--- title: Lower Back Pain: How to Get Rid of It description: This is what researchers say will get rid of lower back pain. canonical: https://time.com/4175215/lower-back-pain-treatment/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-11T19:48:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:33.410Z article:section: Health og:title: How to Get Rid of Lower Back Pain og:description: Based on the latest research og:url: https://time.com/4175215/lower-back-pain-treatment/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Get Rid of Lower Back Pain twitter:description: Based on the latest research twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # How to Get Rid of Lower Back Pain > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Humans Evolved To Get Less, But Better Quality, Sleep [Watch (HLS stream): Humans Evolved To Get Less, But Better Quality, Sleep](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/obu1caIx.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2015-12-15. A Duke University study hypothesizes it was early human ancestors' change from sleeping in trees to on the ground that lets us sleep less today._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 11, 2016 7:48 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 11, 2016 7:48 PM UTC When you have [lower back pain](https://time.com/shopping/article/best-mattress-for-back-pain/), you may not want to leave your bed—but the best way to get some relief is actually to get moving, according to [new research](http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2481155). The new study, published Monday in the journal _JAMA Internal Medicine_, analyzed previous studies of treatment methods for lower back pain, which hits about 80% of people at some point in their life. The researchers concluded that based on the evidence available, exercise in combination with education (for example, information about lower back pain, posture or exercise ) was likely to lower the risk of lower back pain. While exercise alone was also found to be effective, the researchers say it’s unclear whether these effects would last beyond a year. “This finding raises the important issue that, for exercise to remain protective against future \[lower back pain\], it is likely that ongoing exercise is required,” the study authors write. Interestingly, the researchers found benefits from all sorts of different exercises, including back and abs strengthening, stretching, and range of motion exercises. [Prior research looking at yoga specifically](http://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/yoga-or-stretching-eases-low-back-pain) has found improvements in back pain for both men and women, possibly due to the combination of muscle strengthening and stretching. The researchers of the new study did not find strong evidence to support other strategies, like back belts or shoe insoles, to cut back on pain. In a [corresponding editorial](http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2481155), Dr. Timothy S. Carey and Janet K. Freburger of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill write that lower back pain recurrence is common—about 24% to 80% of episodes recur in the first year. It’s important for physicians to recommend exercise and for those who have experienced back pain to stay motivated and continue exercising, the researchers wrote. ## Transcript If you're already on your third cup of coffee you might not believe this, but humans evolved to get less and better sleep than our ancestors. Duke University researchers analyzed a database of sleep patterns for hundreds of mammal species with an emphasis on 21 primate species. Using statistical techniques they were able to rank how far removed From humans each primate species was. They found humans get significantly less sleep than most other primates. Seven hours on average versus as many as 17 for gray mouse lemurs. But humans also get a greater proportion of REM sleep, the stage associated with dreaming, boosting creative thinking and the consolidation of memories. Is the lack of sleep due to artificial lights? Studies have already shown tv and computer screen stop the production of melatonin. Making it harder to fall asleep. Yet the Duke researchers reported a separate study found people in three different hunter / gatherer societies, without electricity sleep a little bit less than people with electricity. Instead, the researchers have hypothesized that the reason for our shorter deeper slumber Its early human ancestors shift from sleeping on trees to on the ground. While sleeping by fires and in large groups protected us from predators, humans also would have avoided dangers like falling from great heights. And this would have allowed them to survive the vulnerability that comes with deeper and more efficient stages of sleep. Eventually those suited for the different sleep pattern passed on more of their genes. 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