Helping back pain through sleep

Why is Sleep Important in helping Back Pain?

When back pain affects you, you might despair of ever getting a good nights sleep. Not getting enough sleep or poor quality sleep can actually make you more sensitive to pain. It can be a vicious circle if back pain makes it harder to sleep and when you can’t sleep your back pain seems worse!

Here are a few tips which may help:

  1. Establish a good bedtime routine. Try to go to bed the same time each night.
  2. Avoid large meals late at night or eat early.  Fight after dinner drowsiness. If you get sleepy, do an activity until it’s closer in time to go to bed.
  3. A warm bath before bed can be relaxing.
  4. Don’t have alcohol before bed. It may relax you initially but it impairs the quality of sleep.
  5. Don’t read or watch Television or use an iPad in bed.  TV or devices that are backlit suppress melatonin and whatever you’re reading or watching may be more stimulating than relaxing! Listen to music or audio books instead.
  6. Try a few gentle stretches when you lie down in bed such as pulling your knees to your chest and holding for a few seconds.
  7. Start off in as comfortable a position as possible such as lying on your side in a foetal position with a pillow between your legs,  or on your back with a pillow between your knees.
  8. Don’t sleep on your stomach.  This may be a habit you’ve got into but keeping your back arched backwards often aggravates back pain. To break the habit, sleep in a T-shirt with a pocket and put a ball in the pocket. You’ll know about it if you roll onto your front in the night!
  9. Make sure the room is dark, try not to have any digital display light on an alarm clock.
  10. Avoid a lie in on a weekend, it may disturb your usual weekly sleep pattern. If you need to make up for a late night or lost sleep, opt for a day time nap to pay off your sleep debt. Limit it to 20-30 mins in the early afternoon.

Osteopathic soft tissue massage treatment can help ease some of the tensions in your back which may be preventing you from getting comfortable at night.

helping back pain through sleep

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