Upper back pain after sleeping is a common and often painful problem. The upper back is the nexus of lots of moving parts. Your neck above is supporting the fifteen pounds of your head, your shoulders are dealing with the stresses you place on your arms, and your mid- and low back are moving the rest of your body. Often described as waking from sleep: Usually related to weak or poor posture, back pain can begin with an injury, accident or from long-term habits. Over time, posture stress causes pain and breakdown, arthritis and degenerative joint disease in the spine and other joints from daily wear & tear. Then, during a lifetime of moving certain ways habitually, along with any new injuries you suffer, your motion becomes restricted to certain patterns only, rather than through a full range of motion, and your body becomes more and more unbalanced. Upper back pain is usually positional. This means it will get better or worse as body position changes. Frequently episodic, back pain pain may come on after sleeping, over-activity or without apparent cause, and is triggered as your body adapts to mechanical stress, weak posture and inefficient motion.
You get better at doing whatever you do as your habits shape your body. This is true even of poor habits. First steps to stop back pain after sleeping Experiencing back pain after sleeping, or while sleeping, when it’s not apparent any other time suggests trying a couple of easy possible remedies. 7 Weeks to Strong Posture Course Royal Rest Memory Foam Pillow Stand Taller Live Longer: An Anti-Aging Strategy The modern sitting lifestyle most of us practice, where we drive to work, slump at a computer all day, then drive home and slouch in front of a television, provides all of the ingredients for shaping your body in profound and painful ways. Maybe your head juts forward from staring at a screen and the traffic ahead, perhaps you slouch with poor posture while doing so, and/or your shoulders roll in from typing and holding a steering wheel. Those stresses, individually and especially when combined, can result in occasional or chronic upper back pain.
And when you’re in pain, you compensate and adapt your body motions in even more unbalanced ways, creating a vicious spiral that makes you weaker and more prone to injury. Read more about posture exercise and self-help techniques to keep you moving well! Self-Help Solutions: Upper Back Pain Relief If changing your pillow and sleeping position doesn’t provide immediate relief, begin a program to strengthen exercise. It’s likely your habits during the day are causing you pain while sleeping. It’s easy to begin an at-home posture exercise program. Done daily, within a week you’ll begin to notice a difference. At the end of the 7 week program, your posture exercise program can help restore strength and the full range of motion your body needs to thrive. More tips to fix upper back pain Best Sleeping Position for Upper Back Pain If you have upper back pain when sleeping it is a strong indication you need to change your sleeping habits, and work to improve posture during waking hours!
Pain is not normal – it’s your body telling you to make a change for the better. Find a Back Pain Specialist If you’ve made the suggested changes and still have back pain while sleeping, or if you prefer to work with a professional to assess and correct postural issues, visit our posture specialist directory. Note: If back pain is sever or last more than to weeks, consult your physician. If there is no trauma and pain initially begins in the chest, if the pain is not affected by motion, or if there is fever, nausea, vomiting, uneven pulse, anxiety, a sick feeling, burning urination, loss of bowel or bladder control, or severe pain, call your Physician. Related Conditions: Postural adaptive muscle strain; Pinched nerve in back; muscle imbalances, muscle pulls, muscle strains, muscle weakness, myofascitis, Rib out of place; Back pain in the morning? August 4, 2013 SubscribeI've started having a new kind of back pain in the morning. What temperature should your bedroom be?
Many sleep experts say that a cool room, somewhere around 65 degrees, makes for the best sleep, and research backs this notion. During the course of a normal day, your body temperature rises and falls slightly. This pattern is tied to your sleep cycle. As you become drowsy, your temperature goes down, reaches its lowest level around 5:00 a.m., and climbs slightly as morning begins. This is why the air in your room can affect the quality of your sleep: if it's too hot, it may interfere with your body's natural dip and make you more restless through the night. In fact, studies indicate that some forms of insomnia are associated with an improper regulation in body temperature. Of course each of us has a slightly different optimal temperature for sleep, so experiment with keeping your room cool and find what makes you most comfortable. Shivering and sweating at night During the night, your body uses its own heating and cooling mechanisms to keep your temperature in a healthy range.
But the sensations that come with this natural "thermoregulation" can make it hard to sleep peacefully. When your temperature rises, your body produces sweat that is meant to cool you down as it evaporates off your skin. If the air, your mattress, blankets, or pajamas keep you too warm, you might find yourself damp and uncomfortable. And if the room is too humid, sweating may not even cool you off, since the air is already saturated. On the other hand, if temperatures get too cool, this will produce a shiver, in which your muscles contract and expand rapidly to produce heat. Both of these automatic processes can happen without our conscious knowledge and they tend to make for restless sleep. For ideas on managing temperature, see tips for sleeping with hot flashes and cooling the bedroom. How bed surfaces affect your sleep The feel of your mattress, pillows, sheets, and pajamas affects the quality of your sleep. Your mattress should be comfortable and supportive so that you wake up feeling rested, not achy or stiff.
Contrary to popular belief, it's not necessarily better to sleep on an extra firm mattress, so use your body as a guide for what feels best through the night. The same applies to pillows: soft or firm is a matter of preference, but think about replacing pillows when they become lumpy or shapeless. The type and number of pillows you use depends in part on your sleeping position. Temperature plays a big role in quality sleep. Mattress materials, as well as the fabrics on your bed and your body, deal with heat differently. For example, many people find memory foam comfortable, but some materials can trap heat and make it more difficult to sleep in warmer months. For pajamas and sheets, it may help to choose a breathable cotton fabric so that you don't overheat. There are newer fabrics available that also have the ability to wick away moisture—especially helpful if you sweat when you sleep. When to buy new mattresses and pillows There is no strict rule about when to replace your mattress, but most have a lifespan of around eight years.
Some experts say this timeframe is shorter if you're over 40, because your body may need a better foundation for sleep. The best way to tell if your mattress has seen its day is to evaluate your comfort and sleep quality. Check for worn or sagging spots in the middle or at the edges, and make sure that when your partner moves, your position on the bed isn't disturbed. If you wake up tired or stiff, or if you find hotel beds extra cozy, it could be a clue that it's time for a change. Give your pillows the same once-over for lumps and sags. When you sleep, your pillow should support your head and neck, allowing them to stay in a neutral position (without craning or awkwardness) while you sleep. Many doctors recommend replacing pillows every two years. In the meantime, keep your mattress and pillows clean. Wash your mattress cover in hot water. You can also dust the mattress itself with baking soda to draw out moisture and vacuum it up a day later, or wash with a product such as upholstery cleaner.
Most pillows are washable, or can be run through the dryer on high temperature to kill dust mites. Make your bed for better sleep We tend to think of making our beds as a routine morning chore, but it turns out the ritual may be more meaningful than that. The results of a recent Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that many people believe clean, neat and comfortable elements of the bedroom environment are important to getting a good night's sleep. Not surprisingly, over 90 percent of people said a comfortable mattress and pillows are important to the sleep experience. But more than three quarters of people also believe that the comfortable feel of sheets and bedding are important to a good night's rest, and 62 percent said that a clean bedroom makes the difference. People who reported making their bed in the morning were 19 percent more likely to get a good night's sleep every night. It's not clear why this is, but perhaps there is a connection between feeling good about where you sleep and your tendency to sleep through the night.
Pregnancy, postpartum, menopause and sleep Pregnancy brings fluctuating hormones with body temperature changes, nausea, the increased urgency to urinate, and trouble getting comfortable at night. If you find yourself overheating or sweating while you sleep, wear light cotton pajamas and keep a spare set next to you at night, along with a glass of ice water. A good set of pillows will be your friend during pregnancy, especially as your belly grows. Lie on your left side if you can (best for your circulation), and experiment with putting a pillow or two between your legs, behind your back, or even a thin one under your abdomen. You can find long body pillows that also support your upper body while you sleep. Remember that light can send alerting signals to your brain, so leave a nightlight in the bathroom or hallway for nighttime trips instead of turning on overhead lights. Hot flashes are very common for women in menopause and can make sleep difficult as well. Many scientists believe that dropping estrogen levels and other altered hormones trick the hypothalamus (the brain's temperature regulating region) into thinking the body is overheating.
To get rid of excess heat, blood vessels dilate and blood flow increases to the skin, causing a flushed and sweaty feeling. Wear light cotton pajamas or those designed to wick away moisture, and consider keeping an extra set near your bed. If you sweat a lot at night, keep an extra pillowcase, a towel, or even a spare set of sheets near the bed as well. Have a cold facecloth and a glass of ice water on hand and follow tips for keeping your room cool. If symptoms persist, consider consulting with your gynecologist. How to dress your child for sleep For safety reasons, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies sleep without any loose blankets, so at night it's best to choose an outfit that keeps your baby comfortable without extra layers. Avoid over-bundling your baby: most nights your infant can wear a onesie and a cotton swaddle, or cotton pajamas with feet. In the winter, heavier pajamas or an additional sleep sack (a sleeveless, wearable blanket) will work. Older children tend to kick off their covers at night, so you may want to dress your toddler or young child in an outfit that works without blankets as well.
Choose pajama fabrics that are breathable and won't cause your child to sweat during the night. The same general principle of cool air for better sleep applies to children, so try to keep the room in the mid-60 degree range. How to cool the room in the summer For cooler summer sleeping, prepare during the day by avoiding heat buildup in your house. Close the blinds or curtains to block the sun and close the windows if the temperature outside is higher than inside. As the sun begins to go down and the air outside cools, open the windows, let a cross breeze through the bedroom, and keep your windows open while you sleep. Since heat rises, sleep in the bedroom on the lowest level. Many people find fans helpful during the summer. Use a ceiling fan if you have one, or place a portable fan near an open window, leave the bedroom door open, and open other windows in the house to allow air to move. If you have a fan that fits in the window itself, another trick is to direct the fan to blow warm air out of the house.