5 Steps to Care for a Sore Back

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Nearly everyone has some form of back pain at some point in their lives. The issues get worse as we age. Recent articles in the news and medical journals have stated that, most back pain does not require surgery. Also, surgery is no guarantee of long-term benefits and only nominally, short-term benefits. For most people with back pain, therefore, the best you can hope for is to manage your pain and discomfort. I recommend visiting your Doctor first to ensure there aren't more serious reasons for your pain.

The suggestions below for caring for a sore back are geared towards people with mild to moderate back pain. Chronic pain may require more extensive treatment. The 5 steps to care for a sore back are:

1. Lose Weight Carrying around too much extra weight, especially around the mid-section, puts additional strain on the lower back. Eating properly, and exercising (discussed below) are two great ways, which, taken together, can reduce lower back pain.

2. Exercise. Exercise is a universal "elixir" which is named in reducing the probability of a number of possible ailments such as heart disease. Cardiovascular work can help by reducing and maintaining weight. Weight lifting should also be a part of any exercise routine. Specific areas to focus on in order to help reduce back pain are: stomach, which helps take some of the strain off of overworked back muscles; legs, which can help by allowing you to keep and maintain proper alignment when squatting or bending to lift objects; back, the muscles in the back can be strengthened as well. It's best to consult with your Doctor and, perhaps, a licensed physical therapist or trainer before beginning any workout out routine in order to ensure you do things properly. There are a number of back stretching exercises you can do to ease the stress and pain in your back. Your Doctor, physical therapist, or chiropractor will have more information.

3. Not overusing your back. Learn not to use only your back when lifting objects. It's best to squat, keeping your back straight, and using your legs to lift an object from the floor. Other "tricks' include: using your "off hand" to brace yourself while you lift with your "strong hand"; leaning on your knee or other object when bending over so as not to have your back do all the work; and getting help if needed, don't try to do it all yourself.

4. Back Treatments. There are a number of treatments you can do to help ease the pain in your back. You can have a chiropractor manipulate the muscles and bones in your back. You can apply heat, or in some cases, cold. You can get a massage. There are a number of massage devices on the market, some of which are pretty good. Not all work the same for everyone so it's best to experiment. Make sure you can try before you buy one of these products or at least make sure you understand the store's return policy.

5. Having a comfortable bed Poor mattresses are one of the biggest factors in the cause of back pain. If you sleep on an uncomfortable mattress, you're sleeping in a poor position for long periods at a time. To help alleviate those problems, mattresses should be flipped or turned every few months. If your mattress is older than 12-15 years old, you should consider replacing it. Some alternatives to traditional box spring beds are: foam padded; mechanical adjustable; and air beds and mattress. Air beds and mattresses are good because their firmness is adjustable and they conform more properly to your shape; helping maintain proper spinal alignment while you sleep. Most of the non-traditional beds can be pretty pricey. Even most of the "air" beds are pretty pricey going up to thousands of dollars. One less expensive alternative is an air mattress. Air mattresses have matured over the years. You can even get a full-sized bed that's the same height as a traditional bed, frame and box springs. The most expensive of these, made by Aero, cost under $400.00. Some even come with dual controls where each side of the bed can adjust the firmness independently.  

These are just a few suggestions to help ease mild to moderate back pain. I can't stress enough, however, that you get the opinion of your Doctor before beginning any type of treatment or exercise program. Also, a bed is an important part of helping reduce back pain, consider one of the cheaper air beds as an alternative to traditional box spring beds.

Getting to Sleep Quick - 6 Tips

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Many people have problems falling asleep at night, often because their minds keep running at full-speed even though they feel physically tired. I used to have problems falling asleep at night, but now I'm out within minutes - maybe even seconds - of the light going out. Here are six techniques that have helped me get to that point:

1) Keep a regular sleep schedule. This gets your mind and body into a routine. My light goes out somewhere between 9:45 and 10:15 pm almost every night. I know that may seem ridiculously early to some of you, but up here in northern New England people seem to go to bed and wake up earlier than other places I've lived.

2) Stay away from reading fiction before bed. I love a good novel, but fiction stimulates your imagination and does not help you relax your mind and get to sleep. Before I adopted this practice, I can't tell you how many times I'd stay awake late to finish a chapter or even a whole book. And then my mind would still be thinking about the book after I turned off the light. Now, I pick nonfiction instead. Yes, nonfiction can be interesting, but it rarely gets my mental energy going like a good thriller. Mental energy is not what you want when trying to fall asleep.

3) Take a few minutes to quiet your mind. This will help stop that ceaseless thinking. Ways to quiet your mind are: slow and deepen your breathing; think of a few things that went well with the day and be grateful for them; release the emotions attached to anything that didn't go well; stop consciously thinking about things. That last one means to stop trying to think about any issues you have, and stop consciously putting your attention on them. If something is still on your mind, write it down on a notepad next to the bed and resolve to deal with it tomorrow. This is really an important step because if you haven't released something that's bothering you before you try to go to sleep, you'll be replaying it over and over unless you have extremely good control of your thoughts.

4) Keep away from any form of caffeine after 1:00 pm in the afternoon. No coffee, decaf, tea or soda with caffeine. If you are susceptible to the effects of caffeine, it will make it harder for you to quiet your mind when you want to sleep. If I have a Coke at three in the afternoon, I'll feel tired but unable to sleep until midnight. (Another note: I can also always tell if there was MSG in my Chinese dinner because my heart will be thumping and I'll be wide awake staring at the ceiling at 1 am.)

5) Focus on your body and relax one area at a time starting at your feet. This both helps your body physically relax and helps you keep your attention on something other than your to-do list, what's going on at work, how mad you are at someone, etc...

6) Visualize walking down an endless stairwell. Keep your attention on your feet as you visualize your walking. This is similar to number 5 above. Giving your attention to something mindless and repetitive helps your brain shut down.

Those are my tips for how to fall asleep quickly at night. They work for me, and if you have a sleep problem, I hope that maybe they can work for you too.