At a Glance:
Common Causes of Leg Pain at Night
How To Prevent Leg Pain at Night
Best and Worst Mattresses for Leg Pain at Night
Avoid Leg Pain at Night: Tips for Purchasing the Perfect Mattress
Our Top 5 Mattresses for Leg Pain at Night
According to Tylenol, a staggering 60% of adults experience uncomfortable leg pain and cramps at night. There are several different reasons for this, and in this guide, we’re discussing the common causes of leg pain at night, and how to prevent nocturnal leg pain using the right mattress for your body type.
If you want to put an end to uncomfortable leg pain while you sleep, see what our experts have to say and the tips and tricks to avoid these problems at night and learn which is the best mattress for leg pain according to our reviews.
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Shop NowCommon Causes of Leg Pain at Night
No two sleepers are the same, so not every leg pain solution works for every sleeper. With that said, there’s likely a common root to the problem, which we detail below.
Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless Leg Syndrome might be the most common cause of leg pain during the night, but it might not always feel like “aching” or “pain”, necessarily. Restless Leg Syndrome can cause a pulling, crawling, or even burning sensation that causes you to want to move your legs constantly.
An Old or Poor Condition Mattress
Having a mattress that is past its lifespan, or that is sagging in the middle can cause things like leg pain, hip pain, and knee pain. If you are wondering “How can a mattress cause leg pain?”, well, if your mattress is too firm, then it can cause excess pressure on crucial areas like your knees, shoulders, neck, and joints, which will then result in aches and pains.
Daytime Activities
Many times, what we do with our bodies during the day affects how well we sleep that night. If you are someone who does vigorous exercise, stands for long periods, or sits in awkward positions for extended periods (hello, workers from home!), you may find yourself suffering from leg pain while sleeping.
Age
Night leg pain is common in people ages 60 and older. Elder adults often suffer from restless leg syndrome and are prone to more frequent leg cramps at night than younger adults.
Other Common Causes
- Pregnancy
- Dehydration
- Certain medications
- Excessive alcohol consumption
→ Learn More: How to Choose a Mattress
How To Prevent Leg Pain at Night
If you are one of the many sleepers that suffer from limb pain while sleeping, then you may find yourself searching for answers to how to reduce leg pain or how to stop leg pain at night. We have a few tips that will help you in your search for a better night's rest. While there is no surefire solution to “how to cure leg pain at night”, there are some very helpful things you can do to provide yourself with some relief.
✔ Try a Massage
If you deal with pain in your legs at night or restless leg syndrome, giving yourself a light massage right before bedtime may help relieve some of your symptoms. If you do vigorous exercise and notice that you have severe leg pain at night, then a deeper massage may help to relieve some of the tension in your legs. If you cannot make an appointment with a professional massage therapist, then using your hand or a foam roller should do the trick.
✔ Try Hot and Cold Therapy
In the search for how to relieve severe leg pain at night, there have been several benefits found in doing hot and cold therapy before bed. For example, taking a warm bath a night can help loosen/ease sore muscles, or a heating pad can be used to target specific muscles and joints. On the other hand, if you have swelling, cold therapy could be of benefit to you. Items like ice packs constrict blood vessels and help prevent swelling.
✔ Invest in a Proper Mattress
Investing in a mattress that is comfortable and supports your body properly through the night is crucial—especially when it comes to treating leg pain at night. When you are sleeping on your mattress, you are releasing your entire body weight onto that surface for hours at a time, so it’s important to have a mattress that will support your neck, shoulders, knees, hips, and joints.
More Tips to Prevent Leg Pain
- Get more physical movement in your daily routine
- Experiment with leg elevation
- Try Compression Therapy
Best and Worst Mattresses for Leg Pain at Night
Let’s look at some of the best mattresses for leg pain that can give relief to chronic leg pain at night, helping you to get a better sleep, and live a happier and healthier life. We are also going to cover some of the less ideal types of mattresses to invest in if you suffer from leg pain through the night.
✅ Pillow-Top Mattresses
As the name suggests, pillow-top mattresses have a soft, pillowy feel to them, which is perfect for someone who moves around a lot in their sleep. This type of mattress has incredible responsive support for all the different movements you make through the night, ensuring there is never too little or too much pressure on your body.
✅ Hybrid Mattresses
Hybrid mattresses have pressure-relieving properties built right into them, ensuring the proper amount of support to muscles and joints, as well as distributing weight evenly with their contour-adapting abilities. While innerspring mattresses can exacerbate leg pain because of coils that press on legs directly, hybrid mattresses have a layer of foam as a cushion that relieves any potential pressure points.
✅ Foam Mattresses
A foam mattress provides long-lasting support and instant relief. These types of mattresses are hypoallergenic and generally derived from the sap of a rubber tree and suit all types of sleepers. If you experience numb legs at night and have ever wondered how to improve circulation in legs at night, then you know that sleeping on your left side is generally the consensus on how to handle that.
Thankfully, foam mattresses offer optimal support for any type of sleeping position. Sufferers of Restless Leg Syndrome will especially love a memory foam mattress because it is designed to mold to your body as you are laying down. That provides pressure-free support to all the important areas, allowing your muscles to relax and heal.
Worst Mattresses for Leg Pain
There is no long list of worst mattresses for leg pain, but any mattress that does not provide the proper amount of support or pressure relief will only further increase chronic pain, including back, neck, leg, and shoulder pain. Investing in a proper mattress is the most straightforward way you can invest in your health and sleep.
Generally, we recommend reconsidering innerspring mattresses because they push directly on the body. However, if you like the feel and support of these mattresses, we recommend pocket coil mattresses because they offer independent support that responds to movement better.
→ Learn more: What is a Hybrid Mattress?
Tips for Purchasing the Perfect Mattress
Before we share our favorite mattresses with you, we want to go over a quick guide to helping you choose the perfect mattress to support you better through the night.
- Consider the comfort level that you desire, whether that be plush, ultra-plush, etc.
- Determine how severe or chronic your pain is, helping you decide which mattress construction is best for you, and how much support you need.
- What sleep position is your go-to? Choose a mattress that will effortlessly conform to your body the way that you like to sleep.
- Stick to your budget. Whenever you are investing in a new piece of furniture, it is important to have a budget in mind that you are committed to sticking to.
Our Top Five Mattresses for Leg Pain at Night
Now that you are armed with the best information to help prevent leg pain at night, let’s take a look at our top five mattresses that will help reduce leg pain, and improve your quality of sleep.
Beautyrest Black® Hybrid CX-Class Tight Top Plush Queen Mattress
Sufferers of chronic leg pain, back pain, shoulder pain, and more, understand the need to have a mattress that supports their body continuously through the night. Thanks to the Beautyrest Black® Hybrid CX-Class mattress, sleepers get 21% more support in the areas where the body needs it the most, including leg support for less pressure. The plush comfort of this mattress is enhanced by the layer of cashmere, alpaca, and silk, which makes the material more breathable by increasing airflow, while the advanced support system through the T3 Pocketed Coil® provides targeted support to your most problem areas.
Featured Beautyrest Black mattress review: I slept on a Beautyrest Black mattress while at a relatives recently and each morning I woke up feeling refreshed and with less pain in my lower back. I only remember the mattress name because I made it a point to ask because I was sleeping so much better.”
Tempur-Pedic® TEMPUR-ProAdapt™ Soft TEMPUR® Material Queen Mattress
Shop the Tempur-Pedic® TEMPUR-ProAdapt™ Soft TEMPUR® Material Queen Mattress
Get a deeper sleep that restores your whole body in this Tempur-Pedic® TEMPUR-ProAdapt™ mattress. Advanced technologies like TEMPUR-APR® Support Layer, provide pressure-relieving material to the most troublesome areas, giving you better all-over support throughout the night. The conforming comfort of the TEMPUR-ES® feature allows you to not only feel supported but also comfortable through the entire night, rejuvenating you all through the next day.
Featured Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-ProAdapt review: “My back feels better, I sleep better, I don't feel my husband getting in and out of bed at all! I'm so glad I invested in a Tempur-pedic.”
Serta® iComfort® Hybrid CF3000 Hybrid Plush Queen Mattress
Serta hits comfort out of the park with this iComfort® Hybrid CF3000 hybrid mattress. The 1025 iComfort® Hybrid Support™ System with BestEdge® Foam Encasement provides durable support and conforms to every inch of your body through the advanced innerspring system and individually wrapped coils The Max Cold™ Cover and UltraCold System™ pair up with the Carbon Fiber Memory Foam to absorb excess heat from your body, allowing you to stay cool and refreshed all night.
Featured iComfort mattress review: “I really like this mattress! I have an adjustable bed and was apprehensive to see how this mattress would work on my bed, but it works perfectly. The mattress is very comfortable with just the right amount of firmness, I sleep comfortably and not with pain in my back. I would recommend this mattress to everyone.”
Sealy® Posturepedic® Foam Lacey Soft Tight Top Queen Mattress in a Box
Shop the Sealy® Posturepedic® Foam Lacey Soft Tight Top Queen Mattress in a Box
This Posturepedic® foam mattress does what it does best with features like the ComfortSense™ Gel Memory Foam, which perfectly distributes weight evenly across the mattress, giving you the perfect amount of conforming support and irresistible comfortability. Other features like an antibacterial, soft-knit cover keep the mattress protected while being cool to the touch, so you not only sleep with less leg pain, you sleep cooler too.
Featured Sealy mattress review: “Was unable to sleep well through the night until I got this beautiful mattress...Love it”
Tempur-Pedic® TEMPUR-Legacy™ Plush Smooth Top Queen Mattress
This smooth-top mattress provides an ample amount of support and comfort by using the Tempur-ES® material, which provides plush softness and personalized comfort. Underneath that, there’s a layer of proprietary TEMPUR® material, that delivers deep pressure relief and reduced motion transfer. The premium fabric cover has moisture-wicking fibers, preventing sweat and other moisture from waking you up at night.
FAQs
How should I sleep with leg pain at night?
Sleeping on your back with a pillow slightly elevating your legs is the best sleeping position for those with leg pain.
What deficiency causes leg pain at night?
Potassium helps maintain normal cell function in the body, so if you have a potassium deficiency it's rather common to suffer from muscle or nerve problems.
Should I be worried if my legs hurt at night?
If you are suffering from leg pain that is interrupting your sleep, it could be a symptom of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), which is a circulatory disease caused by fatty deposits in your artery walls.
Why Trust Sleep Better Mattress Store?
The Sleep Better Mattress Store sticks to what they know best - the right mattress for you. With a specialized SleepCast mattress fitting system, they take the guessing game out of finding a new mattress by using technology to identify painful pressure points unique to you. With expert advice backed by technological solutions to sleep, they ensure everyone who shops at Sleep Better can go home to - Sleep Better. Complete with Haul Away services and white-glove delivery services, your best night’s sleep is one visit away.
Shop Mattresses for Leg Pain at Sleep Better Mattress Store
At the Sleep Better Mattress Store, we provide quality mattresses for a better night’s sleep. Shop mattresses online or visit us today at our mattress store in Santa Clara. In the meantime, browse our website to shop by mattress brands and check out our bedroom furniture selections to upgrade your bedroom decor. More available than ever, our experts at Sleep Better Mattress Store are always happy to help you find a solution for leg pain at night, whether you call us or use our online chat feature. Contact us today!
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