If you’re among the nearly 20 percent of people estimated to have chronic back pain, you know it’s not fun.
One thing that might help relieve the tension? A good night’s sleep, experts say. But there’s a catch. An aching back, neck or shoulders makes it tough to relax and catch your Zs.
The good news is that making small tweaks to your sleep routine can help you avoid (or help alleviate) some of the most common sleep complaints.
“Rest is important for the muscular skeletal system to recover,” Peggy Brill, a New York City-based orthopedic physical therapist, told The Wall Street Journal. “The proteins get back into the muscles, there’s rejuvenation of the body, so you want to be in a healthy anatomical position when you sleep.”
If you have back pain and normally sleep on your back, placing a pillow under your knees helps keep your spine in line so you avoid pain during sleep. If you’re a side sleeper, try placing a pillow between your knees. Or if you’re a stomach sleeper, tuck the pillow under your lower tummy, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Still looking for more relief? Use this genius Tech Insider chart to find quick fixes to help you get better sleep if you have back pain or any of these eight other common sleep complaints.
Read it and sleep!
Sarah DiGiulio is The Huffington Post’s sleep reporter. You can contact her at sarah.digiulio@huffingtonpost.com.
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