Living with sciatica pain can be challenging, particularly when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. While there are not any clear-cut solutions for people experiencing sciatic nerve pain, we are listing down some tips that may provide you enough pain relief to sleep through the night.
What is Sciatica Pain and its Causes?
Sciatica is the pain, tenderness, weakness, numbness, or tingling you feel in your leg when your sciatic nerve becomes irritated, inflamed, or compressed. Your sciatic nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower and it starts in the lower back and runs down the back of each leg. The most usual cause of sciatica is herniated or ruptured intervertebral disc and affects men and women of all ages, but it is most common among adults between the ages 30 and 50. Women are more likely to develop sciatica during pregnancy because of additional pressure placed on the sciatic nerve.
Common Symptoms of Sciatica Pain
Sciatica pain symptoms may flare up suddenly and can last anywhere from days to weeks at a time
- Lower back pain that extends to your hips, buttocks, and legs.
- It usually affects one side of the body. However, because the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve found in your body, it can cause widespread pain throughout your back and lower extremities.
- Numbness or tingling in their legs, making it difficult to stand or walk. This pain may worsen when you sit, cough, sneeze, or have a bowel movement.
What are the BEST and WORST Sleeping Positions for People with Sciatica Pain?
Many people with sciatica have difficulty sleeping at night. Lying in the wrong sleeping position can cause the pain to flare up and affect your sleeping habits. While sleeping in the best positions will help prevent neck and back pain as well as reduce snoring, wrinkles, and the symptoms associated with acid reflux.
More Tips to Sleeping with Sciatica Pain
Here are additional tips on how to catch those zzzs despite suffering from sciatica pain:
✔️ Try stretching before going to bed to alleviate sciatica pain. Follow these sciatica exercises.
✔️ Choose a firmer mattress that offers you extra lumbar support or ditch the mattress altogether and try sleeping on the floor on a yoga mat instead.
✔️ Sleep with your neck level to your spine, not above or below it.
✔️ Take a warm bath before going to bed to help relax your muscles and trigger the release of pain-relieving endorphins.
✔️ Consider sleeping with a body pillow to keep your spine, hips, and pelvis aligned properly.
✔️ Develop a nighttime routine that helps relax you – Turn off all electronic devices, including your phone and TV, to help you fall asleep quickly before you notice sciatic pain.
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Live Without Sciatica Pain
Several treatments are available to help you live without sciatica pain. Talk to our sciatica pain doctor to know more about the different treatments available for you at Comprehensive Medical Care.
Call us 732-532-3259 or schedule a same-day consultation to any of three convenient locations in New Jersey.
