Even a study carried out by the Global Burden of Disease declared lower back pain as the leading cause of disability for many people around the globe. It should be interesting to note that most of the time, back pain is caused by the strain on our spine from various lifestyle habits like weird sleeping positions, bad posture, and so on. This is something that we can work on to improve the quality of our lives. Read on as we discuss a few tips to help you reduce the intensity of your back pain and getting the chance to experience a full night’s sleep.
Find the Correct Sleeping Position that Makes You Feel Comfortable
The way you sleep can play an important role to relieve you from stress and discomfort. If lying flat on your back makes you feel uncomfortable, you should change your position to sleeping on your side. You can also add a small pillow in the gap between your back and the mattress for further assistance.Even sleeping on your stomach by placing a pillow between your abdomen and the mattress can help you to reduce stress as well. Place a pillow under your lower abdomen and pelvis. If you want added support, you can also use a pillow under your head.
Another helpful sleeping position would be to sleep in a fetal position. This position is especially good for people who have a herniated disc as curling your torso can open up the space between the vertebrae. Just remember to switch sides from time to time to prevent any pressure imbalance. You can also consult your doctor or a specialist to get more tips to help you become comfortable when you sleep.
Invest in a Good Quality Mattress
This is quite an important point since it is literally where you sleep. Firstly, we will advise you to buy a mattress for back pain issues, especially as the technology used to make them can aid to provide better support for backs, necks, and shoulders.It will be better for you to opt for a firmer mattress or a memory foam mattress. You should also pay attention to the materials that are used to create the mattress to determine the flexibility, sturdiness, and breathability of the product. In fact, understanding the epidemic of back pain, many companies have launched mattresses that have various innovations like integrating gel, ventilation systems, and hypoallergenic materials.
Listen to Slow-Paced Music Before Going to Sleep
One of the main issues with back pain is that your body starts “learning“ to be in pain. This is the main reason why even after there is no particular origin of the pain or ache that is felt in the body, it continues.Listening to calm and composed music can help your body to focus on something else instead of sending pain signals. We know that it may sound unbelievable, but it actually works. You can also try meditation to help reduce anxiety as well since it can often trigger back pain. Keeping this in mind, it is obviously better for you to avoid listening to rock or punk music. Instead of calming you down, it will make you more alert.
We would personally recommend you try listening to classical music that can serve as the perfect background music while you ready yourself to sleep.
Try to Avoid Watching Television in Bed Before Going to Sleep
First and foremost, you need to make sure that you are getting eight hours of sleep every night. Now, by eight hours we mean excluding the time that you may take to fall asleep. These hours can be negatively affected when you have back pain since falling asleep, as well as staying asleep, can be a problem due to the sheer pain you may feel.A great way to lower the intensity of the pain is to do de-stressing activities that can tell your body to go to sleep.
For example, you should establish a bedtime routine such as taking a shower, setting out clothes for the next day, and then going to sleep. Gradually, your body will start associating these activities with bedtime and hence, will be able to fall into a deep slumber more easily.
Adopt a Practice of Avoiding Electronics at Least 30 Minutes Before Going to Bed
If you are in the habit of watching television before going to sleep by lying in your bed, you need to change this. No matter how tempting it may be to scroll through Instagram or Facebook one last time or check your email, it is important for you to turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before you sleep. This may sound difficult at first, but you will soon get used to it.The reason we say this is because our body can become confused as to what time of day it is from the light emitted from our electronic devices. This is also the main reason why we fall asleep faster in darkness. Keeping your cell phone more than an arm’s reach away can be a useful tip to fight the temptation of checking it.
Visit a Doctor to Prescribe You Sleeping Aids
Sleeping aids can be useful to help you fall asleep as well as reduce the pain. Having said this, it is important that you schedule an appointment with your doctor to determine the correct prescription. There might be times when you may not need sleeping aids and hence, you need to be careful. Also, please do not try to self-medicate yourself in such situations.Resources— Sleep Advisor, Healthline, WebMD
