How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is really important for your health.  Lack of sleep has been shown to cause blood sugar problems, heart disease, poor work performance and increases in musculoskeletal pain.  Along with many other health problems.

When you sleep, your body repairs itself.  If you aren’t sleeping well or long enough, the body tends to get broken down.  You also have more pain when you haven’t slept enough.

Here are some keys to a good night’s sleep:

1. Get your body adjusted.  Body alignment problems can irritate your nervous system, causing it to be overstimulated.  You will feel uncomfortable or unable to wind down enough to sleep.  Getting chiropractic care relieves nervous tension and helps you to sleep.
2. Make sure your mattress and pillows are correct.  A firm mattress is necessary to support your spine along with a pillow set at the proper height.  This is a BIG key to getting comfortable and waking up without pain.  If you wake up with pain, something is wrong with how you are sleeping.  If you sleep on your back, be as flat as possible.  If you are on your side, use a higher pillow.  Stay off your stomach.
3. Don’t eat too much sugar.  Eating sugar can cause your blood sugar to drop in the middle of the night.  This is a big reason why people wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep.

The best company to get a mattress from is called Chiromatic Sleep Systems.  You can check them out at www.chiromatic.com.  The Mattress model we like is the 5842 for adults and the 5840 for kids.  They have a 15 year warranty, which is un-heard of in the industry.  Most mattress warranties are 5 years.  They have a 30 day sleep warranty, you can sleep on it for 30 days and if you don’t like it, you can send it back. They also come to your house to deliver it and they haul the old one away.

The prices are very comparable to mattresses you would get at other mattress stores.  The 5842 goes for $999.00 twin, $1299 full, $1499 queen and $1799 king.   The 5840 goes for $799 twin, $899 full, $1099 queen and $1399 king.  You can contact our office for more information on ordering.  Call 262-251-8306.

If you like taking a short nap, check out www.powernap.com.  They have a CD I use and really like.  It’s like getting 3 hours of sleep in 20 minutes.  I like it a lot and it works really well.  They also have a product called Fibronap which is helpful for fibromyalgia sufferers who need to enhance different sleep cycles.  I like the products, and they are cheap and easy to use.  All the data is on their site.

For more information on how I treat fibromyalgia and back pain log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com  or www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

What is the Best Mattress for Your Back?

Contrary to what to what most mattress store salesmen will tell you, firm surfaces are better for your back.  Soft mattresses allow your body to slump and curve into positions that put stress on the discs and joints.  As a result, you will wake up with pain.

Almost all the mattresses out there are too soft.  I think the basic reason everything is made so soft is that soft materials cost more and it justifies the expense of a mattress.  Firm mattresses are usually cheaper.

Good firm mattresses are often ruined by putting a pillow top on them.  Don’t use pillow tops.

All the exotic foam mattresses like Swedish, memory or tepur are too soft as well.  Many people who get these will have relief from pain when sleeping, but will wake up groggy and dizzy.  They will feel this way until their spine starts to tighten up as they get active.  Once it does this, they won’t feel groggy, but they will feel pain.  This is an effect of having too little support for the spine during sleep.

What is the best mattress?  Anything that’s firm.  I tell my patients to go to the store and ask for the firmest mattress they have.  In today’s world of mattresses, that will do it.  I haven’t found any that are too hard.  I often tell my back pain patients to sleep on the floor and 90% of them are surprised to find out how comfortable it is.

If you feel that the surface is too hard adjust your pillow height until the pressure is relieved.  If you are a side sleeper you will need your pillow to be higher.  If you sleep on your back, the pillow must be very flat.  Sometimes even just a few layers of a towel is all you need.

You should never undergo any type of treatment on your spine without addressing your mattresses and pillows.  Any treatment will be doomed to fail if you don’t let your spine properly rest and heal.

To find out more about how I treat back pain, log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com

How Do I Know When My Mattress Is Going Bad?

There are a few ways to know if your mattress is going bad.

First, if it is more than ten years old, stick a fork in it, its done.  Its shot, its gone.  I don’t care what its was made out of, it won’t last ten years.

Second, if its between five and ten years old, it is suspect.  It might still be good, but you need to evaluate it a little closer.  Does it look like its sagging?  Are there pits in it?  Do you feel pain in the morning?  If so, something is wrong with the mattress.

Sometimes you can flip it, sometimes you can put a board between the mattress and box-spring, you can even try switching sides with your partner.  But, these are stopgap measures that will get you by until you can get a better mattress.

What kind of mattress should you get?

The firmer the better.  As firm as you can. This flies in the face of every mattress salesman in the country, but my clinical experience, the clinical experience of other doctors and the research shows that a firm surface is best.

Most of the stuff on the market today is way too soft.  The exotic foams they use make it like sleeping on a bag of marshmallows.  Not good for the spine.

For more information on pillows, mattresses and spinal health log on to my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com.

For more information on back pain, log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com.

How Do I Know When My Mattress Is Going Bad?

There are a few ways to know if your mattress is going bad.

First, if it is more than ten years old, stick a fork in it, its done.  Its shot, its gone.  I don’t care what its was made out of, it won’t last ten years.

Second, if its between five and ten years old, it is suspect.  It might still be good, but you need to evaluate it a little closer.  Does it look like its sagging ?  Are there pits in it ?  Do you feel pain in the morning ?  If so, something is wrong with the mattress.

Sometimes you can flip it, sometimes you can put a board between the mattress and box-spring, you can even try switching sides with your partner.  But, these are stopgap measures that will get you by until you can get a better mattress.

What kind of mattress should you get ?

The firmer the better.  As firm as you can. This flies in the face of every mattress salesman in the country, but my clinical experience, the clinical experience of other doctors and the research shows that a firm surface is best.

Most of the stuff on the market today is way too soft.  The exotic foams they use make it like sleeping on a bag of marshmallows.  Not good for the spine.

For more information on pillows, mattresses and spinal health log on to my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com.

For more information on back pain, log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com.

Mattresses, Pillows and Back Pain

I am often asked, “what is the best kind of mattress for my back?” The answer may surprise you..

Contrary to what is currently being sold in every mattress store in the country, I suggest that you sleep on a firm mattress.  Pillow-tops, memory foam, Swedish foam, water-beds and gel- beds are all too soft.  Way too soft.

You see, your spine needs support at night. It needs a steady, firm surface so it can rest and your discs can get re-hydrated.  If the mattress is too soft, you will not relieve the pressure on the discs.  They will never recuperate at night, leaving you more prone to spinal degeneration.

People mistakenly believe that when they have sore spots or “pressure points” when they sleep, they need a softer mattress.  When in fact, what they need to do is change their pillow height.

If you sleep on your side, you need to have your head propped up slightly.  Most people have a pillow that is too low.  The low height causes you to get more pressure on your shoulders and you will inevitably toss and turn.  Slightly propping up the head will take pressure off your shoulders and make it possible for you to stay in one position all night.

If you sleep on your back, you need to be as flat as possible.  Just a few layers of a towel under your head is often all you need. If what is under your head is too big, you will feel like you need to put something under your knees to take pressure off your back.  Or, you will feel like you need a softer surface.  Don’t make these mistakes, use a firm surface with the correct pillow height.

If you wake up sore, stiff, dizzy or with a headache, something is wrong with your mattress or pillow.  Work with the pillow height first because it is easiest to change.  If that doesn’t work, look at your mattress.  Mattresses never last more than 10 years and if your mattress is over 5 years old, it is probably getting worn out.

I recommend one of three options for a new mattress.

1) Go to a mattress store and ask for the firmest mattress they have and don’t listen to what the salesman says about how “softer is better”.  Softer is more expensive, it feels good to lay on for a few minutes in the store, but in the long run, it is bad for your back.

2)  I recommend the Sleep Number Bed basic model.  (The one without memory foam.)  The foam makes these too soft.  The Sleep Number can be pumped up firmer than most mattresses, it costs the same and it has a 10 year warranty.  A sleep number above 80 with the correct pillow height works great.

3)  The Mercedes Benz of mattresses can be found on www.new-chiropractic-solutions.com.  They also sell an adjustable height pillow that is great for side sleepers.

Watch for a video on my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com that will explain how to sleep.

For more information on how I treat back pain, sciatica, degenerative discs and spinal stenosis, log on to www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com and order a copy of my free information.