<\/p>\r\n

A lack of good sleep has been shown to impare cognitive function but sleeping with chronic pain can seem almost impossible.\u00a0 Pain relief will improve the body\u2019s coping mechanisms and improved the mood.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n
• It is common that people suffering from chronic pain also suffer from sleep difficulties<\/li>\r\n
• Back pain is the most common cause of pain globally<\/li>\r\n
• The top cause of insomnia is back pain<\/li>\r\n
• Disturbed sleep is also shown to cause chronic pain levels to be\/or seem to be heightened<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

  Sleep is the body\u2019s way of restoring itself.\u00a0 Without rest, the immune system is put under significant pressure, which has shown to have a detrimental effect on cognitive function and can increase the perception of pain.<\/p>\r\n

  Quality of sleep is more important than quantity as non-restorative sleep leaves a body feeling washed out and drained.\u00a0 The day starts on a low base and if pain persists, it is difficult to improve this position during the day.<\/p>\r\n

  Understanding The Sleep Process<\/h4>\r\n

  A natural sleep process starts with falling asleep, progresses to staying asleep and requires the ability to fall asleep again after waking during the night.<\/p>\r\n

  Falling Asleep<\/strong><\/h6>\r\n

  The first process is to get comfortable and in a quiet environment conducive to sleep.\u00a0 In this quiet state, without distractions, those with chronic pain will find their minds will then focus on the pain<\/p>\r\n

  During the day, distractions can seem to ease the pain somewhat but this is not so easy at night.<\/p>\r\n

  Staying Asleep<\/strong><\/h6>\r\n

  Chronic pain sufferers are more likely to wake during the night, sometimes often.\u00a0 This can be caused by the pain itself, especially with back or neck pain when trying to roll over, or because a deep restful sleep is not achieved.\u00a0 This is called non-restorative sleep.<\/p>\r\n

  A low quality of sleep, or disruptive sleep pattern, is then likely to lead to feeling tired, depressed and lacking in energy in the morning.\u00a0 The pain will likely feel worse during that day.<\/p>\r\n

  How to Improve Sleep when suffering from Chronic Pain<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

  The best and most efficient way to combat interrupted sleep caused by chronic pain is to reduce the pain.\u00a0 This can be done in a few ways:<\/p>\r\n

  Physically Reduce the Pain<\/strong> \u2013 medical intervention to resolve the issue causing the pain such as wound healing, surgery or non surgical methods.\u00a0 Manual therapies such as chiropractic, massage and acupuncture.<\/p>\r\n

  Reduce the Feeling of the Pain<\/strong> \u2013 non-invasive cognitive behavioural therapies and mind controlling techniques such as meditation, breathing, relaxation, mind focusing, visualisation, disassociation and hypnosis.<\/p>\r\n

  Masking of the Pain <\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 such as pain and sleep medications or a combination of both<\/p>\r\n

  Other Ways to Improve Sleep<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

  With or without pain the body needs to know when to sleep and when to wake.\u00a0 The process for achieving this is called Sleep Hygiene which incudes:<\/p>\r\n

  Sleep Conducive Environment<\/strong> \u2013 creating a physical environment to train the body and mind to recognise the preparation for sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

  Relaxation Techniques<\/strong> \u2013 techniques that can also include some exercise to make the body tired and ready to relax.<\/p>\r\n

  Thought Cleansing<\/strong> \u2013 methods to park worries before sleep rather than thinking about them during the night.<\/p>\r\n

  Scheduling \u2013 <\/strong>setting routines for both the day and the night to maintain a consistent approach to the body clock, including to nap or not to nap.<\/p>\r\n

  Diet and Supplements<\/strong> \u2013 knowing which foods and supplements are conducive to sleep and how to avoid\/substitute those which are not.<\/p>\r\n

  Sleeping with chronic pain can seem impossible but a good night’s sleep is one significant way forward to regenerate and restore the body and to help reduce chronic pain levels.\u00a0 It is therefore well worth the effort to investigate all possible methods to improve sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

  Read more about sleep hygiene here\u00a0https:\/\/www.sleep.org\/articles\/sleep-hygiene\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n

  Read more about Non Surgical Spinal Decompression here\u00a0https:\/\/nonsurgicalspinalcare.com.au\/what-is-sd\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n

  \r\n\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  A lack of good sleep has been shown to impare cognitive function […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6,21,22,15,23,24,19,11,25,26,20,27],"class_list":["post-1680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-back-pain","tag-back-pan-and-sleep","tag-cant-sleep","tag-chronic-pain","tag-insomnia","tag-neckpain","tag-non-surgical-spinal-decompression","tag-pain-relief","tag-sleep","tag-sleeping-with-pain","tag-spinal-decompression","tag-tired"],"yoast_head":"\n