Sleep and Insomnia

Ah yes, the holidays are upon us once again, and with them the holiday blues. Not everyone is in festive spirits, especially those of us with chronic pain. Often, chronic back pain leads to depression, and alternately depression can worsen physical pain. The added anxiety and stress of all the holiday planning and expectations can intensify feelings of sadness.

Any mattress that helps you sleep comfortably and wake up feeling refreshed, without pain and stiffness, is the best mattress for you. There is no single mattress that works for all people. You should choose the mattress that provides adequate support and meets your standards for comfort and allows you to get a good night's sleep.

Many people feel very uncomfortable in their office chair. And there are lots of good office chair reviews if you're looking for a new option. But what if the problem is not your specific office chair but the fact that you're sitting on one at all? If this may be true for you, then here are some office chair alternatives to consider.

I have a lifelong difficulty with falling asleep at night and then -- even more problematic -- staying asleep. I don’t have a medical cause for insomnia or any sleep disorders, just a brain that likes to go into overdrive when my body finally has a chance to lie down and rest.

Just read about an interesting study that showed that Lyrica (pregabalin) helped the participants get more restorative sleep, not just fall asleep faster. Thanks to Dr. Steven Poceta, a neurologist, who explains on his Revolution Health blog:

This subject comes up a lot in our forums - "I'm considering surgery, what questions should I ask my surgeon?" From articles on Spine-health.com and contributions from our discussion forum members, we've compiled a list that you can print up and take with you to your consultation. Good luck!

Two-thirds of Spine-health.com's visitors report having sleep problems, but ... so what? Spending the long nighttime hours wincing in pain while wandering from bed, to recliner, to couch, to simply roaming the house, and finally back to bed for one last short bit of sleep. That's the real story. Exhausting. Makes me tired just reading about it.

Recent excerpts from our message board explain the real challenges of sleep problems due to chronic pain:

A new study indicates that frequently interrupted sleep can make one more susceptible to pain by altering the body's natural systems that regulate and control pain and can even lead to spontaneous painful symptoms.

What do Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison all have in common? They've all made important contributions to the advancement of mankind, they're all distinguished in their respective fields, and they were all avid power nappers.

More and more employees are spending a significant part of their afternoon staring blankly at the computer screen, or pinching themselves to stay awake during an afternoon staff meeting.