We all need to spend one-third of our day sleeping – and for many good reasons.
It’s essential to get adequate sleep, especially when you are experiencing pain.
How much sleep is adequate will vary depending on many factors including:
- Age
- Gender
- Lifestyle
- General health, etc.
Remember the eight hours of sleep are often given as an ideal, but that should be considered a minimum for many people.
Also, that needs to be every night.
And it is not just about spending eight hours in bed; sleep has to be of good quality.
Or else…
You will still feel tired when you wake up.
Many people say they just don’t have time for eight hours of sleep…
But often the same people manage to rack up many hours watching TV (sigh)
If you are suffering from pain, prioritizing sleep is even more important.
Keep reading to find out why…
Why Sleep Is Important for Healing
When you sleep, your body is freed from its daily rigours and can shift its efforts to restoring and repairing cells and tissues.
Some hormones, essential for healing, can only be released when you sleep.
While you are asleep; that’s when your body can:
- Repair blood vessels
- Heal wounds
- Repair damaged muscles
- And create more white blood cells to boost your immune system
As the body is resting, there is less demand for your heart. Therefore, your blood pressure drops and your other muscles relax. This is important in reducing inflammation in your body. And as you may know, it’s this inflammation that causes pain.
Pain management also requires energy. That’s why getting enough and quality sleep is crucial to allow your body to rest…
So you can wake up energized the next morning.
Research also shows that being even mildly sleep-deprived increases sensitivity to pain.
Getting regular full nights of sleep will make any pain and discomfort more bearable.
Tips To Get Quality Sleep At Night
While sleep should be part of the normal day to day cycle, many people find it hard to spend eight hours in bed.
Others are so caught up in their busy schedules and lifestyles that they tend to ignore their need for sleep.
Experiencing pain can also make it hard for people to fall asleep or have good quality sleep. The reason being pain can cause sleep disturbances.
Here are some tips on how you can get quality sleep at night, help your body heal, and help in your pain management:
Establish a Bedtime Routine
You are a product of your habits.
Establishing a bedtime routine can help your body recognize the signs that it is time to sleep and rest.
Set a specific time to go to bed, and a specific time to get up.
For example:
You’ve decided you must sleep by 9 am every night, and wake up at 5 am every morning, (regardless of the quality of the sleep you’ve had.)
To do so, plan to be in bed at least 30 minutes before your bedtime.
This allows your body and mind to calm down and relax.
So, if you’ve set 9 p.m. as your bedtime, lay down on your bed by 8:30 p.m.
It’s also helpful to create a routine before bedtime, followed in the same order each night.
- Prepare your things for the next day
- Brush your teeth
- Take a warm bath
- And read a few pages of a book
These activities will signal your mind that you are nearing your bedtime. As a result, your energy drops and your mind and body start to relax.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Your nervous system needs to calm down for you to be able to sleep.
Relaxation techniques can help ease your body into good quality sleep. Among these techniques are:
- Deep abdominal breathing
- Meditation
- Guided imagery
- And soothing music
Exercise Regularly and Eat a Healthy Diet
What you do during the day can also greatly affect the quality of sleep you have at night.
Exercise regularly.
But…
Don’t exercise within two hours of your bedtime.
Also, don’t eat in the hour before going to bed.
It is important to eat healthy foods all day.
Absolutely refrain from consuming high Glycemic Index (GI) foods and drinks between your evening meal and bedtime. Soft drinks or drinks containing caffeine are also a big no within this period.
Make a Strong Association Between Your Bed and Sleep
Use your bed for sleeping purposes only to establish a strong connection between your body and sleep.
It signals to the brain that it is time to sleep when you lie down on your bed.
That means you should not use your bed for other activities, such as reading a book or working on your laptop.
Any type of screen viewing will adversely affect your sleep, so keep them out of the bedroom.
Also, set the temperature of your room to cool, make it quiet, and turn off the lights.
Darkness promotes the release of melatonin, which is essential for the body to achieve deep and healing sleep.
Sleep Complements and Supports Conventional Pain Relief
Pain management, especially for chronic pain, is often focused on prescription medications.
However, it is time to start focusing on getting enough and good quality sleep, tapping the body’s natural ability to heal.
Effective pain management is multi-faceted, and effective and adequate sleep must be part of any plan.
To promote restful sleep, consider using the Quantum Energy Patches for pain.
The “Quantum Energy Patch” is the pain easing breakthrough that’s helping ordinary folks live each day pain-free, sleep like a newborn baby and have the energy to pick up their grandchild…
Sounds like the relief from the pain that you need?
Then wait no more.
Claim your Quantum Energy Patches for Pain Today.
And sleep pain-free tonight. No more tossing and turning.
Rather, true pain relief.
Photo Courtesy. Unsplash
