Back pain insomnia can bring even the strongest patient to their knees, since we all need rest and dorsopathy sufferers especially need time to recuperate from a day which may potentially be filled with agony and pain. Insomnia can result from the actual back pain symptoms themselves, particularly if the pain comes on strong at night. However, there are other possible sources of insomnia related to back ache, including psychoemotional reasons and the side effects of many pain management medications.
This essay helps patients to better understand why their back pain prevents them from sleeping well at night and getting the rest they require to heal.
What is Back Pain Insomnia?
Insomnia is the inability to sleep restfully or at all. There are several distinct varieties of insomnia, ranging from the complete lack of sleep to people who can get to sleep, but not for long, to people who wake constantly throughout the night, often unbeknownst to them consciously. This last scenario is commonly also known as sleep apnea.
Insomnia can be incredibly physically and mentally draining, as can back ache, and the 2 together is certainly a double dose of misery. I know that my own pain cost me many night’s sleep in my lifetime and still does on occasion to this day.
For people who have early morning work or family responsibilities, the sleepless nights are a torturous ordeal. These poor souls have to drag themselves around in life just trying to accomplish everything on an empty energy gas tank.
Causes of Back Pain Insomnia
Many patients cite that they can not find a comfortable position in which to sleep. Many patients report that their pain is worse when they lie down and try to find relaxation. In some cases, these types of pain syndromes are obviously psychogenic, regardless of the previously diagnosed causation. This also explains why these same patients never seem to find relief, despite a long history of active treatment, including buying specialty back pain mattresses, back pain pillows and various other often expensive sleep solutions.
Anxiety may be the root cause of the insomnia and may be related to fear of the back pain itself or other life-circumstances. In some cases, this anxiety may also be causing the actual back symptoms, as well.
In a few very rare cases, there may be some strange structural issue which only occurs in particular reclining positions. This is the extreme exception to the rule and rarely occurs in every sleeping position. In these circumstances, specialized anatomical study and experimentation with various alternative sleep positions may provide the best therapy results.
Ending Back Pain Insomnia
I always recommend that patients who have worse pain at night or when trying to sleep consider the very real possibility that the symptoms are a direct result of a mindbody condition. Remember that these issues involve ischemia, which is worsened in a horizontal body position. Remember too that the body is designed to feel best when at rest and pain which occurs during these inopportune and odd times is not typically structurally motivated.
I am not a big advocate of the various drug therapies which help people to sleep. Obviously, there are many risks involved and the patient finds no permanent answer to their concern. It is far better to concentrate on coming up with an accurate diagnosis for the problem, since misdiagnosis of back pain is the major issue responsible for causing chronic and treatment-resistant symptoms in a great number of suffering patients.
