According to statistics of sleep, every human spends almost one-third of a life cycle sleeping. But what happens when we get less sleep than our body needs? Your health just doesn’t depend on how much you sleep but the quality of sleep too. You could be in bed for 12 hours and still not be rested as you should. Sleep posture also makes a difference to skeletal health and is probably the main cause of all skeletal and muscular problems such as neck pain or back pain.
The biggest problem is the fact that we done really tend to give sleep the importance it deserves because, after a hard day’s work, you’re just desperate to lie down and rest, whichever way you do it hardly matters to you but that short-term relief, if done wrongly and allowed to progress into your major part of the sleep process, will certainly work against you. Here is a compilation of how you can use science to fix sleep problems faced in everyday life.
Many people constantly suffer from shoulder pain and it seems to get worse after waking up from bed which might confuse you, after all you did sleep the night before or did you? Waking up with a sore shoulder could mean that you are habituated in sleeping on one side which isn’t recommended especially if you are doing it on the sore one. Even sleeping on the stomach isn’t advisable as it causes shoulder misalignment.
According to the sleep foundation, sleeping on your back is the most preferred and advisable posture to sleep. Place an orthopedic or thin pillow under your head and another on your stomach which should be hugged lightly. Your shoulders will now be stabilized and aligned perfectly while you sleep.
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In case you are among those who don’t prefer sleeping on the back, then either switch sides or sleep on the side that doesn’t pain. Your legs should be drawn up slightly towards your chest and a pillow should be placed between your knees. Don’t sleep with your hand under your head as this isn’t correct either because it is bad for the shoulder.
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Most people suffer from back pain while sleeping because of a bad mattress which has gone too soft. Replace your mattress and get an orthopedic one. While sleeping, if the curvature of your spine shifts, then that causes back pain. Sleeping on the back as mentioned is the best way to sleep. You could place a pillow beneath your knees to maintain spinal curvature which when lying flat ted to curve upwards. A pillow below the knees also relaxes your tendons. For back support, a small rolled towel placed under the curvature of your back will reduce back pain.
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In case you are a person who likes sleeping on the stomach, then always place a pillow beneath your lower abdomen and pelvis. This prevents the small of your back from moving forward. If you are a sideways sleeper, then always adopt the fetal position and draw up your legs to your chest so that your back forms a natural arch. This will relieve tension in your lower back.
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Your neck like the small of your back tends to get curved while sleeping and needs support. The best way is to sleep on your back is with a pillow under your head and under each arm. Those suffering neck problems should use proper pillows such as orthopedic or roll pillows. When sleeping on your side, your pillow should never be too high to elevate your neck.
The ideal height is 6 inches or it should be aligned with the width of your shoulder to keep your neck in the right position for sleeping. Stomach sleepers are advised to change the position as this is bad for your neck and can cause neck strain due to your head being turned to one side all night long. If you must sleep on your stomach, choose a very thin pillow to sleep on.
Did you know that according to scientific studies, the light from phones and electronic devices can impact your sleep in a negative way as it prevents you from falling asleep? According to the national sleep foundation, Children especially are being affected by the blue light emitted from electronic devices as it interferes with melatonin production which is the hormone that helps us to sleep.
While you can’t really do away with these gadgets because of the ingrained habit, you actually should because they are the prime reason you can’t fall asleep because of the screen light affecting sleep-wake cycles. Moreover, stop drinking coffee before bedtime or after sunset. Other drinks that contain caffeine also should be avoided such as energy drinks, colas, soda, black tea and chocolate. Exercising in the morning and afternoon will improve blood circulation and help you sleep. Yoga before bed also helps you relax and condition your body for sleep.
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Restless sleep usually makes you wake up at night. There are various conditions that cause such insomnia and one of them is using your gadgets before sleeping. Moreover, alcohol if drunk before sleeping can also disrupt the water balance in your body which in turn impacts your sleep cycles. One way of using science to fix sleep problems is room temperature. Your room temperature could also be another factor that makes you get up in the middle of sleep. An ideal room temperature should be 20-22 degrees centigrade.
When you can’t seem to wake up from sleep, it could mean that you are sleeping too late and having inadequate sleep or your sleep itself isn’t a restful one. This is a common problem faced by many. For every day of the week, your alarm should be set for the exact same time. When you need to wake up early, you just have to sleep early because sleeping late causes you to drift into the deep sleep cycle later making you too tired to wake up.
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Millions suffer from this problem and that means an additional million are being kept awake because of a partner snoring. If you are habituated to snoring, then you need to sleep on your side instead of your back. Snoring is caused by the sagging of throat tissues where the tongue falls back into your throat making the airway too narrow for the free movement of air.
A poor pillow or one that is too soft can tilt your head backward increasing the problem. An extra pillow is recommended for snorers so that the head is elevated to prevent the tongue from falling back. Sleeping o your side puts your head in a natural position without restriction of airflow. There are also various exercises to strengthen the muscle and throat that prevents snoring.
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When your calf muscles suddenly start to turn, that can really be painful. While leg cramps in the calf are more common, it could also occur in feet and thighs. 80% of people suffer from such a problems and age has nothing to do with it. Night leg cramps are related to illness and deficiencies or neural problems. Consult a doctor when experiencing night leg cramps. To stop your leg from cramping, hold the calf and massage the side of the knees with your fingers. You could also stretch the leg to strengthen it against the cramp. To avoid leg cramps at night, perform yoga exercises before bedtime.
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Heartburn can affect your sleep and sleeping on your back could tend to increase the problem unless you elevate yourself. Those who experience frequent heartburn are advised to sleep on the left side and this position prevents the contents of the stomach from returning back into the esophagus.
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When using science to fix sleep problems, if you suffer from frequent leg aches, then place a rolled towel or roll pillow beneath your legs to keep it elevated and relaxed at night. The venous blood accumulated in the legs will flow downwards relieving the tension in the legs. A leg massage at night is also helpful in dealing with leg aches at night, Avoid caffeine drinks 6 hours before bedtime.
There could be several other physiological and emotional reasons for poor sleep. Fatigue, uncomfortable shoes, poor eating habits, digestion and an unhealthy nervous system all can impact sleep in a negative way. Consult your doctor when facing sleep problems from uncommon or unknown causes as a doctor would be the best person to advise the course of treatment.
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