It’s a well-known fact that pain causes sleep deprivation, but not so widely known is the fact that lack of sleep can impact pain levels. Even less known is the importance of proper sleeping posture. While good posture is important when sitting and standing, it’s even more important during sleep as the muscles and ligaments of your back relax while you sleep and need to be protected.
Better Sleep Month, which occurs annually each May, recognizes the important role of sleep in optimizing health and wellness. Sleep deprivation is linked to higher mortality risk and lower productivity. There are many well-known sleep saboteurs, including improper sleeping postures, such as stomach sleeping, that can cause health problems ranging from neck and back pain to sleep apnea.
The National Sleep Foundation estimates that at least 57 percent of Americans suffer from pain that disrupts their sleep at least a few nights a week. More importantly, sleep loss has been shown to increase sensitivity to pain specifically by lowering pain thresholds.
Federal health officials have reviewed cases of dangerous, sometimes fatal, incidents tied to insomnia medications.
Roughly 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain that interferes with their daily activities, yet, very few doctors have specialized training in pain management. Pain education for North American medical students is limited, variable and often fragmentary, according to The Journal of Pain.
Doctors of chiropractic, like Dr. Rob Fast takes a natural, holistic approach to pain management by bringing the body back into alignment, recommending exercises and other activities to help patients regain their normal range of motion and flexibility, while relieving not only the pain symptoms but also correcting the issue that is causing the pain.
Chiropractic care benefits include better sleep, less dependence on sleep medications.
Visit The Back Pain Clinic Belleville for a non-pharmacological care approach that focuses on one of the top causes of inadequate sleep: neuro-musculoskeletal pain. Dr. Fast will discuss sleep habits and other lifestyle choices that could be contributing to pain or lack of mobility.
So lose the pain – not another night of sleep.