FF - Your community magazine
Page 22
Female Focus
Sleep problems and back pain
Patients suffering from chronic pain often find that their problems are compounded by the additional difficulties that come with insomnia and sleeping disorders. Back pain is the most common type of chronic pain problem, and is the most prevalent medical disorder in industrialised societies. Not surprisingly, individuals with chronic back pain problems frequently report significant interference with sleep.
In a recent study, it was found that approximately
two-thirds of patients with chronic back pain suffered from sleep disorders. Research has demonstrated that disrupted sleep will, in turn, exacerbate the chronic back pain problem. Thus, a vicious cycle develops in which the back pain disrupts one’s sleep, and difficulty sleeping makes the pain worse, which in turn makes sleeping more difficult, etc.
The term “insomnia” includes all types of sleeping problems, such as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, however, awakening during the night and awakening earlier than desired are also frequent problems. Research surveys of those with chronic pain problems have found that 65% report that they are awakened during the night due to pain and 62% report waking too early due to pain. In addition, many patients with chronic back pain problems do not feel “refreshed” in the morning when they awaken. Chronic pain can impact sleep in a number of ways. To understand how a pain problem can make it difficult to fall asleep, it is helpful to think about the process associated with going to sleep for the night. In getting ready for bed, it is common to try and eliminate all distractions or other influences in an effort to “relax” and begin to fall asleep. This may include quieting the room, turning off the lights, eliminating any other noises, trying to get comfortable, and beginning to try to fall asleep. However, this “quieting” of one’s environment can cause problems for the chronic back pain sufferer since the only thing left for the brain to focus on is the experience of the pain. Patients will often report that one of their primary pain management tools during the day is being able to distract themselves from the chronic back pain problem by staying busy with other tasks e.g. reading, watching television etc. This problem is often the cause of non-restorative sleep. Individuals with chronic pain often experience less deep sleep, more awakenings during the night, as well as less efficient sleep. Thus, the quality of the sleep is often light and unrefreshing. This non-restorative sleep pattern can then cause diminished energy, depressed mood, fatigue, and worse pain during the day.
This article is for information purposes ONLY and should not be used as a diagnostic tool. Always consult with your medial adviser or G.P. on all medical matters. Should you require any further information, have any other question that you may want answered or would prefer a one to one FREE consultation then please contact Kevin 966 765 686 or 605 306 129 or email him on
physicaltherapyclinic@yahoo.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60