Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiroractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "BACK PAIN TIPS: Sleep Position"

Having back pain? Try sleeping on your side with a pillow

Patients who are suffering from moderate to severe back pain will often tell me that they have problems sleeping at night. Or more precisely, they find it difficult to find a 'comfortable position'. They tell me the pain and discomfort is so constant that they toss and turn all night, occasionally waking up then going back to sleep. Almost all of these patients tell me, that they wake up tired the next day and do not feel rested at all. Obviously, being fatigued often affects their work, activities, mood and even their relationships with others. 

Now the reason why these patients are having a hard time sleeping is that the muscles around the affected area are having a hard time relaxing. Either due to direct trauma or an indirect response to other damaged tissue like ligaments, tendons or discs, the muscles are left to 'guard' the area and remain tense. This poses a daunting scenario because as you sleep, your body is supposed to be recovering and repairing damage from the day's activities. Your body is supposed to be 'regenerating' and re-hydrating. For example,ever notice how you often feel like you're taller in the mornings? Well that's because your intervertebral discs, the soft tissue between the bones in your spine, are re-hydrating overnight. They are actually, re-filling their supply of water and growing slightly taller. Now, multiply this small effect within each disc by the number is discs in your spine and that's what makes you feel taller!

So the next question I try to help my patients with is the best sleep position to adopt when they are having back pain. Well first off I try to recommend sleeping on a medium to firm mattress. This support from the mattress will often help the muscles around your spine relax and keep them from working so hard, even at night. Next, I tell my patients to use another pillow! I suggest that these patients try sleeping on their sides. Use an extra pillow and place it between your knees as you sleep. If you definitely don't like sleeping on your side and prefer lying on your back. Then take the pillow and place it under your knees. This position keeps your legs slightly bent at night. 

The goal of either position is to take as much pressure off your lower back as possible. As this happens, your muscles are better able to relax and you can feel decreased pain. But just as important, your body is better able to sleep and help repair the injury! This is where Chiropractic treatment comes in. Many people see Chiropractic as a means to treat pain. However, I stress to my patients that the benefits of Chiropractic treatments extend far beyond pain relief. Many of my patients tell me treatment also helps them regain movement, increase flexibility, return to enjoyable activities, improves sleep/mood/energy and heal much faster!

In the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver? Drop by the clinic or visit the website here;COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!