
• You lose feeling in your leg.
• You have difficulty walking and/or your leg can no longer properly support you.