Sleeping on Your Back Pain

I remember growing up my mom telling me to be careful with my back. Of course, I thought I was invincible. I was young, strong, flexible, and nothing hurt. I could lie on the floor on my stomach for hours, reading, talking on the phone, or watching TV. No problem, no pain. I could fall asleep in any position and wake up feeling fine. Ah, youth.

Mom sometimes suffered from back pain, and when she saw me lifting something heavy or heaving stuff around as kids will do…at least, I did…she worried I would hurt myself right then, or that I would pay for it years down the road.

Flash forward to today, a few decades later. Yep. Mom was right. I’m firmly in middle age. Okay, okay, I’m eligible for AARP. And a few weeks ago, I experienced some back pain.

It started one evening as I – of all things – lounged on the sofa, watching TV. I wound up in an admittedly strange, rather slumping position. Normally, maybe not the smartest position to get into, but not a problem. This time, problem.

The simple act of trying to sit up was enough to send a muscle in my lower back into spasm. For the next few days, I moved very slowly and very carefully. I wasn’t in pain all the time, but one wrong move and OUCH! That shooting pain stopped me in my tracks.

What Position Won’t Hurt?
That first night, I was thankful to be able to get into a comfortable position in bed and fall asleep easily. But I woke up during the night every time I tried to turn over, or really, to change my position at all. I was lucky to be able to get comfortable and fall asleep again pretty easily, but each time I moved, it happened again. Not the best night’s sleep ever.

My back is pretty much back to normal now during the day, and it’s definitely getting better every night. But I’m still waking up with some discomfort at night when I try to move, and I’ve been struggling with falling and staying asleep during these past couple of weeks. Losing sleep most nights for many nights in a row has been frustrating and exhausting.

I Know I’m Not Alone
Right about now you may be thinking, “Welcome to my world, cupcake.” In a 2015 survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 57% of American adults polled said they had experienced pain during the past week, either acute or chronic. Only 45% of acute pain and 37% of chronic pain sufferers said they judged their sleep to be good or very good.

“Pain was associated with lower sleep quality, more sleep problems, and greater sleep debt.”

One of the really diabolical things about pain and inadequate sleep is that they exacerbate each other. When you hurt, you don’t sleep well. When you don’t sleep enough, your pain is worse. That just doesn’t seem fair.

That’s why it’s smart to take a two-pronged approach if you’re having pain, sleep problems, or heaven forbid, both. You may have to nibble around the two problems, taking small wins in either direction as they build to become big wins over time. A little more sleep and you may find your pain level decreases a bit. With a touch less pain, you may fall asleep 15 minutes faster. And so on, and so on.

Sleeping Better
Making sure you have the most comfort possible while in bed can help keep you from feeling as many twinges and aches. The more you keep discomfort down, the better you should be able to sleep.

This could mean evaluating everything in your sleep environment, including your mattress, pillows, bedclothes, and PJs. It can also include things like room temperature, humidity, light level, degree and nature of any sounds you can hear, and even smells. I’m looking at you Fido.

Make sure that everything in your room supports you being able to keep your body at ease and as pain-free as possible, as well as preventing as many obstacles to sleep as you can identify. As you solve certain problems, other problems you may not have originally found may make themselves known.

This may also mean looking into a sleep aid of some kind, whether it’s visiting with your doctor to see if a prescription would help, or finding an over-the-counter or natural sleep aid that helps.

Finally, just getting yourself to bed at a time that allows you to get enough sleep is important. You may miss out on some binge-watching, but if you sleep better and feel better, isn’t that worth it?

Less Pain and Discomfort
Attacking the problem from the other side focuses on pain relief. Finding the right level of medication, whether it’s doctor-prescribed or something from the shelves of your drug store could be helpful. Whatever you decide, be sure to take it as directed and at the time that will best support falling asleep.

Exercising can help strengthen your body in ways that can alleviate certain types of pain. If weak muscles are straining your back, knees, or other joints, weight-bearing exercise may be a great help. If tight muscles and stress are a problem, stretching or yoga may be your answer. Meditation is a great way to relax and reset your mind and your body.

You might even find that eating certain foods causes some discomfort in your body. Personally, if I regularly eat a lot of sweets or carbs, I feel stiff and sore…what I call feeling “creaky.” Foods that cause digestive issues like gas or heartburn may also be an irritant when you’re trying to sleep.

As you think these possible solutions over, it may become apparent that many of them are pulling double duty. For example, a comfortable bed helps your body feel less pain, but it also makes getting to sleep easier. Meditation may diminish your pain level, but it can also relax you so that you fall asleep faster.

So, if you’re grappling with pain, whether major or minor, acute or chronic, you have my sympathies!

More importantly though, don’t just keep suffering. Try to find any little relief you can, either with your sleep or with your pain level, and watch and see if you start seeing some relief with both problems.