It happens to everyone – you wake up after a decent night’s sleep but sit up only to realize that your back is killing you. Did you know that the way that you sleep can aggravate existing back pain or even cause new back pain?

If you are a sufferer of back pain here are a few things that you can try to avoid aggravating it by sleeping.

Pillow between the Knees

One way to prevent waking with lower back pain is to sleep with a pillow between your knees. Sleeping on your side with your knees touching pulls your spine out of a neutral alignment. Sleeping with a pillow between your knees will keep your spine in proper alignment.

It doesn’t have to be an extremely thick pillow, but you do want it to separate your knees at least a little. Experiment a little with the thickness of the pillow – choose the one that feels the best for you.

Use a Towel Roll

Another thing that you can do as a side sleeper to help with back pain is to use a towel roll under your waist. Take a hand towel, fold it in half lengthwise (or the “hotdog way”), and roll it up like a cinnamon roll (you don’t want to use a very big towel; the roll shouldn’t be very big). Lie on your side and place the towel roll at the very top of your hip that you are laying on. This is another way to help keep your spine in alignment.

Bend Your Knees

If you are a back sleeper here is another way to avoid aggravating your back pain. Place a pillow or two under your knees so that they stay bent all night. Lying down with your knees bent will take a ton of pressure off of your lower back therefore helping you avoid feeling sore in the morning.

Have you ever sat at the computer and typed for a very long time, or used your hands so much that your forearms and wrists were sore? Having sore forearms is not an issue unless it becomes a chronic thing. If your temporary wrist pain, no longer seems temporary and is very painful, you may have Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a condition that affects many people and can be quite debilitating if your occupation requires use of your wrists and hands.

Causes

Your wrist has flat, not stretchy band of tissue that runs across all of the muscle tendons and nerves that cross your wrist, keeping everything in its proper place. When your tendons and such that run under that band of tissue get inflamed, they put pressure on the median nerve.

This constant pressure on your nerve can cause numbness, tingling, weakness, and severe pain in your wrists, hands, and forearms.

CTS is not something that occurs overnight. It is something that is slowly developed over time. Some things that can cause CTS are certain illnesses (such as hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes), pregnancy, obesity, making repetitive movements especially when your hands are lower than your wrist, wrist injuries, bone spurs, and smoking.

How to Spell Relief

• The best thing to do for CTS relief is to stop any activity that aggravates your symptoms.
• You can ice your wrist (no longer than about 15 minutes MAX).
• Taking an anti-inflammatory medicine can help.
• Wearing a splint that keeps your wrist in a neutral position can also help.
• Stretching your wrists and forearms
• If symptoms get in the way of your normal, everyday functioning, or if the pain gets to be unbearable, if may be a good idea to go and see a doctor or hand therapist for some more intense treatment.

I have a sister-in-law who never gets headaches. She is one of the lucky ones. I, on the other hand, get headaches often and hate to take medication for them.

Everybody gets headaches for different reasons, so there is no cure for everyone’s headaches. Here are a few ideas to try, other than taking medication, the next time you get a headache.

Stretch

There is one easy stretch that almost always helps with my headaches. You can do it sitting or standing. Relax your shoulders. Then gently lean your head toward one of your shoulders.

If this isn’t enough of a stretch, try just looking down to the floor from this same head tilted position.

It is important to stretch your neck gently in order to avoid overstretching and causing other problems. Hold your stretch for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Another stretch that can help is performed best with good posture also, shoulders back and down. All you have to do is look straight down toward the floor. Hold this stretch for 15-30 seconds as well.

Hot or Cold

Try a hot or cold pack on your neck. This can help relieve some of the stress in your neck’s muscles. Everybody likes different things so choose the one that works best for you – they are both beneficial.

Drink Water

Being dehydrated, even a little can be the cause of some headaches. By drinking more water thorough out your day, you can hopefully avoid these annoying headaches.

Sleep

One sign that you didn’t get enough sleep can be a headache. If you are experiencing headaches often, change your sleeping pattern to see it if helps.

Conclusion

Headaches can often be a day destroyer, depending on how often and severe they are. Before popping that pill though, try some of these tips to see if they help. These tips are good for preventing headaches as well. Don’t wait till you have a headache to drink water and stretch – prevent your headache.

You worked out yesterday… or was that two days ago, and now you are paying for it. Every muscle in your body hurts.

Even simple tasks such as sitting down or going down the stairs make your legs scream. We have all been there. Sometimes, no matter what we do, there is no avoiding the soreness that follows a good workout. There are some things that you can do before and after your workout to help ease the discomfort.

Warm Up and Cool Down Properly

Your warm up and cool down are possibly the most important parts of your workout. It is important to make sure that your muscles are properly warmed up at the beginning of your workout in order to prevent injury. If you try to sprint for example before you are warm, the likelihood that you will hurt yourself goes up.

Cooling down allows your blood pressure and breathing to slowly return to normal. If you stop short of a cool down, blood can pool in your legs and make you feel dizzy. You are also more likely to become sore.

Stretch

You should stretch differently before and after each workout. Research shows that the most effective type of pre-workout stretching is dynamic stretching. Static stretching should be saved for after your workout. Static stretching before a workout can actually impair your performance.

Dynamic stretching is where you use controlled movements to move your muscles throughout their entire rang e of motion. Static stretching is where you stretch your muscles at their maximum range of motion and hold them there. Be sure to hold these stretches for 20-30 seconds.

Exercise Often

By exercising often, you give your body a chance to adapt to the increased activity level. The first time you run that mile you may be sore afterward. But the fourth, fifth, or tenth time you run that mile, the amount of soreness decreases because your body is used to working out.

Let’s take some time out to speak to the women. Men, don’t worry, you will benefit from this post too as your wife becomes more relaxed and easy to be around.

Women, let’s admit it, during “that time” of the month you turn from a calm kitten into a roaring lion. You can be sent into a fit of rage by the smallest little thing. Instead of suffering through the chaos and making your spouse crazy with your mood swings, consider the following suggestions to help reduce the effects of PMS.

Depression is something that many women struggle with during the two weeks before the start of a period. In addition to depression women may feel irritable, angry, anxious, insecure and may even experience some bouts of insomnia.

Additionally: tiredness, bloating, tender breasts, acne, weight gain, headaches and stomach pains are physical symptoms many women experience.

In order to cut down on the amount of pain you experience and the stress you are causing your family by your irrational mood swings consider the following suggestions:

Slow Down!

The stresses and rushing around of the modern world leave little time to relax and de-stress. We go days without eating, sleeping or exercising properly. We may sit in an office most of the day and not get to experience the healing powers of the sun.

Eat Right!

Many women when they are feeling moody turn to junk foods, sweets and alcohol as comfort foods. WRONG CHOICE! These can cause even more irritability and greater mood swings. Instead you should be eating fruits and vegetable and participating in daily exercise.

Avoid if possible, alcohol, sugars, salts, and caffeine in the weeks leading up to your period because this will only worsen the effects. Instead drink lots of water.

Other Remedies

Some women find light therapy to be very beneficial to reducing the symptoms of PMS. Light therapy is especially helpful during the long, dark and dreary winter months in which many women experience seasonal affective disorder(SAD).

Craniosacral Therapy in which you are lightly touched by a therapist can also help to reduce stress and encourage sleep. You can find these therapists in the UK, but may have to search a little to find a qualified practitioner in the United States.

Hypnotherapy , Dietary Supplement, Acupuncture and Reflexology have also been known to help women overcome the stress of daily life and more effectively deal with the symptoms of PMS.

Sprains are often a result of a stretched ligament, usually caused by a twisted or pulled joint, such as an ankle or wrist. Sprains can be painful and will often cause bruising because of the small blood vessel and fiber damage. The injury will continue to worsen unless it is kept immobile. However, there are some things you can do to help keep the sprain from progressing to a more difficult to manage state.

Rest

It seems obvious, but you should keep your injured joint as still as possible. Internal bleeding could continue for up to 24 hours so you should keep the joint as rested as possible for first 48 hours after the injury. Try to keep the injured area from adjusting at all. Prop it on a pillow or keep it in a sling while sleeping, etc.

Protection

Keep the spot protected by a wrap, brace, splint or sling.

Ice

Limit the bleeding and therefore bruising by applying ice. Put ice cubes in a freezer bag and place on the strained area. You should wrap the bag with a light towel before placing on your injury to avoid skin damage. Remove the ice long before the skin becomes white or hard. Suggestions include applying ice in 15 minute intervals. 15 on, 15 off, etc.

Compression

To help protect the injury, compress it with a bandage. Be sure to monitor the area around the bandage. Remove and contact your doctor if it becomes blue or icy.

Elevation

Keep the injured area pointing upwards instead of downwards. Pointing it downwards may cause fluid buildup and clotting to occur.

If the pain does not subside you can take over-the-counter pain medications, such as Ibuprofen or Advil for extra relief. If swelling and pain does not subside after a few days you should contact your physician and see additional medical assistance.

Did you know that bad posture is one of the leading reasons of lower back aches, pains and even headaches? The way you hold yourself can have a significant influence on injuries as well as overall wellness and reduction of aches and pains.

Exercises to Improve Posture

There are some exercise routines that you can do to improve your posture and overall well-being.

Pilates – this exercise routine is all about using your core to improve the way you hold yourself. Using the stomach, back and pelvis to improve strength and overall posture can significantly reduce pain in your lower back and spine.

Pilates can also help to reduce stress placed on the legs, hips and feet incorrect movement. Additionally, Pilates helps to take unnecessary pressure off of your internal organs.

Yoga – It does not matter which style of yoga you wish to pursue because all types of yoga help to improve posture and flexibility. This is because all types of yoga help to stretch muscles and relieve tension.

Alexander Technique – This uncommon technique was developed to free the body of formed habits that cause it to move more slowly and inefficiently by re-teaching the essentials of movement. This will not be a quick fix, seeing as you are rel-learning habits, but it can lead to a better, more healthy life and should definitely be considered.

Feldenkrais – An even less common method is the Feldenkrais technique. This technique helps to create an awareness of movement patterns. Students are taught to constantly recognize and adjust body positioning. Energy, vitality and flexibility are thought to increase with just one session.

In addition to understanding how to get a perfect posture, it is important to know what a good posture is.
Here are a few easy steps to understand how to have a better posture so that you can understand what you are working towards.

A Good Desk Posture

1. While standing, place your thumbs on your hip bones and your forefingers on your pubic bone and tilt your pelvis so that the bones are level.
2. Sit down while maintaining this posture as best you can. Keep a small curve at the base of your spine.
3. While sitting, place your feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart ,facing exactly forward. Your hips and knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle
4. Roll your shoulders back and down. You should feel your chest becoming broad and your shoulder blades roll slowly down your back.
5. The head is the last part. Make sure your ears are positioned directly over your shoulders and that your head can move freely. There should be a slight curve at the top of your spine.

When you consistently practice good posture you should quickly notice an improvement in both back and neck pain and headaches may disperse. Having a good posture should help you have improved overall health as well.

Everyone suffers from aches and pains occasionally while they are are sleeping. Whether it be from stress, an extra hard workout or an accident, chances are that sometime soon you will suffer from some kind of soreness while you are trying to sleep.

Even if pain doesn’t keep you awake at night, it can pull you in and out of REM sleep without you knowing it, leaving you feeling unrested in the morning, even if you don’t remember waking in the middle of the night.

There are a number of things you can do to help ease the pain you experience, especially if it is an ongoing problem.

Sleep Aids

Some of these solutions may be harder for you to get the hang of than others, but they will all help you get a better night’s sleep as well as reduce aches and pain.

Get Rid of Caffeine Even if you feel like you need that extra jump to make it through your day, caffeine is harmful to your sleep. Try to avoid it for a few days and see if you notice a difference.

No More Naps Napping throughout the day can cause you to sleep worse at night because you have already got some of your recommended daily sleep.

Exercise, Don’t OVERexercise Intense exercises, especially late at night will stimulate your body and you will have a hard time falling asleep.

Don’t Overfeed Yourself It may seem at times that you feel content and ready to fall asleep after a large meal, however this is not good, AT ALL, for your body and may actually end up keeping you awake throughout the night.

Go to Your Quiet Place Before Bed Relax before going to bed. Make your bedroom part of that calming experience. Clear your mind and focus on deep breathing.

Get up at the Same Time Everyday No matter how much you want to sleep in, don’t do it. Getting up at the same time everyday will get your body into a rhythm. This will help you to naturally become tired at the right times and fall asleep when your body needs to sleep.

Following these few simple rules should help you get a more restful night’s sleep free of pain.