How well did you sleep last night?
We’ve recently seen so many patients that are struggling to sleep due to all sorts of issues, especially hip pain!
You know, that nagging pain on your outer hip or groin or even the SI (sacroiliac) area that just sets in as you’re finally about to drift off into slumber… or that sore feeling after a day on your feet that just won’t go away.
While we can often ‘pretend it’s not there’ or ‘just live with it’ with the best of them, when it affects our sleep or we’re finding ourselves reaching for the ibuprofen again and again, it’s gotten to a whole new level of affecting our life!
A good night’s sleep is so important to one’s health and well-being. We all know how great we feel when we wake after a long restful night. Sleep has many benefits.
- Quality sleep is known to help our immune system stay strong
- A good night’s sleep increase your positive mood, energy and creativity
- A restful night aids in physical recovery, anxiety relief and your overall mental health
- Quality sleep aids in weight loss, lowering blood pressure and improving heart health
Are you a side sleeper?
If you are like most people, you are a side sleeper. While it is the most common position, there are many things that disrupt a good night’s sleep on your side. Hip pain while sleeping on your side is a common cause of restlessness. It can be very difficult to get comfortable if you are a side sleeper and you have pain in your hip area.
Why am I having Hip Pain while I sleep?
Hip pain while sleeping may be caused by weak muscles around your hip bone that are locked up while trying to stabilize you during sleep. Your IT band which runs from your hip to your knee may also be rubbing against your hip bone. Both of these issues could be causing irritation and pain. Rolling to the other side often does not bring relief as these muscles continue to stretch and rub. This can result in pain in both positions throughout the night.
Ways to Correct Hip Pain while Sleeping - A Helpful Video
In the following video, Dr. Sarah talks about how you can reduce your hip pain and get a better night’s sleep. A great first step is to sleep with a pillow between your knees. This will aid in reducing the pressure on your hips while sleeping. It also helps to stabilize your core and pelvis. You may need to experiment with the size and height of the pillow. While short term solutions are good, finding the root of the problem will provide long term relief. We specialize in looking for the core issue and providing treatment to address the underlying causes of your hip pain.
While these are a great place to start, there are so many more tips and tricks & gentle & natural exercises & hands on treatment that we specialize in so we can help you make sure you don’t lose sleep over your hip pain! These hands-on treatments include pelvic realignment and myofascial release.
Natural Treatments for Hip Pain Relief
- Addressing Pelvic Realignment
Your pelvis is an area that is shaped like a bowl and helps to cradle your abdominal muscles and organs. It is the foundation of our body and is so very important for hip stability, spinal alignment and comfort. Our alignment here shifts due to sitting position, walking, and over everyday activities. Symptoms of being out of alignment in the pelvis can include: SI (sacroiliac) pain, pubic symphysis pain (the joint between your pubic bones), hip pain, IT band pain/tightness, back pain and difficulty balancing on one leg. Our therapists are able to assess your pelvis and realign it with exercises and treatments to bring this area back into balance(helping the hips and much more, hooray!)
- Specialty Myofascial Release for the Hips and Pelvis
One of our main specialties at Balance Within PT is that we are all certified in the John Barnes Method of Myofascial Release. Why? Well because the fascial system is often a huge game changer for the hips and pelvic area! Fascial (connective tissue) restrictions are estimated to exert forces up to 2,000 lbs per square inch on our body. So if you’re experiencing restrictions in the fascia around your hips/IT band/pelvic area…OUCH! Quick stretches or intense deep tissue massage often yields only temporary results with releasing these tissues; what’s really needed is gentle, prolonged holds with a highly specialized PT to achieve PERMANENT releases in these structures. This is often where the magic happens to achieve those luxurious and restful nights’ sleep once more!
Our highly specialized therapists offer natural and medication free treatments to release tension and restore balance to provide relief to that annoying pain and discomfort that’s keeping you awake at night.
Some More Sleep tips for a restful night
- Look at your mattress. Try to flip and rotate your mattress to even out the pressure points. You spend anywhere from 6-9 hours on average on that mattress. Is the mattress more than 10 years old – do you need to replace it and/or upgrade it?
- Have your room be as dark, cool and as quiet as possible. Light (any form of light) can disrupt your sleep pattern
- Maintain a good sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day will aid in a well rested night. Rhythm and consistency are key.
- Avoid stimuli before bed – Screen time and certain food and drinks can disrupt your sleep. Try to avoid these at least one hour before you head to bed…
- Avoid sleep aids if possible. Many of these are habit forming and often result in you feeling groggy and tired in the morning.
- Try to exercise regularly. Movement throughout the day will increase your chances of a good night’s sleep.
- Find a few moments each day to spend outside. Sunshine provides many benefits – one of them being a natural sleep aid. Anytime of day works but morning sun (even 10 minutes) offers the most benefits.
Schedule your FREE Hip Assessment Today
Our health specialists are available to meet with you, hear your story, and answer all your questions about your unique needs and how to get you back to feeling your best!
We’d love to help give you more information about how to get on the path to better sleep, less pain and feeling like yourself again (without losing anymore sleep) – simply click the button below to inquire for more information:
Request a free hip assessment today!
Click here to request our free Ease your Hip Pain Guide – it offers helpful tips to provide relief for your pain.
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