Tennis elbow is a serious discomfort that frequently becomes worse with time and interferes with sleep than how to sleep with tennis elbow. Anyone who performs repetitive motions frequently may develop tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), a disorder where the tendons around the elbow get swollen and uncomfortable from overuse (not just tennis players).
Regular daily activities like brushing your teeth or holding your coffee cup can become painful as it usually begins as sporadic discomfort. Additionally, it can hurt even when the arm is at rest or immobile, such as while you sleep.
Tennis elbow aside, the majority of us in the United States already have trouble getting enough sleep in our constantly linked world. Adults should sleep for seven to nine hours every night, yet at least one-third of them don’t. Over time, sleep deficiency can cause fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritation, as well as illnesses including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.
How To Sleep With Tennis Elbow
Keeping your tennis elbow in a posture that doesn’t exacerbate the irritation is difficult when you’re trying to sleep with it. This presents a little difficulty for side sleepers because they typically tuck their arms beneath their heads or pillows.
While healing from the tennis elbow, you should sleep on your back and make an effort to maintain your arms in a straightened, more relaxed position. It is beneficial to have pillows on either side of you to support your arms.
This gives your elbows a private area of comfort and keeps your spine in alignment, which might help you sleep better despite any lingering pain. Tennis elbow can make it difficult to fall asleep, therefore the best ways to do so are to lie on your back with your arms by your sides, use a hybrid mattress with memory foam on top, wear the right elbow brace, successfully manage discomfort, and use herbal teas in place of painkillers.
Tennis Elbow Causes And Symptoms
Tennis elbow affects about 10 million Americans annually, so chances are if you’re reading this blog you either have it yourself or know someone who does. The effects on the arm are the same whether it was brought on by playing tennis, playing video games, riding, working out, or doing other things.
Repetitive motions of the muscles and tendons in the forearm and arm, which result in minute rips, produce this overuse ailment. These tears cause the tendon to become inflamed, irritated, painful, and degenerate over time. These signs include:
Not only can these sensations be brought on by exercising, using a computer mouse, or lifting weights, but also by carrying a suitcase, twisting a doorknob, shaking your hands, or bumping elbows. In addition, a lot of people who have tennis elbow discover that the pain interacts with or keeps them awake at night.
Tennis elbow: Getting through the day
Certain daily actions may become more difficult if you have a tennis elbow. You could ask a friend or loved one to make sure that the everyday items you need to use are in places that are simple for you to access so you don’t strain your elbow.
You can also apply ice to your elbow a few times a day to help with pain relief and inflammation reduction. For around 15 minutes, place an ice pack on the elbow. Before applying more ice, you should let yourself at least an hour to wait. Any more often can cause the blood vessels to contract, increasing the agony.
Additionally, you should rest your arm. In order to complete tasks or convince yourself that you are strong, don’t try to push past the discomfort. Things will only become worse as a result. If you take care of yourself, you ought to be able to use your arm again in a decent amount of time.
Why Do My Elbow Pains When I Sleep?
It doesn’t necessarily require mobility to feel irritating because the deterioration is continuing due to the tendon’s ongoing injury from repetitive activity. It simply hurts, regrettably. Additionally, because tendons have weak circulation and a decreased blood supply, they mend very slowly on their own without medical intervention.
Additionally, due to lack of activity and decreased circulation while resting, especially as we age, muscles and connective tissues can become tight and somewhat stiff while sleeping.
Sleeping arrangements for your arms and body might increase stress and make the discomfort worse. Sleeping on the injured arm, raising your arms over your head, rolling onto, or twisting, your forearm can all make the injury worse.
Tennis Elbow: How to Sleep and Stay Awake
It is definitely necessary to find ways to relax when dealing with this bothersome disease because interrupted or lack of sleep brings a plethora of additional concerns that severely impact everyday living. To find what works best for you, you might need to test a few different things. Naturally, speak with your doctor if nothing works.
Before going to bed, use heat: Heating the elbow before bed with a warm bath, hot compress, heating pad, or topical treatment like Bengay or Icy Hot can help promote circulation and relaxation.
Over the elbow, put on a loose-fitting sleeve: Choose a light neoprene version or even socks with the toe area cut out instead of constricting braces and compression sleeves that cut off circulation. In addition to stabilizing the forearm and preserving heat, loose support can help relieve pressure on the injured muscles and tendon.
For elbow support, use a pillow: A pillow placed under your arm might add additional external support and lessen the strain on the area.
If you have a problem, sleep on your side: This might sound like a no-brainer, but if you prefer to sleep on your side or stomach, it can be difficult. It can be challenging to fall asleep in a new position. Additionally, once you’re asleep, you’re likely to move around, and at that point, everything is out of the question.
FAQ’S
According to reports, tennis elbow discomfort is at its worst in the morning, researchers look for a pathological process while they were asleep. If the arm is overhead and pressure is placed on the lateral elbow, a “pathological sleep position” was theorized that repeatedly aggravates an elbow lesion.
Try lying on your back with the affected arm parallel to the floor. To help keep your body and arm in place, use positioning pillows or folded blankets. A damaged arm should not be subjected to pressure. This will aid in reducing elbow pain or swelling.
Some claim that wearing a brace to keep your wrist or elbow straight would assist reduce pain while you sleep at night. This might be effective, but it might also backfire.