The Root of All Pain?

According to Statistics Canada, more than 50% of the population struggles with the occasional or frequent inability to fall and/or stay asleep. Tossing and turning because you just can’t seem to shut your mind off is indeed agitating, however adding inflammation and pain into the mix can make sleeplessness unbearable. Even worse, is the fact that experiencing a loss of sleep due to pain increases your risk of developing depression, a condition known as “Pain Insomnia Depression Syndrome”. If the pain is interrupting your sleep, it is absolutely vital that you address the issue and the rest of this article is devoted to helping you do just that.

If the cause of your sleeplessness is a pain, then the most logical step to take is to eliminate the pain. Unfortunately, many conventional pain relief techniques, such as prescription medications, come with a high price and a bevy of unwanted side-effects. In addition, prescription and over-the-counter pain relieving drugs do not address the root of the problem and you therefore need to continue taking them, in order to receive their pain relieving effects. So what’s an insomniac in pain to do, if they don’t want to be dependent on drugs for the rest of their life? A multi-pronged approach is probably your best bet.A Warm Bath – A warm bath with Epsom salt before bed can help to not only reduce pain it will also relax you, and the magnesium you will absorb from the Epsom salts will work as a natural sleep aid.

Deep Breathing – Focus on your breathing and place both hands on your abdomen. Take in deep breaths through your nose and pay attention to how your abdomen rises and falls. As you breathe out, pay attention to your body and try to release all tension, letting your body go loose and limp. According to Dr. William Deardorff, ABPP, 5 to 10 minutes of this should help to reduce your perception of pain and encourage a restful night’s sleep.

Dietary Modifications – According to Phyllis Balch in her book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” you should avoid alcohol and stimulants such as coffee and also avoid eating a heavy meal within three hours of bedtime. Finally, in the evening include a serving of bananas, figs, grapefruit, milk, tuna, turkey, yoghurt or whole grain crackers because they are high in tryptophan, which promotes sleep, states Balch.

Reprinted with permission from Bel Marra Health.

The post The Root of All Pain? appeared first on LewRockwell.