At least 80% of adults will experience lower back pain at some point in our lives, but thankfully, most of the time it’s nothing serious.

“Back pain,” Dr Meghan Murphy , a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, said, “is usually caused by muscle strains or sprains, not by a serious condition like a disc or vertebrae issue.”

Often, it resolves on its own.

Still, the discomfort can be deeply unpleasant, and Dr Murphy pointed out that our habits can sometimes speed up or slow down our rate of recovery.

In fact, she shared, a common sleep myth might be keeping your aches alive and well.

Firm mattresses don’t always help back pain

I’ve heard a lot of family members recommend lying on a hard surface – sometimes a firm mattress, and sometimes even the floor – during

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