Neck Pain Support Blog

Can Drinking Effect my Sleep?

Actually, alcohol can hinder sleep in a few different ways. First, it is shown to reduce your REM sleep. This stage of sleep has been shown to be very important in brain function. Simply, we need to get REM sleep or else we harm our central computer; the brain!

Second, it may cause you to dream. This is not necessarily bad, however, some of these dreams may be nightmares. Sometimes, whether you know it or not, this may cause you to thrash around and/or disrupt breathing, thereby disturbing your normal sleep.

Last, it may cause inflammation in the nasal passageways. This in turn reduces the amount of oxygen getting into your body. The body, and more specifically brain, need oxygen to work.

So try to end you drinking a couple hours before bed and you shouldn’t have any problems.

Additional Reading Resources

• Natural Sleep Remedies
• Sleep to Wake up Beautiful each Morning: Beauty Sleep- Is it all that its Cracked up to be?
• Choosing the right neck pillow for better sleep
• How to Treat Tight Muscles
• Sleep Like a Baby and Wake up Feeling Refreshed

Headache or Migraine??

Here’s a list of some migraine symptoms:

1. Visual disturbances
2. Nausea or vomiting
3. Dizziness
4. evere pain often described as a pounding headache
5. Sensitivities to smells, noises, or lights

Migraines can be from the same cause as a traditional headache. Migraines, however, tend to be triggered from some kind of allergen such as a dust allergy, a certain scent, etc …
Avoiding these triggers can help substantially. Like with your traditional or usual headaches, using a good neck pillow like our traction pillow can help significantly also. Using a neck pillow will help align the cervical spine. This takes pressure off of nerves relieving headache and migraine symptoms.

Additional Reading Resources

• Headache Remedies through Natural Pain Relief Products
• How to Choose the Right Neck Pillow for Sleeping Without Pain
• Effective Treatment for Cluster Headaches
• Taking too many medications? Is this the Culprit of your Headache?
• Neck Posture

Caffeine and Sleep: Not a Good combination for Some

Everyone is affected differently by caffeine. Some people can enjoy a nice cup of coffee right before bed with dessert, and be fine for sleeping. Others (like me) are very careful about how much caffeine we ingest during the afternoon. I once had a large cold thai coffee at a Vietnamese restaurant that kept me up for 2 days. Caffeine at the wrong time of the day can be a detriment to my sleep routine, as for many other people.

How long does it take caffeine to eliminate out of your system? Well let’s say you consume 1 cup of coffee in the morning. On average an 8 oz cup of coffee contains about 133 mg of caffeine.** Depending on your metabolism, it can take 8-14 hours to eliminate a ½ of the total amount of caffeine you consumed (66.5 mg of caffeine).

According to the National Sleep Foundation, caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine and can have a stimulating effect as soon as 15 minutes after it is consumed. That is why people say they cannot function without that first cup of coffee in the morning. Caffeine is a stimulant and can increase alertness.

So if you have not been experiencing restful sleep, avoid caffeine in the afternoon and at night. Some experts go as far as to say to stop drinking any caffeine passed 10 a.m. Ithink that rule of thumb is applies to me.  When i say caffiene, I mean tea, pop, Red Bull, lattes, and even chocolate. Many people become sleepy around 2-3 p.m, and reach for that cup of coffee or can of pop mistakenly thinking that it is a midday pick me up. Not a good idea, especially if you have trouble sleeping at night.

Other simple suggestions for better sleep include avoiding exercise 2-3 hours before bed, as this can increase your heart rate. Don’t smoke and avoid alcohol because it can cause an interrupted sleep later on in the night time. Make your environment comfortable for sleeping: Cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and use supportive neck pillows. Finally, maintaining a routine of going to sleep at about the same time each night is suggested. Your body will thank you with better sleep overall.

** many people are fans of Starbucks coffee. A 16oz Grande Coffee contains 320 mg of caffeine. A 16 oz Dunkin Donuts Coffee Regular contains 206 mg of caffeine.

Source: Caffeine and Sleep

 

 

 

Additional Reading Resources

• Sleep Deprivation and How it Affects More than Your Mind
• How to Choose the Right Neck Pillow
• Remedy for A Stiff Neck
• 6 ways to get a better night's sleep naturally
• Why Adequate Neck Support While You Sleep Is Vital To Stop Neck Pain!

I Think I Strained My Neck?

I was playing basketball when I reacted quickly to catch a pass. I remember turning my head real fast to see the ball coming and that’s when my neck just tightened right up. It was sore for the rest of the game but I still played. I stayed in the shower for a few extra minutes letting the hot water just hit my neck which seemed to help a little.
Unfortunately, I woke up the next morning in excruciating neck pain. It was difficult to turn my head especially but I could feel pain with just about anything. What do you think this is and when will I be pain free? -Serious neck pain sufferer

This does sound exactly like a muscle strain. What most likely happened is when you reacted quickly it caused a spasm in the muscle and the muscle tightened up. This is another way of saying a pulled muscle. You will have pain because through the muscle runs a number of nerves. A strain or pulled muscle often creates inflammation which will put pressure on nerves.

Healing time for this will vary depending on how severe the neck strain was and what you are doing or not doing. Avoid strenuous neck positions and things that may aggravate it like turning too fast or things like playing sports. You may have to do this for a few days or a few weeks until the pain goes away. If the hot shower helped continue using that as well as a hot pack.

Sleeping position is extremely important also. The cervical traction pillow works great at aligning your neck and helping you to maintain a good sleeping position. With rest, heat, and a neck pillow like the cervical traction pillow you should get fast neck pain relief allowing you to get back to your normal activities.

Additional Reading Resources:

• Which Sleeping Position is Best For You?
• A Cervical Sprain or Cervical Strain in the Neck?
• Remedy for A Stiff Neck
• Horrible Pain In the Upper Back…Help
• Anatomy of the neck

New Year…Is it time for a New Pillow This Year?

If you have trouble sleeping at night, wake up feeling agitated and not fully rested, make it a goal to get a better nights sleep. Look at your mattress, and also at the pillow you are using under your neck each night.

Just like you check your fire alarm batteries each year, take a closer look at the pillow you are sleeping on. Does your pillow need to be replaced? Does it look flat and limp and offer you zero neck support? Fold your pillow into half, taking all of the air out. When you release your pillow, it should bounce back to its original shape. It should be fluffy, supportive and hold its own. If it feels like it has clumps in it, and there are holes around the pillow where there is no support, consider getting a new pillow altogether.

A supportive cervical support pillow should support your neck in its natural state. The neck curve has a natural c-curve, and a good neck pillow supports that normal alignment.

Lie on your pillow and have someone take a picture of you using the pillow. Is your head sinking into the pillow too much, such that it is causing neck extension. Maybe the pillow is too big for you. Forward head posture can be the cause of a lot of neck pain, discomfort, stiffness and a sore upper back area. An ideal neck pillow should hold your head in the same relation to your shoulders and spine as if you were standing.

Also, make sure you are comfortable sleeping on your side or on your back using the pillow. We shift our bodies while sleeping at night, so you want to make sure your pillow supports you in side or back sleeping positions.

Consider using a dust cover with a zipper on it to keep your pillow clean and free of dust mites, mold and allergens. It will not only help you sleep more soundly, but your pillows life will be extended.

Happy New Year to all of my Readers ! May 2011 bring you happiness, good health, and most importantly restful sleep!

Pillows we Recommend:
* Arc4life Cervical Traction Neck Pillow
* Linear Gravity Neck Pillow at the Neck Pain Relief Shop
* D Core Cervical Support Pillow

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Additional Reading Resources:

• How to Choose the Right Neck Pillow
• Neck Exercises
• Ideal Neck Posture
• How to Treat a Muscle Spasm with Ice and Biofreeze
• 6 Ways to Improve Neck Posture