Sleeping well when you have back pain is difficult for many people. Often when you come home from work, when you do everyday things that can make pain and tension worse. Here's how to sleep when you have back pain.
How to sleep when you have back pain? good habits
1- Do not hide (involuntarily) the chest
Many women who have large breasts have a tendency (often unconsciously) to bend down, either by hiding them or simply because they "drop" the weight forward. And this trend at the end of the day accentuates the feeling of a heavy back.
Your back will be much more relaxed if you throw your shoulders back, stretch your chest, and lift your abdomen slightly.
Try to get used to this posture little by little. It is possible that you have maintained this tendency to hide your chest since adolescence and that you must gradually assimilate the change to sleep better without suffering from back pain.
2- Do you usually fall on the couch?
Often, when we come home exhausted, we just think of “throwing ourselves” on the couch. But be careful, because...
If the back is not aligned, the cervical and lumbar muscles suffer. So sit comfortably so you don't have back pain once bedtime arrives.
Ideally, your sofa should allow you to sit with your back supported by the backrest and your feet on the floor without straining your knees. If it's not the case, use pillows to correct posture.
3- Make sure you read without leaning over
The evening is a good time to read something to relax and disconnect before sleeping. But be careful not to bend over too much when doing this. It's better if you raise the book, magazine, newspaper...to your eye level, instead of lowering your head. If you're reading on a tablet, it's also helpful to use covers that can be used as a music stand. Otherwise, you could overload the shoulders and neck.
If you need glasses, don't forget. Neck pain may be due to the habit of reading by projecting the neck forward when corrective glasses are needed but not worn. This forces you to force the posture, to lengthen the neck and the head is not aligned with the trunk.
4- The thumb trick to eliminate knots
If at the end of the day you move your hand and feel the muscle twitches like knots to the touch, you can try reducing the discomfort.
Press with your thumb on the contracted point for more than a minute. There will come a time when you will feel like the knot has come undone.
If you can't get to that epicenter of pain, get someone to help you press that point that you can't reach.
And, if you can, ask someone to give you a massage that will allow you to "let go" of the muscles and eliminate tension.
To relax your neck: lean your body forward and rest your forehead on a pillow. Ask your "home masseur" to stand behind and massage your neck as if you were kneading something, but gently and without causing pain in the area.
To relax the lower back: Lie on your stomach with a pillow under your stomach, arms placed on either side of your body and head to one side. The person giving you the massage should not squeeze their fingers together, but rather slide them over the skin and muscles and move them in all directions.
Sleeping With Back Pain: Nighttime Precautions
1- Beware of the smartphone before sleeping
We usually check the phone between 30 and 40 times a day and it can cause neck pain. Most of us tilt our heads around 60° to look at the cell phone and this creates a strain for your cervical spines because it feels like they have to hold several pounds and they end up being damaged.
When you talk, holding the phone between your head and your shoulder hurts, especially if you do it for a long time. It is always better to take the device in hand or the application "hands free".
At this point in the day, your neck is surely already suffering from the consequences of the presence of mobile phones and tablets in your lives. Try not to check these devices lying down or with them on your lap: these are the most harmful postures for the back and neck, because the tension of the neck muscles is between 3 and 5 times higher, according to a study conducted by Washington State University.
To correct this, lie on your back and place a pillow under your knees to relax your back muscles.
You can have your head elevated using pillows, without tilting your neck too much and your elbows resting on the bed.
2- Before going to bed, put your feet on the wall
Try this trick to "smooth" your back:
Lie on the floor or in bed, as close to the wall as possible, and stick your tailbone (your buttocks) against it. Then lift your legs up and put them on the wall.
Maintain this posture but without straining the muscles, concentrating on the effective support that makes the wall of the end of the back.
Hold the position for as long as you want if you feel comfortable and relaxed. If it's easier for you, you can stretch your arms crossed on both sides of your body.
3- When you fall asleep, put your tongue on the palate
A bad occlusion of the jaw is one of the possible causes of neck pain, because this bite, in addition to tightening the cervical muscles, can cause the person to sleep with their head down.
Place the tip of the tongue just behind the teeth at the beginning of the palate is a trick that helps release the jaw when it is too tight.
Combine it with your breathing: close your mouth, inhale through your nose and count to 4. Hold your breath for 7 seconds and release the air for 8 seconds.
If this happens to you, do it before sleeping to relax your jaw. And if you need an offload splint, remember to wear it every night to keep your back from hurting.
4- Choose duvets that do not weigh
In winter, a duvet is preferable to many blankets , because it is healthier to rest without carrying additional weight.
If you wish, cover yourself with a duvet that is a little less Nordic but with which you feel well sheltered, because if you are cold you will shrink and your back muscles will bear it negatively.
If you prefer a blanket, opt for a blanket made of merino sheep wool, which retains the heat produced by the skin very well and evaporates moisture.
5- If you cough at night, fix it
Repeated coughing can put pressure on the spinal vertebrae. Each time you do this with force, you put external pressure on the discs between the vertebrae in the spine.
If you have a cold, cut an onion in half and put it on the bedside table can help you because it emanates substances with a calming effect.
If you suffer from a chronic cough, it is important that you speak to the doctor to try to find the causes and remedy it, because it could be the cause of your back pain.
6- Try sleeping in the fetal position
This is the most anatomical posture (knees and hips bent and back straight, without lowering your head) and which offers greater rest to your whole back.
Avoid lying on your stomach because the spine is too extended and the muscles in position are shortened. In addition, the neck and head rotate to one side.
Sleeping on your back with a large pillow under your back or your knees is appropriate if you tend to have low back pain, as the weight falls on the spine.
How to sleep when you have back pain? Apply these valuable tips!
