Sleeping with a herniated disc can be a real challenge for many patients, due to both physical and emotional reasons. Disc pain can be a severe symptom to deal with and might prevent a person from finding a comfortable position in which to get some much needed rest.
The psychological effects of worry, fear and anxiety which typically accompany a herniated disc diagnosis certainly do not help, either.
This article will help patients to discover what is preventing them from sleeping once they have been diagnosed with a herniated intervertebral disc. We will examine anatomical and psychoemotional contributory factors which might interfere with restful sleep.
Difficulty Sleeping with a Herniated Disc
When a trauma-induced disc injury is fresh, the pain might be substantial and constant. Trying to sleep, eat or move at all might bring on acute pain or even muscular spasms. This is a difficult time for every patient who is stricken with such considerable agony. However, sleep is a crucial part of the healing process and it is vital to find some sleep position which is at least somewhat comfortable in order to facilitate a cure.
Remember, even the worst disc pain symptoms typically resolve in 2 to 8 weeks and many patients will feel much better even faster. Do not forget that most herniations are not caused by trauma, but instead by idiopathic reasons or by normal spinal aging. These herniations are rarely painful now, or ever, and may be coincidental to any symptoms which exist.
Mindbody Influence on Sleep Quality
As noted above, many chronic disc pain conditions have actually been misdiagnosed. Yes, there is a herniated disc in the spine, but no, it does not cause pain. It might have possibly been symptomatic at one time, but has since healed. It may also never have caused any suffering whatsoever. Regardless, the problem is that the mind believes there is still an injury and perpetuates the pain through the psychosomatic process.
Psychological herniated disc pain is the real reason why millions of patients never recover. The physical reasons for the pain have long since healed, but the psychological reasons continue to create the symptom imperative for years to come. In other patients, there may be actual structural issues which do enact pain. However, these do not specifically keep them awake. Instead, it is the emotional overlay of worry and fear which prevent sleep at night. It is crucial to know that every chronic pain syndrome has a considerable emotional component, even if the pain is purely anatomically-enacted.
Sound Sleeping with a Herniated Disc
Whenever I see a pain syndrome which is illogically linked to a particular activity, I virtually always think of the possibility of a psychosomatic causation or contribution. Sleep is the body’s rest time and is always thought to be the most physically relaxing period of the day. However, sleep is also notoriously affected by the inner workings of the subconscious mind, since that lesser known entity takes control of the conscious mind during the rest process.
Nightmares, insomnia and even physical pain are typical results of subconscious repression and all psychosomatic syndromes can be exacerbated during sleep time. If the mind is restless, the body will get no rest.
Luckily, there is a treatment for symptoms which commence when sleeping with a herniated disc and this cure is easy to enact and free. The alternative medical techniques inherent to knowledge therapy are very effective at uncovering the root causes of night time pain and many other mindbody pain conditions. The best part of all: Not only will you be able to sleep soundly at night, but the pain will still be gone when you awake in the morning, fully rested and ready for a new day.
For patients with verified structural nerve compression or chemical irritation issues sourcing their pain, speak to your physical therapist about what you can do to sleep better. There are usually methods which can help you to find comfort in bed without exacerbating your positionally-motivated pain.
Just be very wary about using any type of continuing pain management drugs or sleep aids, since these can be very harmful to your health and wellbeing and can also cause physical and psychological dependency issues which might prevent a normal, unassisted sleep ever again.
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