Pain Relief - What Came First, The Pain Or The Sleep Deprivation?

How much sleep should you be getting? It’s the question that seems to plague American during National Sleep Awareness Week, and it’s a question that even the experts don’t have a definite answer for. When it comes to pain relief and pain management at treatment centers like The Pain Center of Arizona, getting enough sleep is crucial to facilitating positive treatment results.



According to a Time Magazine report back in 2008, the average adult would need between 6.5 and 7.5 hours of sleep a night to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid risks like heart disease and depression associated with too much or too little sleep. But that was back in 2008.



A study in 2010 concluded that as we get older, we actually need less sleep to stay healthy and avoid illness. The study, conducted in the UK, found the following:



Age 20-30: 433.5 minutes (7.23 hours)
Age 40-55: 409.9 minutes (6.83 hours)
Age 66-83: 390.4 minutes (6.51 hours)



Sleep is an extremely studied topic in science, and yet still a very misunderstood topic. No one truly knows how much sleep we need to be getting to stay healthy. However, we do know that American’s are getting just as much sleep now as we were 40 years ago, even though it may seem like the exact opposite.



So, what happens when we sleep that can help facilitate pain relief management? According to Discovery Health, there are four main theories behind the benefits of sleep; Adaptive Theory, Energy Conservation Theory, Restorative Theory and Programming-Reprogramming Theory.

• Adaptive Theory
This theory holds that sleep improves an animal's likelihood of survival. Those with sleeping habits appropriate to their environment are most likely to survive. Nocturnal species have very different sleep habits than diurnal hunters, for example, making them more likely to flourish.
• Energy Conservation Theory
Fast-moving animals with high metabolisms sleep more than those that burn calories more slowly, thereby conserving their energy for sprints.
• Restorative Theory
According to this theory, the body restores itself during sleep. Researchers know that neurotoxins are neutralized during sleep, and have reported that cells divide, tissue synthesizes and growth hormones are released during slow-wave (or non-REM) sleep. Athletes, for example, spend more time in slow-wave sleep (Stages 3 and 4) than others, and children and young people spend a larger portion of their sleep in slow-wave sleep than older people.
• Programming-Reprogramming Theory
This theory holds that unimportant information is "erased" and important information is locked into more permanent memory. Infants, who are acquiring information at a rate faster than at any other point during life, sleep most. All sleep may not be equal for reinforcing learning, however. Recent research indicates that REM sleep may be the key. Babies and children experience a larger portion of REM sleep than adults, and adults who are in school or undergoing intense intellectual training increase their amount of REM sleep. When people are deprived of REM sleep they are less adept at creative problem solving.



Within all of the above theories, the underlining benefit of sleep is to rejuvenate the body, the cells, and overall energy. When patients are battling migraines, for example, sleep plays a great role. In one study, undertaken by the University of North Carolina, researchers found that many times it’s not the pain that keeps patients awake, rather it’s the wakefulness that brings the chronic pain.



Improved sleep habits literally took away much of the migraine pain. "We've known for a long time that going to bed at the right time [and] getting up at the same time are things we have always taught our headache patients to do [to avoid headaches]," Stephen Silberstein, MD tells WebMD. "I think it is a good study and it's important. What it really tells us is patients with migraine need regularity in their lives."



So, how can you improve your sleep habits during National Sleep Awareness Week? First off, it’s best to stick to a schedule. We are creatures of habit, and pain relief management is best benefited by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. Second, avoid caffeine and exercise up to four hours before bed time. Third, the bedroom should be for sleep, not TV watching or working. Fourth, keep the room dark. Too much light confuses the body’s natural reactions. Finally, if you are having trouble falling asleep, try soothing sounds in the background.



National Sleep Awareness Week is a time when you should take a moment to evaluate your sleep habits. If you are undergoing pain relief treatment, it would benefit you to discuss your sleep habits with your physician or pain consultant. Keep in mind, the pain might not be keeping you awake; it just might be the lack of sleep that is keeping you in pain.



Sources:
http://health.discovery.com/centers/sleepdreams/basics/basics_02.html
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/20061101/improve-sleep-ha...