Sleep & Low Back Pain

Low back pain (LBP) is a common ailment that can be caused by a variety of factors, including bending, lifting, pulling, pushing, and twisting. However, other factors such as sleep can also contribute to LBP. This includes sleeping in a crooked or faulty position, such as falling asleep on a couch, in a chair, or while riding in a car, as well as lack of sleep. So how much sleep is needed to feel restored and avoid low back pain?

It has been shown that lack of sleep or chronic sleep loss can lead to serious diseases such as heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Sleepiness can also result in disasters such as the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez, and the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. With sleep deprivation, our reaction time is slowed down, making driving safety a major issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue causes more than 100,000 crashes per year with 1,500 annual crash-related deaths in the United States alone. This problem is greatest in people under 25 years old. Job-related injuries are also reportedly more frequent in workers complaining of daytime sleepiness - which also results in more sick days.

It is well documented that sleep plays a crucial role in thinking and learning. Lack of sleep impairs concentration, attention, alertness, reasoning, and general cognitive function. In essence, it makes it more difficult to learn efficiently. Additionally, getting into a deep sleep cycle plays a critical role in consolidating memories in the brain. If you don’t get to a deep sleep stage (about 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep), it’s more difficult to remember what you’ve learned.

In conclusion, it is important to prioritize getting enough quality sleep to avoid low back pain and other serious health issues. By doing so we can improve our overall health and well-being.