Back pain is common (Image: Getty)
A doctor is warning people to stop drinking a common beverage after 3pm as not only will it affect your sleep, but it will make your back pain worse. Speaking on Morning Live, Dr Tom Naylor, an Orthopaedic Surgeon revealed that a whopping eight out of 10 adults will suffer from back pain in their lifetime and not only does it impact how we feel during the day, but it can affect how we sleep with it quickly becoming a “vicious cycle”.
Dr Naylor said it is a “catch-22 situation because we know that when you have bad sleep you’re more aware of the pain” with around “120 million days of work are lost” due to back pain. There are some medical causes for it he says such as “pulled muscles, strained muscles – that kind of thing. Sometimes you can have bulging discs which cause it or traps and irritated nerves. But for the vast majority, about 95% of severe back pain there’s no identical cause that’s why it’s so frustrating.”
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Discussing sleep, the doctor noted: “We all know that we’re aiming for seven and a half to eight hours of sleep. If we have less than six hours of sleep then that’s going to affect things and is going to make you feel worse and you’re going to feel more pain. But quality is really important too, so ask yourself in the daytime do you feel refreshed in the morning? Do you ever wake up without the need for an alarm clock? Do you have enough energy throughout the day? And if you haven’t had all those things then you’re not getting enough or you’re not getting as good enough quality sleep as you should be having.”
The way people feel better varies from person to person, he says, adding that “there’s a few general things that we can advise and this is what we called good sleep hygiene and that will help you get better quality sleep.”
Be cautious with your alcohol and caffeine use
The expert says that caffeine is a stimulant and will last for hours after consumed. Therefore you need to be careful how much you have – and when. He explains: “At least six hours after your cup of coffee, you’re going to be feeling it so avoid coffee or caffeine after 3pm.”
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Around 8 out of 10 adults in the UK will experience back pain throughout their lives. talks through some sleep positions which can make it feel a bit better, demonstrated by Strictly’s . Watch this in full here:
— BBC Morning Live (@BBCMorningLive)
Try relaxation methods
You want your brain to be as relaxed as possible to trying things like reading a book, meditation and listening to music can all help. All of these things can help get your mind in the right place so you can sleep and take your focus of the pain, the doctor added.
Avoid potential sleep disruptions
If you wake up during the night and find it hard to go back to sleep, you can try getting blackout blinds and other items “that would disrupt you if you wake up in the middle of the night and then we have a hard time going back to sleep.”
Your mattress
If your mattress is too old and too soft you’re going to be lying positions that are uncomfortable. But if your mattress is too hard, you’re going to get pressures in areas which will affect your sleep. The doctor says you should opt for a medium-firm mattress and “replace it every eight years or so”.
You can watch the full episode .