If you’re dealing with sciatic pain, nights are often the hardest part.
You finally lie down… and suddenly your back, hip, or leg starts talking back.
I hear this all the time in the office:
“I’m fine during the day, but nights are brutal.”
You’re not broken — and you’re not doing anything wrong.
A lot of sciatic pain gets worse at night for very understandable reasons.
Why Sciatic Pain Feels Worse When You’re Lying Down
Sciatic pain usually means a nerve is irritated somewhere in your low back or pelvis.
When you lie down:
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Your spine changes position
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Muscles relax
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Pressure shifts to different tissues
If your back or hips don’t tolerate that position well, the nerve can get irritated — kind of like stepping on a kinked extension cord.
It’s not that sleep is bad.
It’s that the position matters.
The Goal at Night: Take Pressure Off the Nerve
When you’re sleeping with sciatic pain, the goal isn’t perfect posture.
The goal is simple:
Reduce pressure and tension around the nerve so your body can calm down.
Small changes can make a big difference.
Sleeping Positions That Often Help Sciatic Pain
I put together a short video showing a few sleep positions and setups I commonly recommend for people with sciatic pain.
These aren’t magic fixes — but they often help people sleep more comfortably and wake up less stiff.
In the video above, I show:
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How to sleep on your back with better support
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How to sleep on your side without twisting your spine
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Where pillows actually help — and where they don’t
These positions are about support, not forcing your body into place.
A Few Common Sleep Mistakes I See
These are well-intended, but they often backfire:
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Forcing yourself to sleep flat if it increases pain
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Using too many pillows under your head but none under your legs
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Curling tightly into a ball all night
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Ignoring symptoms that get worse the longer you lie there
If your pain gets sharper, shoots down the leg, or lingers into the next day, that’s a sign your setup needs adjusting.
A Simple Nighttime Reset You Can Try
Before bed:
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Change positions slowly
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Support your legs or knees with pillows
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Take a few slow breaths to let your body settle
You’re trying to tell your nervous system,
“It’s okay to relax now.”
Sometimes that alone makes falling asleep easier.
Want These Sleep Positions in One Easy Place?
If you’d like a simple reference you can keep by your bed, we also made a PDF that walks through these sleep positions step by step.
Download the Sciatic Pain Sleep Guide (PDF)
It covers the same positions shown in the video, with clear reminders to keep things comfortable — not forced.
When Sciatic Pain at Night Is a Sign to Get Help
If your sciatic pain:
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Consistently wakes you up
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Is getting worse over time
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Includes numbness, tingling, or weakness
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Isn’t improving after a couple of weeks
That usually means there’s more going on than just a bad sleep position.
At that point, guessing isn’t helpful. Clarity is.
If you’d like help figuring out why your sciatic pain is happening and what would actually help, you’re welcome to come talk with us.
Schedule a free consult to see if we can help
No pressure. Just a conversation to point you in the right direction.
Ryan Griffeth
Contact Me
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