Can Back Pain Cause Sleep Problems?

Are you tossing and turning throughout the night? If so, you may be among a group of between 50 to 70 million Americans with sleep disorders. On top of that, approximately 1 in 3 adults get less than the recommended amount of sleep per night to remain healthy. There is a myriad of reasons why your sleep might be disrupted throughout the night, including excessive caffeine consumption, a lack of a constructive sleep routine, and daily aches or pains.

Specifically, your back pain may be costing you a good night’s sleep night after night. When you miss out on good sleep repeatedly, you compound the damage to your sleep health and much more. If you’re experiencing back pain and also have sleep problems, reach out to our team at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery today to get the help you deserve.

How Back Pain is Connected to Poor Sleep 

Back pain can directly cause you to lose the opportunity to sleep as fully and entirely as you otherwise would. A few of the links between back pain and poor sleep include: 

• It’s Hard to Find a Comfortable Position: Back pain might cause you to have issues finding a comfortable position to sleep in. The tossing and turning that you do throughout the night is in an effort to find a position that is more comfortable. However, you might find that you simply can’t find that comfort no matter how hard you try. This may be due to your back pain.
• Back Pain Medication May Interfere With Sleep: If you take a look at the label on your medications, you will see some of the side effects that might impact you if you take those medications. Many pain medications have the side effect of potentially interfering with your sleep. Although these medications may bring you some relief from your back pain, they may also cause some issues with your sleep quality. 
• Sedentary Lifestyles May Lead to Sleep Issues: A lack of exercise can lead to sleep issues as well. It may also cause you to have prolonged back problems because you need to keep the muscles around your back strong to avoid some of the worst back pain. 

These are just a few of the connections between back pain and poor sleep. You may also experience other connections between your back pain and your poor sleep quality. 

Poor Sleep Can Make Back Pain Worse

There is a vicious cycle between poor sleep and worsening back pain. If you don’t break the cycle of poor sleep, then you may be doomed to end up with even more back pain. If you constantly have sleep disturbances, then you may find that your back is even more sensitive to signals from your central nervous system. In other words, your body can become overly sensitive to pain if you continue to have sleep disturbances in your life. 

Inflammation is another concern for those with poor sleep habits. If you have sleep problems, this can lead to more inflammation in your back, and that will make the pain even more severe. Don’t let yourself get too far down this path or you will continue to suffer. 

Finally, poor sleep can also lead to mental disorders as well. Many people report increased levels of depression when they don’t get adequate sleep. Think about this when you are looking at things that you can change about your life to get relief from your back pain. 

Contact a Specialist From Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery Today 

Working with a back specialist is easily the best way that you can start finding some relief from the back pain you have been suffering from. If you have been putting this off, you aren’t alone. However, you should try to amend this right away and get in touch with a back specialist at Orthopedic & Laser Spine Surgery today. 

Please contact us online for more information related to the relief that you can find by consulting with a back specialist. You can also call us at (855) 853-6542.