Pain at Night – Sleeping better with pain

26 April 2021

Pain at Night

Back pain at night, or any other pain that disturbs sleep, can be detrimental to your health. Learn more about how poor sleep affects your pain and your health. Experiencing increased pain at night is a common problem that many people suffer. But when this pain at night becomes chronic, and on-going, the pattern can be detrimental to our health.

Understanding the effects poor sleep has on your bodies systems, and learning ways to improve your sleep health are important aspects for achieving a healthier lifestyle – with less pain.

A painful nights sleep effects

A painful nights sleep is like torture!

It is a fact! You need quality sleep for good health. Sleep deprivation affects your entire body and mind. Managing your sleeping needs, cycles and stages can help you get better sleep and reduce your pain.

Taken to the extreme, sleep deprivation has been used as an insidious form of torture, due to its effects on biological functions and its detrimental effects on mental and physical health. Some of the effects poor sleep health has on us include:

Mood, memory and concentration

Sleep helps to organize memories, solidify learning, and improve concentration. Proper sleep, especially sleep where you are actively dreaming regulates mood as well. Lack of sleep can make you irritable and cranky, affecting your emotions, social interaction, decision making and pain.

Immune system, nervous system and development

Without adequate sleep, the immune system becomes weak, and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease.

Nervous system and development

Sleep is also a time of rest and repair to nerves and neurons. Neurons are the freeways of the nervous system that carry out both voluntary commands, like moving, and involuntary commands, like pain, breathing and digestive processes.

Brain cellular repair, replenishment and growth

Recent studies have suggested that sleep downtime of the brain replenishes dwindling energy stores that cells need to function and repair cellular damage caused by our busy metabolism. Effective sleep is suggested to even grow new nerve cells in the brain.

Hormone regulation

Many hormones (substances produced to trigger or regulate particular body functions) are timed to release during sleep or right before sleep. Growth hormones, which are vital to growing children and restoring processes like muscle and nerve repair, are released during sleep.

Sleep Cycles

Regulated by your body clock, your night time journey consists of sleep cycles or stages. All stages of sleep are vital for your body and your pain. Understanding these sleeping needs, cycles and stages can help you get better sleep and reduce your pain.

Stage 1 – Drowsiness
Stage 2 – Light Sleep
Stages 3 + 4 – Deep Sleep / REM sleep (Dream Sleep)

Deep Sleep – is the most vital stage of sleep. It is when the brain attempts to recover when sleep is deprived and the strongest effects of sleep deprivation are from inadequate deep sleep.

REM sleep – is essential to our minds for processing and consolidating emotions, memories and stress

5 Tips for Better Night Sleep with Less Pain

  1. Catch the Wave and go to sleep at a regular time
  2. Go to bed relaxed … not wired !!
  3. Reduce disruptions in the bedroom
  4. Have a “sleep” healthy routine
  5. Obvious…… get comfy !

Poor sleep is a common and complex problem for people with chronic pain, rheumatoid conditions and following surgery. If need help please…….

Contact us today for more information.

Treatments and Interventions

Developing your Rehab Plan

When developing your rehab plan, your clinician will discuss with you any relevant treatment techniques you, or they, feel you could benefit from.
The clinician will also make you aware of the evidence base for that treatment and make a plan with you to monitor treatment progress

At Rehab 4U we have a wide variety of treatment techniques and Interventions we use to get your pain under control and provide you with a comprehensive rehabilitation service.

Need More Information?

Contact us for more information about our Treatments or Techniques

Treatments Overview
  • Person Centred Pain Education and Management
  • Functional Movement, Strength and Conditioning
  • Orthopaedic Rehabilitation
  • Inflammation Management Strategies
  • Manual Therapy
  • Massage
  • Spinal Manipulation and Mobilisation
  • Manipulation and Mobilisation of Joints
  • Dry needling
  • Taping (flexible and rigid)
  • Ergonomic assessments
  • Pre-sport Screening
  • Gait assessment

Related Information

Pain explained

Pain explained

Feeling pain is an unpleasant – but essential – part of life. We actually need to feel pain in our body as It is the body’s “surveillance system” that tells us that we are doing something our body and brain feels could be causing us harm.

Unfortunately, pain that is hard to control or lasts for longer than we expected, can have many negative effects on our life and living with pain can be difficult.

For more information to help understand pain, to help you manage your pain and to find out how Rehab 4U can help you …

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and swelling in joints – and around joints. It often, but not always, affects people who already have a skin condition called psoriasis

For more information and helpful hints on how to help the condition…

Hypermobility Syndrome

Hypermobility Syndrome

Hypermobility Syndrome is when a person’s joints can move beyond what is considered a normal range of movement. This increased mobility of joints can cause pain, sprains and dislocations in the body. Hypermobility is not a disease, but instead it is a combination of flexibility of the connective tissues and altered state of the sensory motor systems of the body to regulate and control movement.

For more information and helpful hints on how to help the condition…

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