Ways to Treat Sleep Problems Associated With Back Pain
January 19th, 2011 | Author: admin
Most back pain sufferers are known to have difficulties in getting a good sleep every night. This is further worsened by the use of wrong bed and wrong sleeping posture. The aim here is to suggest ways by which sleep problems associated with back pain can be corrected.
The use of soft bed is recommended as a way to treat sleep problems associated with back pain. Such bed gives support to the lower back, by allowing those parts of your body that are heavy to sink in a little. Hard and sagging beds could worsen such sleep problems. Before buying any mattress, make sure you sleep on it for a few minutes to ensure that it is not too hard for the back. Mattresses that are too firm exert unnecessary strain on the back, by not allowing the hips and shoulders to sink in. However, new mattresses to be bought need to be moderately firm.
Just as sleeping on a mattress that is too firm is not good, so also is sleeping on one that is too soft. Excessively soft mattresses do cause sleep problems as a result of back pain that it could cause. However, a board that is long enough to, at least, reach the knees from the shoulders could be placed between the springs of the bed and the soft mattress to firm it up. This does not apply to platform beds and captain beds. Alternatively, to help treat the sleep problems associated with back pain, you may try sleeping on the floor lying on a blanket.
Proper resting posture can also help in the treating the sleep problems associated with back pain. Whenever you are reading or watching TV in a reclining position, use a wedge-shaped pillow, available in stores selling bedding materials, to provide support for your head, neck and back. You could also improvise with pillows at home to produce similar effect. This may be done by arranging the pillows in a downward sloping manner from your head to the lower back region.
Good body movement in bed could also prove useful in treating sleep problems associated with back pain. When rolling over while in bed, effort should be made to move your entire body together. This would ensure that you feel no pain.
Another good way to treat sleep problems associated with back pain is to either sleep lying down on your side or back. Put a couple of pillows between your legs when sleeping on your side to help keep your body well-aligned; you may also place a pillow below your waist. When lying on your back, place a small-sized pillow beneath your lower back to provide support, and you may also put a couple of pillows under your knees for that great comfort. Though lying on the stomach is not comfortable, you can change that by placing a couple of pillows below your stomach.