Is Pain Keeping You Up at Night?

Did you know that the average person who lives to be seventy-nine years old will spend the equivalent of seven years of their life trying to fall asleep and twenty-six years of their life sleeping? There is a reason we sleep so much. Sleep plays a vital role in maintaining health and functioning at an optimal level. Scientists from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School have found that insufficient sleep is associated with a number of diseases and health problems and impairs perception, judgment, and safety.

Pain and discomfort are important causes of lost sleep and if you have been struggling to find a comfortable position for sleeping, then this article is for you. Read on to learn about tips and tricks to modify your sleeping situation to reduce pain and discomfort and catch some extra Zs.

WHY DO I HURT MORE AT NIGHT?

Both nervous system-related and orthopedic causes of pain may seem worse at night. There are a few possible reasons for this. First, as your body prepares to transition into sleep, hormone levels shift. Reduction in the anti-inflammatory hormone Cortisol may actually cause a heightened sense of pain at night. Additionally, if you’ve been struggling to get enough quality sleep, the impact of repeated insufficient sleep can also increase your perception of pain. Couple this with the lack of distractors present as you climb under the covers and you may find your pain at the center of your attention. 

One other cause of sleep loss or night pain that needs to be addressed, however, is how you are positioned while you sleep. Sometimes the way our bodies are positioned as we fall asleep or throughout the night can cause increased stress and strain on painful areas. So while we can’t change the natural rhythm of our hormone cycles or the fact that we have less to distract our minds when it is time to go to sleep, we can often make changes to our sleeping positions that will reduce pain and discomfort and allow us to sleep better through the night. 

Below we will address some positioning strategies to relieve pain from different areas of the body. Some of these suggestions require simply changing the way you lie while others suggest the addition of different types of pillows or bedding to relieve discomfort. 

Back Pain-

The trick to relieving back pain is often improving alignment of the spinal column. Some people find their pain increases if their spine is flexed or extended too much and so sleep positioning should aim to stay out of painful ranges of motion. 

Side Sleeping: If you are a side sleeper try drawing your knees up slightly toward your chest and placing a pillow between your legs so your thighs are parallel. 

Back Sleeping: Depending on the firmness of your mattress, sleeping on your back can sometimes be uncomfortable. Try placing a pillow or wedge (sloping down away from you) under your knees so your hips and knees are gently bent. You can also use a small pillow roll or rolled up towel under the small of your back for extra support. If you have a bed that adjusts behind the knees, use the controls to elevate the mattress behind the knees to imitate the use of a wedge.

Stomach Sleeping: Stomach sleeping tends to be hard on the back but if this is your favorite position you can take a pillow and place it under your lower stomach and hip bones to reduce the arch in your lower back. 

Neck Pain-

Having proper support and alignment of the head and neck while sleeping can improve sleeping-related neck pain. Oftentimes a trial of different pillows is needed but one key aspect is to ensure the head is fully supported and the neck is well-aligned with the rest of the spine. Back and side sleeping is best as sleeping on the stomach requires the neck to be fully rotated to the side and can be irritating to the neck.

Side Sleeping: In this position you want the head and neck to be aligned with the rest of the spine. A flatter pillow that is thick enough so your head is in line with but not lifted higher than your back is important.

Back Sleeping: Because the back of the skull extends beyond the curve of the neck, a pillow that has a thicker area at the front to fill in the space behind the neck and a smaller, flatter area for the rest of the skull is often helpful to reduce pain. These are sometimes called cervical or neck pillows and can be purchased at many stores. If you think you may benefit from one of these you can experiment at home by rolling up a towel and sliding it into the pillow case just at the front of the pillow to simulate the contour of a neck pillow.

Elbow Pain-

If you are experiencing elbow pain at night there are a few things you can do to make waking up with pain less likely

• Don’t sleep on the affected elbow: this might seem obvious, but if you are a side sleeper, try and sleep on the opposite side and use a pillow in front of you to rest your upper arm and forearm on to reduce stress on the elbow

• Try and avoid sleeping with arms overhead or under the pillow

• If you like to sleep on your back you can place a small pillow under the back of the upper arm and elbow to elevate it so that it aligns with the rest of the trunk.

• An elbow that is warm may be less likely to stiffen overnight so using a neoprene sleeve over the elbow while you sleep may help.

Foot Pain-

Sleeping positions for foot pain will vary depending on where you have pain and what is causing it:

Change your blanket: a heavy blanket or one that is tucked tightly under the end of the mattress will push down on your toes and foot. To combat this use only a light blanket or no blanket on the feet themselves and use warm socks to keep your feet warm

Elevate your feet: If foot swelling or inflammation are an issue for you, use a wedge under your legs that slopes upward away from you to elevate the feet

Pillow between the legs: If your feet or ankles pressing together is uncomfortable or if the side of your foot hurts, try and lie on your opposite side and place a pillow between your knees, lower legs, and feet to reduce the pressure

If pain is keeping you up at night then give these suggestions a try. If you find yourself needing more individualized suggestions to help you sleep comfortably at night then the physical therapists here at Evolve are ready to help. Give us a call to schedule an initial evaluation and mention your painful sleep so they can address not only your sleep issues but help get to the root of the problem so you can sleep comfortably through the night and feel great during the day.

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About EvolveNY-

Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics- There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!

First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.

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