However, the first movement in the morning may be accompanied by a scary soundtrack, prompting one to ask whether their bed frame is deteriorating or whether their body is rebelling against them. It is necessary to determine the nature of a mechanical creak coming from one’s bed frame versus pops, clicks, or crepitus that might be caused by one’s body to understand what is happening. Here are 8 ways to determine precisely where the sound is coming from:
The Weightless Compression Test
Without getting up from the prone position, raise both legs into the air, thereby reducing their weight on the mattress, and move your hips. Should the sound continue to occur despite a reduction in the weight of your body and its repositioning lower on the bed, chances are that you are experiencing the popping of air bubbles in the synovial fluid or the tendon snapping across bone.
Character of the Sound
The tone of the sound is also a good indicator. A mechanical creaking due to friction between the metal or wood parts of the bed frame usually produces a higher-pitched sound, which could even sound screechy or groaning. Joint sounds, in their turn, have a lower tone and sound like dull “thuds” or sharp “pops.”
Repeatability Timeframe
Try to repeat the very same motion immediately after hearing the sound. If it is possible to produce the same sound five times in a row, with the same timing, then the cause is most likely your bed frame. Once a gas bubble pops in your joint capsule (cavitation), it takes about 20-30 minutes for the gas to be dissolved in synovial fluid again.
The Multi-Joint Orchestra
Is the noise produced simultaneously in two places? If the process of rolling out of bed leads to a cacophony of noises coming from your back, knees, and shoulders all at once, then you are most likely suffering from joint pain systemically in the morning.
Location Test on Your Bed
Move your body two feet away from where you usually sleep and repeat the movement that created the noise. If the sound does not happen anymore, it means that the noise was coming from a localized weakness or a tired coil in your mattress. Otherwise, the noise moves with you.
The Pillow Deflection Test
Lie down without any pillow and turn your neck. The bone conduction effect amplifies the sounds produced inside the body, in contrast to the outside sound produced by the bed, which is at its usual constant volume.
The Duration of the Noise
Observe if the sound becomes less frequent during the first hour of your day. Once you get some caffeine and start moving around, the sound disappears completely. This would indicate that it was only the joint creaking due to the gradual warming of your synovial fluid.
The Mattress Push Test
Sit at the edge of your bed, place your feet on the floor, and attempt to bounce the center of the bed up and down using your hands without bending any joints in your body. If you can successfully reproduce the noise using only the movement of your arms, then the bed is the cause of the issue.
