How to sleep with cervical osteochondrosis

The treatment of any disease involves a set of measures that should be carried out to bring the body back to normal. Cervical osteochondrosis is not an exception. In order to get rid of the disease, it is necessary not only to take medicines, but also to massage, use external medications, observe the mode of work and rest, monitor the position of the body. But the main thing is a dream. Proper sleep in cervical osteochondrosis plays a fundamental role. After all, with this disease, some vital vessels and blood flow can be blocked, and the correct posture can correct this situation. In this article you will learn what is cervical osteochondrosis, get acquainted with the basic postures for sleeping with this disease, as well as read about the treatment of this disease.

What is cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, consisting in dystrophy of articular cartilage, small bone tissues, intervertebral disks. Osteochondrosis can be thoracic, cervical, lumbar - depending on the location. This is quite a serious disease that should not be neglected. In severe cases, it can lead to severe and intolerable pain, as well as irreversible effects and damage to the spine. In rare cases, osteochondrosis can cause disability. Therefore, if you are faced with this disease - do not delay the trip to the doctor, contact a specialist as soon as possible. Indeed, the earlier a disease is diagnosed, the more effective its treatment will be.

The main symptom of cervical osteochondrosis is pain in the neck, which intensifies during motor activity. Not many people attach great importance to this factor and justify it with the words “chilled, stayed late in one position”. In the later stages of the disease, the patient may experience dizziness, general weakness of the body, nausea, vomiting, changes in blood pressure, and even fainting.All this is due to the fact that inflammatory processes simply block the blood supply, the outflow of blood is disturbed. Cervical osteochondrosis is considered to be the most dangerous because the brain is deprived of a blood supply.

The causes of cervical osteochondrosis are diverse. Most often, osteochondrosis develops due to excessive load on the spine. This is observed when lifting heavy loads, when overweight, when wearing heels or in difficult work that requires constant standing. Dystrophy of the muscular frame, flat feet, sedentary lifestyle, incorrect posture - all this can provoke the development of osteochondrosis. Cervical osteochondrosis can develop after spinal cord injuries, with hormonal changes (pregnancy and menopause), with a lack of certain vitamins. In any case, a neuropathologist should deal with osteochondrosis. And one of the main conditions for recovery is a competent sleep technique.

How to sleep with cervical osteochondrosis

Here are the rules and recommendations that will help make sleep complete and painless.

1. Pose during sleep for any violations of the musculoskeletal system should be as natural and physiological. This means that the neck should be slightly pushed forward. To do this, be sure to use a pillow. Sleep is recommended on the back and on the side. If you are sleeping on your back, you need to put a towel or blanket under your knees so as not to put additional strain on the lumbar section. Lying on your side, bend your knees to adopt the fetal position.
2. In case of cervical osteochondrosis, you should never sleep on your stomach, because in this position the cervical blood flow is clamped even more, the blood flow is disturbed.
3. Pay attention to the quality of the mattress. It should be quite elastic and soft at the same time. Orthopedic mattresses of medium hardness are best suited.
4. It is very important to competently approach the choice of pillows. It must be sufficiently dense and rigid so that the head does not fall down and the neck is not suspended. Pay attention to the size of the pillow - its edges should end before the shoulder line, that is, only the head and neck should be on the pillow, but not the shoulders.
5. The pillow must be 10-12 cm tall, not more, otherwise the head will be in an unnaturally elevated position. The pillow should be rectangular and wide enough so that the edges are wider than your shoulders. Oval and round pillows are best left for decorative interior decoration.
6. When choosing a pillow, pay attention to its content. Buckwheat husk is a great alternative to an orthopedic pillow - it enhances blood flow due to massage effect. A pillow with small helium balloons is also perfect for patients with cervical osteochondrosis, since this filler perfectly keeps the head and neck in a natural position. Cushions with bamboo fibers can be purchased for the long term - they not only maintain their head position, but also retain their original shape for many years.
7. As a rule, the quality of sleep is more dependent on the pillow, and in case of cervical osteochondrosis - all the more. If you want to raise the pillow with your hands, if you often toss and turn in your sleep, and in the morning you wake up in a broken mood and with petrified shoulders - most likely, it's a pillow - you need to change it.

Follow these simple guidelines to ensure that your sleep is healthy and that your rest is complete. But one sleep in the fight against osteochondrosis is not enough, you need to know some more ways to treat it.

How to cure osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a complex disease that cannot be cured with a single pill. Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a complex of measures that should be observed for a long time - from several months to a year. Here are some tips and advice that will help you in dealing with this unpleasant disease.

1. Drug treatment. Drug treatment is aimed at strengthening the bone tissue, which will stop the process of cartilage joints. In addition, well-chosen drug therapy will help to stop the pain, which sometimes can be just unbearable. In case of cervical osteochondrosis, various therapeutic blockades are effectively used.
2. Physiotherapy procedures. They are aimed at improving blood circulation in the affected tissues, at relieving a painful symptom. In the treatment of osteochondrosis is used Dorsonval, the effects of magnetic fields, ultrasound, laser, etc.
3. Physiotherapy. Physical therapy is the main condition for recovery and depends largely on the integrity and patience of the patient. Exercises are aimed at improving blood circulation in the affected tissues, at strengthening the muscular system, at restoring the distance between the vertebrae. The load should be moderate, distributed throughout the musculoskeletal system. Exercise for the first time is better under the supervision of a physiotherapist.
4. Massage. This is another way to improve blood circulation in the tissues. The massage can be performed by the doctor or the patient himself. Separately, I would like to say about manual therapy - a well-executed set of procedures will significantly speed up recovery. Hydromassage is also effective against osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, when water is supplied to the affected areas under high pressure. This is quite serious, but at the same time a delicate massage, which activates the metabolic processes in cartilage and bone tissues.
5. Ointments and gels. You can get rid of pain with osteochondrosis with the help of anti-inflammatory and warming ointments and gels.
6. Horizontal bar. In the fight against osteochondrosis, such a procedure as stretching the spine is very important. It is usually performed on special medical equipment. This allows you to increase the intervertebral space, relieve inflammation and pain. But at home, the spine can be pulled out with a simple hover on the horizontal bar.
7. Nutrition. Separately, I would like to say about nutrition. Proper diet will help fill the deficit of many vitamins and minerals. Eat more dairy products to saturate the body with calcium. Vitamin D, which is needed for the prevention of rickets, is found in butter, fatty fish, butter. Eat jelly - it is very useful for any thinning of cartilage tissue.
8. Folk recipes. This is another missing puzzle, without which the treatment of osteochondrosis would be long and ineffective. Various folk recipes allow you to influence the structure of cartilage tissue, relieve pain, provide a warming effect. It is very useful to apply rye dough, a compress of black radish, vodka and honey, and sabelnik tincture to the neck. Effectively smear the neck with turpentine.

These are the main directions in which you should act if you want to get rid of osteochondrosis once and for all.

Sleep quality plays a very important role, especially if a person suffers from cervical osteochondrosis. A healthy full sleep is the key to a successful and productive working day. A wrong posture, a mattress or a pillow will make your day broken, you will feel bad, you can’t talk about productive work. Therefore, when choosing a mattress and a pillow, you should not look at the price tag - the quality of products should be fundamental for you. And then the bedding will pay off in the shortest possible time. After all, health is the most expensive!

Video: how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis