Sleeping Position: During pregnancy, you may find yourself tossing and turning, as best as you can, trying to�get comfortable before falling asleep. Unfortunately, regular�sleeping positions may no longer work during pregnancy.
There�are a number of reasons for this new discomfort, but there�are some sleeping positions that may help you get that much needed rest. When pregnant the body goes through a variety of changes. These changes tend to disrupt the peaceful sleep.
Here are a few suggestions that may not sound or look very comfortable, especially if you have a favorite sleeping position. This is often on your back or stomach. But you may find that they work. Keep in mind that you may do not have to stay in one position all night, rotating positions is completely acceptable and even encouraged.
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Sleep is the one time your body has during the day to repair and maintain its cells and systems.
It’s also essential for flushing out toxins and clearing away dead cells. Experts recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
Because sleep is so important, if there’s something that’s keeping you from getting comfortable and sleeping through the night, it helps to know what adjustments you can make to get the rest you need.
Following are some recommendations to help you find the best sleeping position to deal with your common aches and pains.
Finding Your Best Sleeping Position
These sleeping positions will make you feel like a brand new person every morning!
1. Best Sleeping Position for Lower Back Pain
Many people suffer from back pain. It’s often difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position when your back hurts. What you may need is a little support. The best sleeping position for back pain is lying on your back. Place a pillow under your knees and a rolled-up towel at the base of your back where it curves. This will relieve pressure on your lower back while adding support (1).
For those with back pain, alignment of the ear, shoulder, and hip is the most important part of sleep posture, so make sure to keep your spine aligned.
The University of Rochester Medical Center offers the following suggestions for a solid sleep without back pain, whatever the position (2):
Sleeping on your stomach can create stress on the back because the spine can be put out of position. Placing a flat pillow under the stomach and pelvis area can help to keep the spine in better alignment. If you sleep on your stomach, a pillow for your head should be flat, or sleep without a pillow.
If you sleep on your side, a firm pillow between your knees will prevent your upper leg from pulling your spine out of alignment and reduce stress on your hips and lower back. Pull your knees up slightly toward your chest. The pillow for your head should keep your spine straight. A rolled towel or small pillow under your waist may also help support your spine.
Insert pillows into gaps between your body and the mattress.
When turning in bed, remember not to twist or bend at the waist but to move your entire body as one unit. Keep your belly pulled in and tightened, and bend your knees toward the chest when you roll.
2. For Shoulder Pain
It may seem obvious but if one of your shoulders hurt, don’t add pressure by lying on it. Lie on your other side with your knees and arms bent. Place one pillow between your knees and another between your elbows so it touches your chest.
If both shoulders hurt, lie on your back with your arms by your sides.
3. For Sinus Issues
Congestion from a cold or allergies can get worse when you sleep, as gravity is working against you when you’re lying down. Prop up your head and shoulders with pillows while lying on your back so your sinuses can drain more easily into the back of your throat (3).
4. For Headaches
Sometimes a bad sleeping position can actually cause a headache by constricting muscles and nerves while you sleep. To keep your head in a neutral position, lie on your back and put a pillow or rolled-up towel on both sides of your head to keep it from wrenching during the night (4).
5. For Menstrual Pain
Cramps and bloating can make sleep difficult before and during your period. The best sleeping position for cramps is to lie on your back and place a pillow under your knees to take pressure off your abdomen and back. You can try applying a hot water bottle or heating pad to your abdomen and/or back when you go to bed to ease cramps and make you comfortable enough to fall asleep. (5)
6. For High Blood Pressure
There is a correlation between sleep and hypertension: sleep deprivation and disrupted sleep exacerbates the problem. The autonomous nervous system changes during sleep and that can affect blood pressure. (6) The worst position for sleep if you have high blood pressure is on your back. (7)
A Japanese study on the effect of sleep position found that blood pressure was reduced significantly when lying in the prone position (face down) as compared to lying on the back. (8) Lying on your stomach, however, can lead to back, neck, and joint pain and difficulty breathing, so you should alternate between positions every few nights. (9) Sleeping on your right side can ease pressure on the heart (which is on your left), lowering blood pressure. (10)
7. For Heartburn
If you have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), indigestion, or heartburn, sleeping on your left side may help. This is the best sleeping position to take pressure off the stomach and esophagus (12).
8. For Poor Digestion
If you have digestive issues, placing a pillow between your legs while sleeping on your left side will take a further strain off your digestive system to allow things to flow freely while you sleep. It’s also important to wait a few hours after your last meal before hitting the hay to make sure you don’t get indigestion.
9. For Neck Pain
Supporting the neck is key, whatever position you sleep in. On your back or side are easiest on your neck. (11) If you sleep on your back, roll up a small towel (or neck roll) and stick it inside your pillowcase with your pillow, adjusting the towel so it’s just under the curve of your neck. Your head should rest comfortably on your pillow. There are also special funny-looking pillows designed specifically for neck support.
Harvard Medical School has the following additional suggestions for getting rid of that pain in the neck (12):
Try using a feather pillow, which easily conforms to the shape of the neck. Feather pillows will collapse over time, however, and should be replaced every year or so.
Another option is a traditionally shaped pillow with “memory foam” that conforms to the contour of your head and neck. Some cervical pillows are also made with memory foam. Manufacturers of memory-foam pillows claim they help foster proper spinal alignment.
Avoid using too high or stiff a pillow, which keeps the neck flexed overnight and can result in morning pain and stiffness.
If you sleep on your side, keep your spine straight by using a pillow that is higher under your neck than your head.
When you are riding on a plane, train, or car, or even just reclining to watch TV, a horseshoe-shaped pillow can support your neck and prevent your head from dropping to one side if you doze. If the pillow is too large behind the neck, however, it will force your head forward.
For Your Brain
Parting Thoughts
While we sleep, our brains are as active as when we’re awake—and it’s not just conjuring dreams, it’s cleaning house. Brain waste is processed and eliminated during sleep.
Most animals (humans included) sleep on their sides. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience looked into why this might be. Researchers observed activities in the brain for prone (stomach), supine (back), and lateral (side) sleep positions. They found that cerebrospinal fluid that gets flushed around the brain to clear toxins is more efficient when in a lateral sleeping position. (13) The brain is, therefore, better able to eliminate waste and prevent the plaque build-up that can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The best advice is to sleep however is most comfortable for you. Regular adequate sleep is crucial for all the body’s functions. Dreams are a bonus.
Older people newly prescribed sleeping pills like benzodiazepines and �Z-drugs� have over double the odds of a hip fracture in the first two weeks, scientists have found.
Experts have said there is a 53 per cent increase in risk for people taking the medication for more than two weeks.
Sleeping tablets are prescribed if people suffer severe insomnia or as a short term measure to ease symptoms of insomnia.
However, experts have warned of the dangers of the drugs as they can cause side effects – such as drowsiness the following morning, which can lead to falls.
Users can also become dependent on them.
NHS Choices said: �Doctors are usually reluctant to recommend sleeping tablets in the long-term because they just mask the symptoms without treating the underlying cause.�
The results come from a new study by researchers at Cardiff University and King�s College London.
�While �Z-drugs are fast becoming the doctor�s hypnotic prescription of choice, there is no evidence that they are a safer alternative to benzodiazepines in relation to hip fracture risk,� said Dr Ben Carter, Cardiff University�s School of Medicine and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King�s College London.
�Our study shows that both appear to significantly increase the risk of hip fracture when newly prescribed by doctors.�
A study of people aged over 65 found that new users of these hypnotic medicines experienced nearly two and a half times the fracture rate, when compared with older people not taking hypnotics.
An estimated 53 per cent increase in fracture risk was identified in medium-term users – 15 to 30 days, as well as a 20 per cent increased risk of hip fracture in long-term users which scientists classed as greater than 30 days.
Dr Carter added: �Careful consideration of the immediate increased risk of hip fracture should inform the clinical decision-making process.
�Clinically effective measures like strength training to improve frailty, removal of hazards at home, visual correction and a medication review are also needed to mitigate the risk of hip fractures, particularly in the first few days of use.�
The research supports previous studies linking use of hypnotics by older people with an increased risk of accidents, dependence, cognitive decline and hip fracture.
The drugs are also thought to cause drowsiness, delayed reaction times and impaired balance.
The study, called Benzodiazepines, Z-drugs and the risk of hip fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis has been published in the journal PLOS ONE.
If you suspect you have a damaged gut, what can you do to fix it? (Of course you should see your doctor and get a proper diagnosis, and talk to him about your issues.) First, remember that if your gut is damaged you probably aren’t absorbing the nutrients from your food – even if you’re eating GREAT food! Switching cold turkey to a diet of salads and raw veggies isn’t even always the answer for healing your gut. Some raw veggies are actually really hard for a damaged gut to digest.
El Paso, TX. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez adds to the discussion of chiropractic treatment vs. pain medication and medical care.
Which Is More Effective For Low Back Pain? Meds Or Chiropractic?
That is the�question in our research theme of the week.
A Practice-Based Study of Patients with Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain Attending Primary Care and Chiropractic Physicians: Two-Week to 48-Month Follow Up
This study based used a practice-based, observational model to look at the effectiveness of intervention in a selected group of patients with both acute and chronic lower back pain (LBP). It compared the efficacy of chiropractic intervention with standard medical care in both kinds of Low Back Pain.
2780 patients were enrolled in the research over a 2-year period (1994 to 1996) from the practices of 60 DCs (1855 patients) and 111 MDs (925 patients) in 51 chiropractic and 14 general practice clinics. Patient data was obtained via a survey distributed in person at the first visit, and the patients were followed up over a period of 4 years with 7 mailed surveys at regular time intervals. Mailings were sent at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year following the original visit. In phase 2, patients were followed up at 36 24, and 48 months.
Patients were eligible if LBP was their primary grievance, and was of mechanical source; they were excluded if exploitation was contraindicated, or the back pain was of nonmechanical origin (such as from organic referred pain). Acute patients were those whose back pain was of less than 7 weeks duration; long-term back pain patients were those whose back pain was longer or of 7 weeks duration.
The physicians in the research produced an assortment of treatment procedures. Chiropractic care included physical therapy, spinal manipulation, an exercise strategy, and self-care education. Medical doctors gave care that included an exercise plan prescription drugs, and self-care advice; nearly 25% of these patients were referred for physical therapy.
The primary outcomes measured were present pain severity, and functional impairment, which were quantified by questionnaires sent to the patients in the above stated times.
The medical patients showed more severe baseline pain and disability when entering treatment, greater prevalence of pain and poorer general health status, than in patients. These differences were more conspicuous in the chronic patients than in the acute patients.
An edge was seen for DC attention in comparison with MD attention for the first 12 months in pain relief. This difference was small but was greater for those with chronic LBP during the first year of treatment.
There was an advantage with all the usage of chiropractic care in long-term patients with pain radiating below the knee, and some small advantages were also seen in the acute patient group. Differences were also seen through the first 3 months of care with no leg pain in chronic patients. There were the 2 kinds of medical care for pain radiating over the knee as well as no differences in the 2 groups.
All patient groups found clinically important improvement in pain and disability over the span of treatment. Advancement that was greater was seen by acute patients, with many obtaining near complete relief of their symptoms. Most realized symptom relief by 3 months, followed by a plateau through 12 months. It was followed by critical, clinical aggravation of pain at 12 to 24 months, with another plateau until 4 years. Little upsurge in impairment was seen between 12 and 48 months.
Of note, at 3 years into the research, 45% to 75% of patients noted at least 30 days of pain throughout the prior year, even in those who had gained significant pain and disability relief through early intervention. Daily pain was noted by 19% to 27% of chronic LBP patients throughout the preceding year.
Early intervention reduces chronic pain. People who received early intervention for acute lower back pain after the original injury, reported fewer days of back pain than those who waited more for intervention. Since outcomes were better than in those who delayed treatment this would support providing early intervention for patients with acute back pain.
Chiropractic is valuable for certain types of pain. Chiropractic care�was shown to be�more effective�than standard medical care in certain situations: with pain radiating below the knee in patients with persistent lower back pain, as well as for treating LBP during the first 12 months. Nearly all the relief was sustained throughout the initial year, and was obtained during the first 3 months of treatment.
This study reports pain and disability results up to 4 years for chiropractic and medical patients with low back pain (LBP) and evaluates the impact of physician kind and pain length on clinical outcomes.
Conclusion
Study findings were consistent with systematic reviews of the efficacy of spinal manipulation (the Chiropractic adjustment) for pain and disability in severe and chronic LBP. Interdisciplinary referral and patient selection needs to be prime concerns by policymakers, physicians, and third-party payers in identifying health services.
You know you’re supposed to replenish your electrolytes after a killer sweat session, with sips like coconut water and sports drinks. But what are�electrolytes,�exactly? And why do our bodies need them?
This�new�video from�the American Chemical Society breaks down the science behind the�crucial salts (yep, they’re salts). In a nutshell: Once electrolytes (think calcium, potassium, magnesium, and plain old table salt) are in our bodies, they dissolve into�positive and negative charges. These charges have two main functions: Regulating the flow of water in and out of cells, and sparking�nerve impulses.
Without electrolytes, “our cells would�shrivel up�and die, or burst from being too full,” the clip’s narrator explains. And those nerve impulses electrolytes control? They keep our bodies functioning properly�you know, “our hearts beating, our lungs breathing, and our brains learning.”�So there’s that.
When you work out, electrolytes get deposited�into sweat glands. Water follows the electrolytes (thanks, osmosis), and as the glands fill�up, they release the salty mix onto your skin.
The water then evaporates,�which makes you feel cooler�and you’re left with that salty taste on your skin (don’t act like you don’t know what we mean).
As for why fitness instructors are always reminding�you to drink up after class, it’s because losing too many electrolytes can mess with your blood pressure, breathing, and more.
All this talk about the mega-importance of electrolytes�might having you craving a Gatorade. But here’s the thing: Unless you’re a pro athlete, you’re probably getting a sufficient amount of electrolytes through your regular diet�no neon-colored beverages�necessary.
And who needs the sugar in most sports drinks? As the narrator points out, “if you�re doing a half-hour of cardio, a single bottle of the stuff will give you all the calories you just worked off.”
The flick’s take-away advice: Stick with water to hydrate, and save the sports drinks for your next marathon.
Chiropractic is a treatment method that has moved from more of an alternative treatment to widespread mainstream acceptance over the past few decades. There will always be pockets of naysayers that question its validity, but the millions of satisfied patients around the world speak volumes about the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment on the human body. There are literally dozens of health issues that benefit from chiropractic adjustments, but here are 3 common conditions that El Paso chiropractors help:
1) Headaches
We all get headaches from time to time. Some are mild, some are more severe, but all of them have the potential to disrupt your day. Whether it is a tension headache caused by hours of sitting at a desk or a migraine brought on by a specific health condition, when the pain starts it is difficult to focus on anything else.
El Paso chiropractors help relieve headache pain on a regular basis. A lot of the time the pain you feel in your head is actually being caused by misalignment of the vertebrae in your spine. After a gentle adjustment and proper maintenance, many patients report no more pain and no more need for pain medication.
2) Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is a problem that far too many people deal with.� Pain in the shoulder can be referred pain from the spinal misalignments, or it can be caused by a misalignment in the shoulder.
No matter what specific type of shoulder pain you have, El Paso chiropractors help relieve both the pain and any range of motion issues that are present. Our team will help to access your condition and give you the best advice we can on what you can do to remedy the situation.
3) Lower Back Pain
If headaches and shoulder pain are among the most common conditions for the general public then lower back pain is probably at the head of the pack. One of the most common reasons for lumbar pain is from misaligned spinal segments.
Chiropractors can help the pain and reduced mobility associated with lumbar strains and sprains and help patients get back to their normal routines. Even if you�ve had lower back pain for years and have been told there is nothing that will help, it�s always worth the time explore your possibilities.
Please don’t hesitate to call our team with any questions you might have.� Today is a great day to get started on a new path to health.
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