Back Pain When Sleeping Or After Sleep...

Sometimes when you sleep for an extended period of time in one position it can cause soreness in the back when you wake up. The same thing can happen when in one place for many hours. Here are a few things you can try to get better quality sleep and not wake up with a sore back:

• If you have an extra comforter/sleeping bag, place that under you to change to consistency of your mattresss.Maybe it needs to softer (or straighter). Check your mattress (is there a bow or a dip in there? ). Recently I had a patient who had an issue with her bed and it caused a lot of lower back pain.
  
  
  
• Use a different neck pillow- try to choose a cervical support pillow with a neck roll.
  
  
  
• Use something under your knees when you sleep (this is how I sleep)- I just put a pillow under my knees if I sleep on my back and between my legs if I am on my side. You can also use positioning products such as the knee elevator (for back sleeping) or the Spinal Relief pillow (for side sleeping)
  
  
  
• Do some stretches right when you get up specifically for your lower back. When you get into the hot shower- let the water hit the lower back area and bend down slowly and to the side. Don’t extend back to much as this is not good for your back.
  
  
  
• You should also need to get adjusted…go see a chiropractor to get treated and see what he says. You can also get some muscle work on your back. Plus, get some biofreeze (pain relief gel) that you can massage into the lower back muscles
  
  
  
• If your back pain has been going on for some time, Use a hot pack on your lower back in the evening time while watching tv (gel packs work great).
  
  
  
• Finally, sleeping for an extended period of time (over 9-10 hours) - try to avoid that. It can be avoided, so just get up and move around, stretch in the a.m. You can always take naps later.
  

Pay attention to what you are doing during the day also – and see if that is somehow contributing to your lower back. Sounds simple, but certain activities can bring on the pain moreso. For example, wearing heals for a greater part of the day, standing for a long time, exercising without doing a stretch before or after, doing a certain exercise (for example elliptical machine/rowing machine)




CT Spine and Disc Center is located in central Connecticut- Specializing in patients who suffer from sciatica, disc degeneration, bulging disc or herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Call us at 860-633-8756 to see if you are a candidate for non surgical spinal decompression

Additional Reading Resources:

• The Power of Vitamin D: better sleep, better mind
  
  
• When Lack of Sleep Can be Deadly
  
  
• 6 Ways to Get A Better Nights Sleep
  
  
• Understanding Non Surgical Spinal Decompression: FAQ's
  
  
• Research about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression
  

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Getting Proper Rest...Another Key Element To Staying Healthy And Pain Free!

A few blog posts ago I talked about the 5 things you must do to improve and maintain your health. Here they are again: 1) Eat right 2) Exercise 3) manage their stress level 4) Get proper rest 5) maximize their nervous system potential by getting their spine checked.

Since I got on the subject of sleep in the last post, today I'm going to talk about number four on the list - Get Proper Rest.

Getting a good nights sleep is very important because your body actually does a lot of it’s healing during this time. There are thousands of cellular reactions taking place in your body every second that need to happen. Without rest your body starts breaking down – from the cellular level to the organ level to the tissue level. What this means in plain English is: everything in the body from your insides to your outsides will suffer.

Think about how you function when you need sleep. It becomes tough to concentrate, reflexes are slower, you may irritable. So if you noticeably are not functioning like you should be this will take it’s toll on the body.

Why do many people not get good rest or sleep. Often its their eating habits. It can be work. It can be because of back or neck pain or some other health issue. It could even be environmental factors.

Six to eight hours sleep for the majority seems to be the norm, and if you read the study I mentioned last post, closer to 7 hours is better. Do not eat preferably 3-4 hours before going to bed. I’m a big proponent of water but don’t drink it right before bed or you may find yourself waking up to go to the bathroom more. Try to avoid being on the computer immediately before bed. Also, let your body wind down at least 30 minutes before bed. This means, avoid exercise, working on the computer, and any stressful things right before bed.

Lastly, for optimum sleep, have a room that's very suitable for just that. Have a comfy setting, complete darkness, comfortable temperature, and preferabley no TV running!

And don't forget #5 on the list - Getting Your spine checked. A healthy, aligned spine will enable you to sleep more comfortably, without waking up during the night with back pain, neck pain, or tingling hands and feet, and without feeling stiff and fatigued the next morning.

If you or someone you know isn't getting adequate rest because of their back or neck problems -We may be able to help with Chiropractic or Spinal Decompression.
Call our office in Glastonbury as soon as possible at 633-8756.

Getting Your 8 hours of Sleep is the Key to Staying Way from the Common Cold

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that the Exposure to rhinovirus is more likely to lead to the development of a cold in people who have less than 7 hours' sleep each night compared to their better-rested counterparts.

Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and colleagues conducted a study of 153 healthy subjects, aged 21 to 55 years, who recorded their sleep habits for 14 days before they were quarantined and exposed to a rhinovirus. They were then observed for signs of a common cold.

Subjects who reported getting less than seven hours of sleep a night had a 2.94 times higher risk of developing a cold after exposure to rhinovirus compared with their counterparts who had at least eight hours' sleep, the investigators found. Those with less than 92 percent sleep efficiency were 5.5 times more likely to develop a cold than those with sleep efficiency of 98 percent or above, the researchers report.

"These relationships could not be explained by differences in pre-challenge virus-specific antibody titers, demographics, season of the year, body mass, socioeconomic status, psychological variables or health practices," the authors concluded. "The percentage of days feeling rested was not associated with colds."

Source Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(1):62-67. Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold- Sheldon Cohen, PhD; William J. Doyle, PhD; Cuneyt M. Alper, MD; Denise Janicki-Deverts, PhD; Ronald B. Turner, MD

As we weather the upcoming winter storms, we have to make sure to take care of bodies during this cold season. Exercising, getting enough sleep, and getting our spines adjusted is important in making sure that we are functioning at our optimal level. Visit CT Spine and Disc Center LLC in Glastonbury CT to get your spine checked.