Fiona McMahon DPT
Anyone who has had or knows someone with a newborn knows how much sleep or lack thereof, can affect your health, comfort, and emotional well being. Here at BBPT, we see first hand how nights or even just a night of poor sleep can affect our patients’ symptoms from aches and pains, to constipation, to any chronic or acute pain condition and many more. Disrupted sleep is often the first thing we try to tackle in physical therapy because it is so integral to our patients’ health and recovery. Let’s explore some easy tips here:
Cut the screen time: There’s multiple reasons to do this. Incoming messages and news can jar us out of the relaxation we need to fall asleep. It has also been shown that the light emitted from our electronic devices can affect our sleep hormones making it harder to go to sleep.
Keep your bedroom dark: Lights emitted from chargers, light from outside can keep you awake.
Limit caffeine and alcohol intake: Both affect your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep
Keep your room cool: Your body cools as you sleep. A room that is too hot may prevent this. Keep your room around 65 degrees
Manage your aches and pains: Pain keeps you up at night. If an orthopedic condition like a shoulder injury is keeping you up at night, visit a physical therapist who can not only treat your injury, but allow you to find a comfortable sleeping position while you heal.
Manage your anxiety: So many of us suffer with anxiety and there are many ways to deal with it. From meditation, to deep breathing (include hyperlink), to restorative yogaand meditation, to mental health therapy, there is something that can help. Take the time to find what works for you.
Sources
https://sleepfoundation.org/bedroom/see.php. Accessed: November 30, 2016
