How To Sleep Through Nerve Pain
Sleeping when you have nerve pain can be hard. Your nerves are firing all night long, and the pain keeps you awake. This is one of the reasons why sleep plays such an important role in nerve pain management.
You may not realize it, but you get more restful sleep while asleep when you have nerve pain. This article will discuss how to sleep through nerve pain and what you should do when experiencing it.
What are the symptoms of nerve pain?
Nerve pain can be highly disruptive to a person’s life. It is an uncomfortable, sharp stabbing, or burning sensation in the body. The process of nerve cells firing misfires, which then cause inflammation and disease. There are many different nerve pain symptoms, including numbness and tingling sensations that happen when touched or moved in specific ways.
Sleep plays an important role in managing the feelings of pain for those with nerve pain. There is a direct relationship between the level of sleep and one’s overall health, including their mood. Sleep, in many instances, can be used as an extra therapy to assist those experiencing adverse side effects from medication or surgery for nerve pain.
What causes nerve pain?
The most common cause of nerve pain is compression on a nearby nerve root. There are many other causes, including infections, degenerative disks in the spine, tumors, injuries to muscles and joints, and even arthritis.
Solutions for nerve pain include rest from activity and pillows that alleviate pressure across the vertebrae. If compression is causing nerve pain, it can be eliminated by adjusting appliances or over time through stretching of muscles and ligaments to allow for more room.
Exercise from physical therapy also may help manage nerve pain if practices are held constant while increasing the body’s activity and performed in an aerobic environment. Both approaches will aid in relieving symptoms overall.
How is nerve pain diagnosed?
Nerve pain can be diagnosed through imaging tests such as x-rays and electromyography (EMG) or nerve conduction study. When these studies show that a particular nerve is pinched, the diagnosis is made. Swollen lymph nodes may also indicate that there has been damage to nerves.
Treatment may vary depending on the exact cause of injury but generally involves alleviating compression with gentle treatment. For depression that may be due to nerve pain, Medications are typically used, such as antidepressants.
How To Sleep Through Nerve Pain At Night
In the following, you will find some tips on how to sleep through nerve pain at night in an optimal way for you.
Position 1: Sleeping in a Recliner
This is the most common way to sleep through nerve pain at night since it relieves pressure from internal organs, like the kidneys, but does not transfer any pressure onto nerves such as the sciatic nerve.
An individual must realize that sleeping on their sides may increase pain due to a lack of muscular support for this position. Thus, using the sleeping-recliner position will help reduce nerve pain at night.
While sleeping in a recliner position is not healthy on a routine basis, it can be used as an effective sleep management technique to cure nerve pain during nighttime rest periods and free pressure on inside organs stemming from spinal fusion surgery or even fusing two segments.
Reclining for at least 4-6 hours per day will aid in relieving your health problems associated with nerve pain at night.
Position 2: Sleeping on the Back with a Pillow Underneath the Legs
Keeping one’s legs folded beneath their body can help to reduce pressure on nerve points and allow them to relax.
A pillow should also be used under the knees since they often become swollen due to pressure and contact with other internal organs, such as the liver, or even because of pleurisy from inflamed lungs.
Position 3: Sleeping on One Side of the Body with a Pillow Between the Thighs
This position is not optimal for alleviating nerve pain at night because it can cause specific muscles to undergo less stimulation due to being in widely spread positions and can worsen muscle spasms that are already present during nighttime rest periods.
This positioning should be avoided when individuals suffer from health problems associated with a spinal condition like sciatic nerve pain at night.
The nerve to the legs should also be protected in this position since it lays on top of a nerve for feeling limbs and feet at night, thus causing local pain in that area.
When To See A Doctor
As a general rule, if you have persistent pain that only gets worse instead of better with time, your abnormal pain should be evaluated by a physician.
Some pains can indicate serious health concerns, such as complications from an infection or injury. However, any significant change in pain levels can also be due to illness or injury itself. Sometimes even non-emergency symptoms warrant seeing a doctor as it is important always to rule out underlying causes that can potentially worsen pain in the long run.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What are the different types of nerve pain, and how do they differ from one another?
How do you calm severe nerve pain?
For example, if they have depression and anxiety, specific physical activities like running or swimming are good at letting that tension escape as a person moves their body. People might also use certain oils or scents when having an issue.
Why is nerve damage pain worse at night?
There isn’t as much activity for the nervous system when the body is asleep, so nerve signals are more likely to slow down or stop altogether. Sometimes people will take medication that helps them regulate how their nerves send signals to feel better during the day.
What is the best way/position for humans to sleep?
Most people are more comfortable sleeping on their back, although it’s often beneficial for people with Nerve Pain like Sciatica to sleep on their side and couple that with a pillow between the knees.
