How to Sleep with Sciatica | DO's and DONT's Explained 

👉 Have any tips that help relieve sciatica? Make sure to share with us here in the comments section!

People around don't understand how painful and depressing this is

I am impressed. Most people don’t give the information at all. He is really trying to help , very genuine.

Laying on my stomach with a pillow under my hips takes the pain away instantly. All of the sleeping positions shown in this video sends shooting pains from my buttocks to my foot. To each his own people. Praying for healing for us all ❤

I have had back pain on and off for years but the pain of sciatica is on another level just constant pain down my left leg worse than toothache I have sympathy for all who suffer with this condition 😖

Obviously the people that dislike this video never before have heard about sciatica pain. Good luck to them.

im 68, nobody really knows the severity of the pain im living with, your contribution (by sharing your skill) helps me manage my pain, im deeply grateful.

I have been following you for some time now. I suffer from sciatica and went for Voltaren or pethedene injections regularly. You were the one l wanted to watch. The only person not in a leotard and yoga mat. The fact that there's no antics and big hoo haa, made me watch your videos. You demonstrate in chino's and tekkies and get on with it. Thank you thank you and THANK YOU. I regularly do the exercises and haven't had sciatic pain since 2021. Much love from KwaZulu-Natal Natal, South Africa

I gotta say this - I have Chronic SI pain because of a severely pronated right foot. I'm in excruciating pain most of every week for the last 8 years. I've gotten to the point now where the pain shifts from side to side almost every morning just depending on how I sleep. Each day I wake up and I see a video from you that perfectly addresses the pain I wake up with from the night before. Its like you're making these videos directly for me and I cant tell you how much I appreciate it and how much it helps. Sincere Thanks man!

Oh my god! I’m a long haul truck driver and I was suddenly hit with a bout of sciatica. I have been in agony the last 4 days with very little sleep. Your video saved my life and the lives of people around me. Thank you so much!

I had no idea so many suffered from this condition. It's really painful and when inflamed, I can't even concentrate or do anything constructive.

This helped me so much!!!! I’ve been describing my pain to people and nobody has ever figured out what I mean but I didn’t know it was sciatica pain. I sleep so much better now thank you! Everyone always wondered why I prefer to sleep on the floor and now it makes sense!🌺

Dr Rowe you are an angel! After aggravating by back it took a week to get an appointment with my chiropractor. While waiting for my appointment I discovered your channel. What a God send, I canceled the appointment as the stretches relieved my pain. Thank you for sharing these healing stretches.

Haven't slept now for 4 overnights due massive sciatica after a over-zealous free weight workout last week. L5 super displaced, pinched nerve, inflamattion, tight muscles, spasms, burning from buttock to toes, you name it. Under Chiro Care now :-) so on the way to recovery. But, I discovered this Dr while scrambling to find that one position to get a couple of hours of sleep. This DR is so reassuring, optimistic, and emits calmness and hope when you start thinking you may just be freakin loosing your mind at 4am. And, the stretches, tips and movements he shows actually realy really help. Everyone here knows and will agree that just 2-3-4 mins of pain relief is like a miracle during these crises. Well, he might have got me 20-25-30 min a night and forever I am grateful for this. FOREVER! Thank you Dr. Rowe.

I’m a sciatica sufferer it’s the worst pain ever, I’m going to try all his exercises and sleep theories. Thankyou

I've been suffering with sciatica for a few days. I watched your other video yesterday on leaning against a wall and pushing my bad hip toward the wall. It worked very well and I could walk much better in minutes! I'm almost back to normal this morning.

I am delighted to take the advice you give. I do some of the stretches in hot jacuzzi tub before going to bed. That helps me to sleep well with my sciatica flare up. I also use cold packs, tied around. Proper stretches from your video, heat and cold together give relief. I am in my mid seventies. I do stretches several times a day. Keeps your videos as my scripture!!! Thank you. God bless you and all who suffers.

What's helped me: Start the day with a walk - put your coffee in a travel mug and walk for at least 20 minutes. Strengthen your core (elbow planks, leg extentions keeping lower back flat to the floor, bird dogs, side bends). If you have a desk job, get up every 15 minutes and move around. Don't sleep on your stomach, but lying on your stomach on the floor instead of hunching on the couch is good. Get a desk chair with lumbar support. Above all, stay active. Move as much as possible.

I love people like u that REALLY REALLY want to HELP people!!!! Thank u!!!!

All these doctor or specialist that give some health tips deserve my salute

My daughter sent me this link and I found this video to be extremely helpful. And I appreciate that it was quick verbal delivery, yet very clear directions and easy to follow. Thank you! Looking forward to seeing more.

Generous service in passing on life saving information at expense of your time and resources. Heartfelt gratitude to a kind personality

I just started to watch your videos and am so impressed by how straight forward you are and to the point. Your videos are about helping all of us not about you which is so refreshing. You're the best I have seen for back issues Dr. Rowe; thank you so much for helping me with my back, it's much better from doing your stretches.

Thanks for the usable exercises! And thanks for keeping it clear and simple. And especially thx for your perfect enunciation with no distracting music playing in the background. I LOVED this video.

I'm excited to get using these exercises. My piriformis pain started in 2017 and kept me disabled (could not stand, walk or sit down!) for 8 months!! Hard to believe, I know. It took forever for doc's Not to simply refer to this as a sciatic pain. It wasn't and I knew it. After recovery, I started a daily routine of floor exercise, daily walks which kept this issue at bay. Sitting all day, and aging was a major factor. As said in the beginning, these moves have me 'pumped'...my pain is already feeling better. Watch this space! I shall be reporting back. Good luck to anyone who suffers this miserable affliction. Thanks Dr. Rowe - great form btw. signed (youthful Nana)

Straight to the point. So rare on RU-vid. Liked and subbed. Thanks so much.

thank you, i'm in so much pain right now and have been for over a week. i couldn't find a good sleeping position, and didn't know how to do that. very grateful!

This is a powerful video! 💥 You were so serious in your tone of voice that I found myself saying, "Yes, sir!" in response to you. Several things that you mentioned pertain to what I was looking for surrounding getting up in the morning. I'm grateful for this one.

woke up at 3 with pain in the leg. tried all type of exercises. it worked only for seconds and pain was back. what really worked was moving on the floor and using pillows for lower back and legs as you show in the video. thank you so much!

I really appreciate the exercises you demonstrated for use before getting out of bed. I also like your clear, concise, straight to the point delivery. Thank for all the helpful information.

Thank you so much for the techniques for relieving sciatic pain. I have suffered for the last few days and using your low impact stretches gave me almost immediate relief. I really appreciate the healthful hints and demonstrations.

Thank you so much for this. Very detailed, thorough and useful information. I will definitely be sharing this video with a few fellow sufferers!

Thank you so very much for the information. I have a ruptured disc at L5-S1 and 4 bulging disc's directly above L5. I have a lot of issues with my sciatic nerve and radiating aches through my low back/hips area. I have been dealing with low back issues (bulging disc & degenerative disc disease) since 1996. It was tolerable until the end of 2011 when I overextended my back and began having issues with my sciatic nerve. Early this year while bending over to pick up a jug of water, my back popped, then my legs literally came out from underneath me and down I went. The pain was so extremely severe and something I'd never experienced. I found out I herniated between L5-S1 plus my sciatic nerve was being pinched. I've been to my primary care physician, to an orthopedic surgeon, to two specialists, to a chiropractor, and a massage therapist, and have told each of them the issues I've had with sleeping, not being able to find a position, however not one of them have informed me of what you have in this video. So, I wanted to thank you so very much for this information. I've not been able to sleep more than 2 hours at a time, so am looking so forward to trying the positions suggested in order to get a more restful night's sleep.

Thank you for sharing such life changing information. I exercise regularly but struggle with sciatica pain regularly. I will definitely be adding the pillow between the legs and stretching prior to getting out of bed. THANK YOU TREMENDOUSLY

Am from Guwahati, Assam, India. It's been about a week that my right leg shows signs of sciatica. On 27/11/21, my right knee got twisted to the right and thereafter the pains have surfaced causing much discomfort. Trust that by following your guidelines I should feel better by HIS grace. Thanks and God bless

My back has popped out of place and all of the muscles have seized, this video has been great at teaching me how to get in and out of bed - just remember to keep your head straight and facing a bit up. Thanks for your help 👏🏼

May God bless you Dr. Rowe! Those of us with these issues really appreciate these suggestions.

No seriously my most favorite DR, these tips have really helped me I'm not fixed or anything but I got some relief after watching the stretching videos !

Thank you for making people's lives more comfortable.

Thank you doctor for your advice. I follow your good and easy to understand instructions every day before going to bed and before getting up early in the morning. I feel very much better now.

I have watched a number of RU-vid back videos and I found yours was less about you and more about the viewer. Isn't that refreshing!

I am so amazed watching the tips on sleeping and when to get up.Thank you so much!

Great stuff doc. Your ideas are priceless for many. Living without pain makes life worth living. You're the best.

Thank you. These tips have helped me with my nightly pain. I'm ok in the daytime, but lately, the pain at night has kept me up. Pillow under my knees and sleeping on my back are the lifesavers. Thank you again.

Dr. Thank you so much. Your health tips are really very effective to reduce the sciatica pain. May Allah Subhanutala bless you and your lovely family.

Thank you so much for investing your time and sharing your knowledge! The information helped me manage my pain. 😻. May God bless and protect you during this Covid tribulation.

Thank you for this helpful video. Today is my first day to take on these exercises since i have been suffering with sciatica. I am getting relieved and today for the first time since one month ago when i started having these pains, i have been able to stand on my feet for more than 10 minutes without pain. I am turning these exercises into my daily routine from today onwards.

Thank you for making everything simple to follow and understand

This is really helpful Dr. Thank you so much! I'm wondering, what's the major contribution to the Sciatica issue?

The best video on how to solve sciatic pain and sleepless nights! Thank you. 💚

Thank you so much . I've been in terrible pain for about 8 months but recently had a ladder slide out from under me . Hurt about every part of me after a day or so . But my hip & leg have been in a lot of pain . Went to x rayed & c scanned . Nothing broken but extreme pain . I hate meds but tylenol has helped . I'm thinking sciatica nerve all the way & this is the best video I've seen that addresses, the hard part of my day . As soon as you showed me the exercises I started doing them & feeling some relief . My old gym mat is coming out today for my new bed . Thanks again !!!

A wise person once told me .. wait until you're 30 ... now I'm watching this video . Thanks, Doc

This helped me. I was crying from pain and this helped. Hopefully it works long term

One morning I could hardly walk due to the pain in my right leg, from hip to heel. The pain kept me awake the whole night, and I couldn't find a position to relieve the pain. Somehow, intuitively, I put a bolster under my knees and the pain subsided. I also experimented with getting out of bed, and I finally figured out exactly the same position shown on the video. In a few days I got better, so I didn't go to the doctor, and I only found out from YT videos what was wrong with me in the first place. I've just come across your excellent video, doctor, and I want to thank you very much for the tips and exercises! I really appreciate them!

Very nice of you to post these. Thanks

I have trouble sleeping on my back, with or without a pillow. Yes. On how to get up in the morning. I do it, as you’ve shown. Everything has been very helpful. Thank you.

Thank you Doctor, some great points! Mine has come back, was without it for couple of years after an injury causing a lower Disc Herniation. To complicate matters, I also have a side strain pain most mornings, I think from by mattress possibly. Moving one way causes the sciatica pain and the other way can lead to more stress on the side strain. I do wake up and get out of bed the correct way, but I think doing the stretches before I get out is absolutely golden advice.

Finally, some help!. Thank you so much for your careful, easy to follow, advice.

excellent explanation. Thank you very much!

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions !🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Extremely superb. Your demo is most valuable to me. Thank you.

I watched this video yesterday and tried sleeping on my back with a pillow and woke up feeling amazing. I was also guilty of sleeping in the worst position. Thank you!!!

Thank you @DrRowe My sciatica nerve pain is pushing my to the highest level that I can't feel my legs ang hips at all. It frightens me every now and then. Your tips helps me so much!!!

I love all his videos pertaining to the lower back, sciatica, and SI joints!! Please keep them coming! I had a harsh fall which led to the SI dysfunction and your videos have been a blessing! Thank you

You are the best man 👨 💯🙌🏾👏🏽

Thanks a lot Dr. Rowe.This video has helped me a lot🙏🙏🙏 I highly recommend sleeping with a pillow under your knee as Dr. Rowe says it helps a ton.

Thank you so much, kind doctor. Sciatica is the worst malady. Your clear, simple helps are of great value to me, And no doubt to many. You are a Blessing!🙏🏻

I just want to say thank you for the information. It was quick and precise. And easy to listen to for some one in pain. No long drawn out how great you are or useless testimonies, that type of stuff is impossible to listen to when your experienceing excruciating pain.

Thank you so much wil be definitely trying the sleep and rise position so clear concise no spending on equipment and best of all no irritating music I'd give you a million thumbs up

Thanks for the great tips on navigating through discomfort of the back with great suggestions on getting out of bed, stretching before bedtime and most importantly correct sleep positions! Greatly appreciated. It appears that back pain and issues with sciatic are so closely connected

Great video!!! been suffering sciatica for about 7 yrs. Was doing exercises that were causing pain!! Will start this right away and get roll pillow for my knees. Thank you so much!!!

Dr Rowe, 🇮🇪I am out of that horrendous 😱pain on an inflammed Piriformis after 3 weeks as it appears here that my medical educators may not have understood the 😱agony I was IN for SO long . as I continue every day to be well again & do your exercises ! I cannot thankyou enough for all your wonderful videos in helping me . 😊

Thank you for sharing .I'm suffering from sciatica for 19 days, meds didn't work , I've been doing the exercises I've seen and so far nothing has helped nut I will continue and sleeping has been difficult but now that I've watched this video I will try the techniques for a better sleep. Give me luck..🙂 and again thank u for sharing.

There is No Doctor can matches this one... absolutely you are the best.. I do Chiropractor work.. thanks

Thanks for bringing this video to us.

I had severe sciatica due to an L5/S1 left-side herniation in 2011 with a relapse in 2017 (both confirmed by MRI) and both resolved without surgery. I am currently on day 5 of my second relapse, not yet confirmed by MRI, and am again enduring the agony while hoping that conservative (non-surgical) treatment will work this time too. I have learned a lot over these episodes and thank you for the video. I have found that how well I fare each night, especially in terms of not getting into bad positions or making awkward moves in the night, is the biggest single determinant in how able to function I will be the next day. Sleeping badly, or even if I haven't been able to sleep but have been lying badly, can mean getting out of bed unable to walk more than a metre or so without crutches and even then getting from the bedroom to the kitchen is a major expedition. I think this video is so important. Having said that I have one extra tip. You show the exercise at time index 5:00 where you pull your knees up to your chest. I have another use for this stretch/exercise/position that I find invaluable in bed. As a side sleeper I find that it can get tedious lying dead straight and motionless for hours on end on the same side so sometimes I feel that I just have to roll over but that rotation of the lower back makes the pain so unbearable that it is impossible to simply roll over in bed the way that most people would do so what I do is, while still on the side that I want to get away from and before trying to roll over I pull my knees up to my chest to go into what I call the "diver's tuck" position, I can then roll over while maintaining that diver's tuck position the whole time, and once I am on my other side I gently come out of the diver's tuck by straightening my legs out again. Before I discovered this trick when I decided I simply could not stand lying in the same position any longer I would literally get out of bed, walk round to the other side of the bed, and get back into the bed lying on my other side. As a second trick, again for side sleepers, I sometimes find that putting an extra pillow behind me and pressed up tightly against my back can help a tiny bit with the pain. I think maybe it's a bit like white noise i.e. as well as the constant pain coming from my back (no sleeping position is able to stop the pain completely for me) the sensation of the pillow pressing against my back gives some extra nerve inputs into that area for my brain to think about instead of just having the sciatic pain inputs to process. I confess that this one doesn't by any means remove the pain but it does reduce it just a tiny bit.

Me suffering with sciatic for years, doing yoga stretches helped me alot.

Love your videos doc, uncomplicated, helpful and well explained and demonstrated. You're my new favorite.😊

🙏 Thanks a lot, I’ve been sleeping on my stomach almost my whole life, I’m 23 and constantly have back pain going to try and be more conscious of my sleeping position

This Doc is AMAZING!! My faith has been restored. Thank you, Heavenly Father for GREAT teachers! 🙏

Thank you man! I needed this. You really helped me out. God bless

Good video! You shared things I’ve learned over 24 years of dealing with lumbar issues. All spot on. So nice of you to share with everyone! One clarification I would make is that heat is good for loosening up the body and gives an instant feeling of relief. However, heat can amplify inflammation and pain. Therefore I only use hot pads when extremely tight. Most days I ice my lumbar spine, especially when having pain or sciatica. Regular icing helps a lot!

Really happy to have found your channel. My tailbone is really bad. The exercises are helpful. Walking uphill is best. But it requires 45 minutes to an hour to really improve the time I can sit. Thankyou for all you share here.

Thank you sir. You are changing lives.

Thank you for this exercise it looks so easy to follow every morning.

I was unaware of how effective and immediate the pillows were...thank you.

Love this video. ..very straightforward. Thanks

Terima kasih Dr. Rowe.. Sdh hampir 2 minggu saya merasakan sakit ini.Dan selama2 hari saya sdh melakukan tips yg anda ajarkan & Puji Tuhan saya sdh lebih baik dari sebelumnya saya sdh bs melakukan kegiatan. Seperti biasanya.

I’ve had intense sciatica for 3 years now. It’s excruciating at times. Some good days some awful days, but every day it’s there. Thank you for your advice.

Thank you so much! I suffer from chronic sciatica and lower back pain, so these exercises and tips are helping me to get by and survive these agonizing pains. Blessings!

This video is awesome. So glad to find it. Will start with these suggestions !!! In bad pain for About 2 weeks !❤

They teach how to get out of bed at the clinic I worked at. Great tip. Please practice this even if you don’t have problems.

I have a bad sciatica and it’s been torturing me for more than 3 years and after start seen your videos I started to feel a bit better I’ll continue using your methods and I hope I can heal me sciatica pain cause it’s killing me thanks doctor for your help!!

I've had intense pain for over a year, and only yesterday did someone suggest it may be sciatica. After researching it, that's seems to be the case. Due to my financial situation (and my families attitude towards doctors/hospitals) I never got it checked out. Hopefully, after a couple weeks of doing the recommended exercises and sleeping positions, it'll start to get better. However, if it doesn't start to ease up soon, I'll definitely be seeking professional medical help. Your video is extremely helpful and informative, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with all of us.

Thanks I’m going to try all of these.

Very sound demonstrations. Thank you!

Thank you so much in this tips, I really suffered from this pain

I must say that people dealing with sciatica while sleeping figure out themselves on what is the best way to sleep or get up. What you recommended is spot on but I already knew them cause I suffer from it. But the exercises mentioned helped a great deal in improving sleep. Thank you.

Thank you really appreciate the information. I definitely get up out of bed the wrong way and I notice the pain. I truly appreciate it 💜

Thank you for these tips, so grateful! 🙏