Have you ever thought about the role that sleep plays in injury recovery?
Apart from the misconception that immobility and abstinence from exercise help recovery, there is also a lack of awareness of the importance of sleep as a component of a treatment plan.
Whether we are talking about high-level athletes or elderly patients with chronic pain, sleep plays an important role in the healing of injuries and injuries.
“Every injury essentially escapes thanks to the body’s ability to heal itself”
If we think about it, the body has no other opportunity for reconstruction in the day beyond sleep.
Therefore the quantity and the quality of sleep are catalysts in the healing process.
It is important for the therapist to obtain sufficient information about the patient’s sleeping habits. It is an essential part of a holistic clinical reasoning.
1-2 days of poor sleep will of course have no impact on a treatment plan.
However, restless sleep on a daily basis can significantly slow down the healing process or intensify painful symptoms in chronic cases.
How is the sleep-recovery correlation scientifically explained?
The process of sleep is not as simple as it seems. While we have our eyes closed, various organic changes occur depending on what stage of sleep we are in.
As far as healing is concerned, 4 important physical changes occur
1) Energy availability: During sleep, due to reduced function of all organs, the body has the ‘luxury’ of redistributing available energy reserves. Thus a significant amount of energy is available for regeneration and healing of tissues, including the tissues of musculoskeletal structures.
2) Growth hormone production: This hormone is responsible for the production of new cells, such as during muscle growth. When we sleep the body produces the necessary amounts of growth hormone. During deep sleep the hormone is distributed to the points where there is a need in order to start the healing and regeneration process.
3) Prolactin production: prolactin is a hormone with anti-inflammatory properties and helps a lot in reducing pain and other symptoms of musculoskeletal injuries. Prolactin is mainly released during the deep sleep phase and is distributed to the inflamed areas.
4) Blood circulation: Sleep is a prime opportunity for the body to send more blood to tissues that are in the process of regeneration. It is typical that up to 40% of blood can be saved from reduced brain function. An amount capable of super-hemorrhaging and providing oxygen and nutrients to a musculoskeletal structure in the regeneration phase.
8 tips for a quality sleep
Having made clear the importance of sleep in injury recovery, let’s look at the 8 most important tips we can give our patients.
1)Get enough sleep.
Studies say that 7-9 hours is enough for the body to carry out all the processes that will bring about rest and regeneration.
2)Choose the right mattress.
Choosing the right mattress for your needs is critical.
Of equal importance is the choice of pillow.
Don’t forget that you leave your body for 8 full hours on these materials. Choose an orthopedic mattress, an anatomical pillow and give your body the ability to regenerate on a proper, ergonomic, discomfort-free base.
3)Pay attention to your sleeping posture.
Especially in the musculoskeletal structure that is in the rehabilitation phase, make sure that it is in an advantageous position.
For example, you should not sleep “on” an injured shoulder. Sleep with the injured side up.
4)Relax the brain.
2 hours before bedtime avoid using mobile phones, bright colors in the eyes, violent movies, reading negative events and anything that will put the brain in heightened mode.
Prefer to read a pleasant novel, listen to relaxing music or simply chat with loved ones.
5)Watch your diet and avoid a heavy meal.
Ideally eat the last meal 3-4 hours before bedtime to help the body use the blood circulation for regeneration rather than digestion.
6)Fix your sleep schedule.
Try, at least on the days that you perform a therapeutic program, to sleep close to the 22.00 to 6.00 hours as these are the most hormonally beneficial hours for the body.
7)The room environment plays an important role.
Sleep in as dark and quiet an environment as possible without any stimuli that may interrupt your sleep. Also adjust the temperature to 19-20 degrees. Do not wear tight clothes as they affect microcirculation, especially that of the lymphatic system.
8)Watch the way you wake up and get out of bed.
Wake up as calmly as possible and give the body some time to get back on track. Help the injured structure return to motion in a careful manner, including according to your therapist’s recommendations.
Notice positive changes in the course of your treatment in the first minutes after waking up, it will help you in good psychology and indirectly in the issue you are concerned about.
Poor sleep and lack of rest may be a stumbling block to your treatment plan that you had not considered. Counsel your patient appropriately and make the recovery process even easier.
Morochliadis Stefanos
Physiotherapist PT,MT,RFL, Formthotics specialist
