Lumbar back pain while sleeping?

[AustinL911]

So I ramped up and got all new equipment to start hunting out west. I went to my local National Forest here in Ohio to give it all a trial run before driving 2200 miles to do it for real in Idaho. I took home two major points from the whole experience:

1. Don't take your German Shepherd puppy with you camping.

2. I can barely get any sleep due to back pain with my pad (Q-Core SL).

Now, it might be that I'm just a sissy, but it was what I would consider to be very uncomfortable. Granted, I didn't try to adjust the inflation any throughout the night as I was too busy trying to keep my GSD from poking a hole in it or my tipi. I would say it was moderately inflated. No firm, but not real squishy either. And the only position that was really bearable was sleeping on my stomach, which I don't usually do.

How do you guys run your pads? Soft? Firm? Get used to it? Grow some balls and deal with it?

Not looking forward to 7 days in the Sawtooth NF if I'll be sleeping (or trying...) like this.

 

[Daniel_M]

Sleeping on your stomach can trigger lumbar stiffness, more so if you have a belly since the spine is unsupported.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Sleep on your side with a small pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees so that your legs are slightly bent.

 

[Dameon]

Here's how I sleep in the backcountry in 5 easy steps:

1) Use an insulated pad and inflate it until firm. If it is stupid cold out, use a z-pad underneath your inflatable for extra insulation.
2) Use a quality sleeping bag or quilt that is realistically rated for the overnight temperatures you are expecting.
3) Wear good merino wool base layers and beanie for extra warmth for cold overnight temperatures.
4) Drink nearly 1L water (a Nalgene) before bed (Indian style alarm clock).
5) Take 2 Motrin PM and one large swig of whiskey before bed. Once this kicks in, you won't notice how uncomfortable you were and any pains you had melt away overnight.

Morning......get up before sun is up to pee. Your up, so no need for an alarm clock. Make coffee and go hunting.

 

[Stud Duck]

Sleep on your side with a small pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees so that your legs are slightly bent.

This will help greatly and Daniel_M is correct as well.

 

[mrgreen]

Are you sure your back pain wasn't from pack fit?

 

[steveo]

I inflate my Exped with enough air to keep my hip bone from touching the ground. I cannot sleep on a firm mattress. I also use the pillow between my legs. This got rid of my back pain every morning.

 

[gobbler1662]

I have the Q -Core SLX and have slept 4 nights on it so far. For me it was extremely comfortable. I inflate it pretty firm and am a side sleeper and toss and turn a lot in my quilt. If you are looking for a real firm mattress you might try a neo air or x-therm. With horizontal bafferling it's a different sleep

 

[GotDraw?]

Consider starting to stretch your lower back and hamstrings for several weeks, 3x week for 20 minutes or so.

I had the same issue and it was not my pad. This small investment of time and effort resolved it completely.

Best,

JL

 

[5MilesBack]

Just wait until you get older, it only gets worse.

I don't sleep all that well on a pad either. There have been times that I wake up and it almost seems that most of my body is numb and asleep and I can't even move. But........sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do if you want that big bull.

 

[Beendare]

Consider starting to stretch your lower back and hamstrings for several weeks, 3x week for 20 minutes or so.

I had the same issue and it was not my pad. This small investment of time and effort resolved it completely.

Best,

JL

^agreed. I would talk to your doc and see if they can set you up with a good PT person. I have 2 bad discs and PT has really helped solve it [stretching, exercises] most of the time.

 

[mrbillbrown]

So many variables in that situation.

Training much and being used to this type of exertion?
Pack fit?
Stress from the puppy care?
Pad, too firm or too limp?
Tight hamstrings?
Just a new experience?

I remember the first few times I tried my Western hunting set up I thought WTH?!?! Do guys really enjoy this stuff???

After a few trial and error runs in the backyard and local hunting areas I feel much better about my set up and how to sleep as comfortably as possible on the Mtn. Running my pad less than maxed out firm made my pad better to sleep on. Someone said it above, just enough to keep my shoulder and hips off the ground. Also found I like the Xtherm horizontal baffle pattern much better than the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core vertical baffles. Can't really explain it but I prefer the Xtherm style more. Also found sleeping warm enough made a big difference. If I were cold it made for more uncomfortable nights. Wearing merino base layers and a beanie made a big difference for my comfort. Making sure I was in a level spot helped also. Fighting to stay on the pad due to unlevel areas always proved to mess with my sleep.

Btw, most of my lumbar pain over the years can be directly related back to tight hamstrings. As I grew older, and wiser....., making sure my legs (and most importantly hamstrings) were stretched and loose always seemed to reduce low back pain. I'm pretty sure that backpacking with a loaded pack causes tight hammys.

 

[tttoadman]

Sleep on your side with a small pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees so that your legs are slightly bent.

This exactly for me.

 

[AustinL911]

Quick update. I tried sleeping again on the pad on a hard floor in my house. I ran it full firm all the way to damn near deflated. I found the deflated state to be much more comfortable as it allowed for a slightly forward bend in my back
Also, the pillow between the knees was a fantastic idea.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Here's how I sleep in the backcountry in 5 easy steps:

1) Use an insulated pad and inflate it until firm. If it is stupid cold out, use a z-pad underneath your inflatable for extra insulation.
2) Use a quality sleeping bag or quilt that is realistically rated for the overnight temperatures you are expecting.
3) Wear good merino wool base layers and beanie for extra warmth for cold overnight temperatures.
4) Drink nearly 1L water (a Nalgene) before bed (Indian style alarm clock).
5) Take 2 Motrin PM and one large swig of whiskey before bed. Once this kicks in, you won't notice how uncomfortable you were and any pains you had melt away overnight.

Morning......get up before sun is up to pee. Your up, so no need for an alarm clock. Make coffee and go hunting.

Agreed but would add, deflate the pad until you are completely comfortable. Yours was probably too firm.