How often do you wake up due to the intense backache? Sleeping is a bit challenging for those who are suffering from back pain.
whenever you turn at your sides, it really hurts you. Though, back pain could be a big torture at a moment, but, on the other end, the thinking of how to sleep would make your condition even worst.
It’s a fact that certain positions can put a lot of strain over back, eventually, it makes the slumber problematic.
Sleep problems and back pain are associated; however, its link is not completely understood.
According to Santhosh Thomas DO, a spine specialist with Cleveland Clinic and an associate medical director of the Richard E. Jacobs Medical center in Avon, Ohio, ‘it’s not surprising that sleep deprivation is the major cause of back pain’.
In fact, experts believe that people with sleep deprivation combat the back pain more frequently.
Thomas further revealed that the sleep deprivation directly affects the mood, functionality, and pain’s perception.
According to National Sleep Foundation, ’pain somehow leave the negative impact on your sleep because it keeps you awake throughout the night’.
In a recent study published in Asian Spine Journal in 2014 concluded that more than 32% people with low back pain experienced the sleep disturbances due to a backache, waking up 2 times minimum at night.
Interestingly, the researchers suggested that most of the participants revealed that the worst time of a backache is in between 7 p.m. to midnight. More the worst pain, more your sleep will be affected.
How can incorrect sleeping position exacerbate sciatica and low back pain?
Poor sleeping position is the major culprit causing the aggravation of pain. Some sleeping positions could put the excessive pressure on neck, shoulders, lower back, hips, knees, and heels.
Because sleeping prone straighten the natural curve of your spine and place more strain on your back, sleeping prone is the common offender in triggering the back pain and even sciatica.
If you can’t even change the position, try to make the adjustments, like try to place a pillow under your pelvis so that the strain could be reduced.
Burning sensation in your calf muscles or even throbbing pain in your foot due to sciatica can be increased if slept in poor posture. Try to sleep in a neutral position! Make sure that you’re not curving your spine too much.
Maintaining a sleep position for longer while sleeping can eventually amplify the back pain and symptoms of sciatica.
It’s normal that you’re moving your spine a bit throughout the night and somehow, it’s good for your spine’s health.
Additionally, sleeping position is not only the cause of back pain, in fact, your activities or lack of activities could be the potential reason behind it.
Sitting in a slouched posture with rounded shoulders in daylight could lead to the severe bouts of back pain and sciatica triggered at night.
So, you actually don’t know that how badly your incorrect posture affecting your entire body mechanics.
Tricks to get the comfortable slumber at night without aggravating the back pain and sciatica
It’s very tricky to get the good sleep devoid of any pain. with the help of painless sleeping positions, not only the pain levels will be decreased, in fact, your overall work performance will be improved. To get the comfortable goodnight’s sleep, you need to do several modifications,
If you sleep on your side, bend your knees to 90 degrees and place a pillow between your knees.
When you come into the side sleeping position, your lower back rotates, thus, the people with a backache can get the pain while sleeping on sides.
Some side sleepers even slouch their shoulders more and eventually, it puts more pressure on the spine.
so, utilize the body pillow for kicking away the back pain or even the numbness due to sciatica.
Instead of choosing thinner body pillows, try to choose the thicker pillows for placing it below your neck and in between your knees. For more improving the pain, place the rolled-up towel under your waist.
Lie supine with elevated knees! Due to the impingement of the nerve root, the sciatic nerve compresses and you would experience its sign and symptoms.
Place two to three pillow under your knees so that the nerve won’t get compressed.
However, it is also reported that the placement of rolled-up towel below your lower back could be helpful.
The important point: just remember that the sleeping positions working positively for others won’t help you in a similar way. Hence, try to find out your painless sleeping position.
Why not try taking a bath before going to a bed?
A warm bath could be magical on your pain reduction. Not only the pain-fighting endorphins are released by taking a warm bath, yet, it also relaxes your tensed muscles supplied by the sciatic nerve.
Some people with sciatica and back pain found this as the easiest way to battle with discomfort.
The temperature of the water shouldn’t be too hot or cold, make sure, it should be warm and pleasant.
A little increase or decrease in temperature could affect the pain intensity and make sleeping difficult.
If you’re not interested in implementing this option, apply the hot pack on your buttock/lower back area.
Consider changing your mattress!
Believe it or not, a faulty mattress can be another reason of hurting your spine.
Though, some people prefer sleeping on the floor so that the pain would be decreased, but, the experts disagree with this concept.
The mattress and pillows selection depends on your own comfort rule. Some people love the firmness of the hard surface, whereas, another group of people would prioritize sleeping on a soft mattress.
Contoured pillows are also a good choice for maintaining and contouring the alignment of the neck.
By choosing the right pillows, the neck strain will be alleviated and you would get the happy and full goodnight sleep.
REFERENCES
http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/switch-sleep-positions-ease-back-pain/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/multimedia/sleeping-positions/sls-20076452
http://www.spine-health.com/blog/3-little-known-tips-sleeping-sciatica
http://www.americanspinegroup.com/blog/sleep-positions-can-help-sciatica-pain
http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/sleeping-positions-for-people-with-low-back-pain
