Pain after sleep: what does your body signal?
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The biological and physiological significance of pain for higher animals and humans is enormous, because pain is a "signal" about the danger that threatens the organism: trauma, the destructive effect of infection, malfunctioning of some organ. When there is pain, the defenses of the body come to full "combat readiness" - to eliminate painful irritations and their negative impact. And often the first to give an alarm is the pain after sleep.
[Causes of pain after sleep
Pain after sleep arises from a negative effect on the body and its individual parts as external damaging factors (trauma, adverse weather conditions, chemicals, etc.), and internal. With the external everything is clear: every person perceives them, as they say "in real time," and in this case, for example, pain in the legs after sleep, which appeared after a long stay on the feet, does not cause questions ...
But with internal algogenic factors (that is, factors that cause pain ), everything is much more complicated and ... More dangerous. Internal causes of pain after sleep include: acute or chronic inflammatory processes, the presence of infection, dysfunction of the organ or the whole system, benign or malignant neoplasms, changes in the innervation of internal organs, decreased blood supply to the body, organ or tissue area.
At the same time, psychoemotional and vegetative manifestations of pain are so diverse (and in many cases are of an individual nature) that the true causes of pain after sleep - especially chronic pain - can only be achieved by a physician who has sufficient clinical experience who, on the basis of the results of analyzes and a comprehensive examination, will put the right diagnosis.
But, unfortunately, people rarely turn to doctors with such complaints. In addition, neuropathic pain after sleep, which is caused by injuries in somatosvitseralnoy sensory system of man, in most cases has a psychogenic etiology and therefore is diagnosed extremely rarely.
Pain in the back after sleep
Back pain after a dream comes from the uncharacteristic physiology of the position of the body during sleep, with traumatic spine injury, spinal cord spasms, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, curvature of the spine (scoliosis), excessive body weight, and pregnancy in later periods.
The most simple and common cause of back pain after sleep is the posture in which a person rests at night. Orthopedists believe that it is best to sleep on their side, with the shoulder should not be on the pillow, but on the mattress, and the space between the head and shoulder should be filled with a small pillow. Therefore, one should abandon large square pillows, replacing them with small square ones. This recommendation concerns, first of all, those who have problems with the cervical spine, in particular cervical osteochondrosis.
Pain in the spine after sleep often torments lovers to sleep on their stomachs. As a rule, with such a pose, the head is turned to the side, because of which the blood vessels are squeezed. A dream on the back does not allow the spine to relax, so in the morning a person can feel back pain.
Back pain after a dream can be caused by lumbar radiculitis (radiculopathy), lumbago (lumbar region), destruction of the lumbar intervertebral disc, mixing or prolapse of the disc (hernia), traumatic stretching of the muscular tissues. In addition, back pain after sleeping, giving to the lower abdomen, accompanies kidney stone disease, and in women is associated with some gynecological diseases, for example, with endometriosis.
Pain in the neck after sleep
Pain in the neck after sleep is a symptom of such widespread pathologies of the cervical spine as cervical osteochondrosis and spondylosis, migelosis, muscle hernia.
Pain in the neck, giving back to the head, in the mornings torment those who have sedentary work and move little. It is their most common manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis, as well as cervical spondylosis, in which cracks of cartilaginous discs lead to attacks of acute pain in the neck, in the neck, and in the shoulders.
Because of drafts, abnormal posture and nervous overstrain, a nodule can be formed in the muscular tissues of the neck (migelosis), which provoke pain in the neck, including after a sleep, and pain in the muscles of the shoulder girdle. With cervical hernia - a characteristic sports injury - the pain sensation gives a rupture of the fascia (fascia) of the long and posterior staircase muscles of the neck.
Pain in the shoulder after sleep
First of all, the cause of pain in the shoulder after sleep can be associated with the already mentioned osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae, as well as with inflammation of the shoulder joint - arthrosis or arthritis. With arthritis, the pain in the shoulder pains with the slightest movement of the hand. For arthrosis, which develops from arthritis, the pain in the shoulder after a dream is felt and in the absence of movement, which often does not make it possible to fall asleep.
It should be noted that many people who have some pathologies of the cardiovascular system, the field of awakening can feel a dull pain in the area of the left shoulder.
Headache after sleep
Primary headache with physical stress can occur in the morning, immediately after waking up, if the previous night you had intensive training in the gym, or you were engaged in heavy physical work. By the way, after intense mental work or a long sitting in front of the computer monitor, too, there may be pain in the nape after sleep.
Secondary headache in the morning after a dream appears due to a violation of breathing in sleep (apnea), increasing the level of arterial or intracranial pressure, pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, and as a side effect of the constantly taken sedatives and hypnotics.
Headaches that become more intense at night, and a headache after sleep are the right symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. This pathology is the result of an increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid - the fluid that is washing the brain. Circulation of cerebrospinal fluid is disturbed by craniocerebral trauma, tumor or brain hematoma, as well as meningitis and encephalitis.
A very common phenomenon is a headache after a day's sleep. The idea is that a healthy adult person has no need to sleep during the day. True, this does not apply to those who are associated with work and night shift duties, or who just temporarily do not have the opportunity to fully sleep at night, such as parents of infants.
Ancient Chinese physicians believed that the daytime sleep of an adult shortens his life, because an irresistible desire to take a nap in the sunlight indicates the weakness of blood vessels and heart. Modern views on the advisability of daytime sleep for adults are diametrically opposed and converge on only one point: to sleep in the daytime one should not lie, but half sitting, and the duration of such rest should not exceed 25-30 minutes. In all other cases, you are provided with a sense of shatter and a headache after a day's sleep.
If there is a headache after a long sleep, you should keep in mind: the optimal duration of night sleep is 7-8 hours per day. With "nedosypom" everything is clear, because it is definitely harmful. And here constant peresypanie physicians consider as pathology and name its raised or increased drowsiness (a hypersomnia). Despite a long night's rest, lovers of sleep often complain of lethargy, a feeling of fatigue, irritability and memory problems.
Incorrect sleep regimen not only leads to headaches after sleep, but also reduces a person's mental abilities, increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer's syndrome. According to the International Association for the Study of Alzheimer's Disease, insufficient and excessive sleep speeds up the aging of the human brain.
Pain in the legs after sleeping
From significant physical loads in muscle tissues, the content of lactic acid sharply increases, which is formed during the breakdown of glucose. Therefore, there is pain in the legs after sleep. The pain grasps the foot, shin and thigh.
The same pains often accompany rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, sciatica (sciatica nerve inflammation). In cases where pain in the legs after sleep is accompanied by swelling of soft tissues of the lower extremities, doctors first suspect the development of varicose veins in the patient - even in the absence of its visible manifestations.
Also among the causes of pain in the legs after sleep - tight or uncomfortable shoes, high-heeled shoes and, of course, excessive fullness, which creates additional strain on the joints of the legs.
Pain in the feet after sleep can be caused by osteoporosis (that is, calcium deficiency in the body), blood circulation disorders, nerve damage, and also a kind of arthritis, like gout.
When plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the muscle, located along the foot - from the heel to the phalanges of the fingers) is troubled by pain in the heel after sleep. Such pain often occurs in those who work standing up, has extra pounds or flat feet.
Chest pain after sleep
Short compressive and pressing pain in the chest after sleep, which gives to the neck, back and shoulders, is associated with heart disease - from angina to myocardial infarction.
Experts advise not to forget about intercostal neuralgia, in which the pain in the chest after a dream is a consequence of the violation of the correct location of the ribs and infringement of the intercostal nerves. Most often this happens with injuries in the chest, with scoliosis, from prolonged overstrain of the muscles of the chest, as well as in the presence of displacement of the pulpous nucleus of the intervertebral disc with a rupture of its fibrous ring, that is, herniated intervertebral discs.
Pain in the abdomen after sleep
Pain in the abdomen after sleep or abdominal pain syndrome is a typical manifestation of functional disorders of the esophagus, stomach or intestines, as well as a sign of possible pathologies of organs located in the upper abdominal cavity - liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, pancreas and spleen.
In addition, morning pain in the abdomen can be caused by diseases of the human reproductive organs: the uterus and ovaries in women, the prostate gland in men.
Pain in the muscles after sleep
This kind of pain sensations (myofascial pain syndrome) from the point of view of anatomy and physiology is explained by the fact that with the muscle spasm reaction of the special hypersensitive "trigger" (or trigger points) in them - the seals of muscular tissue a few millimeters in diameter occurs. Such points with increased irritability are in many muscles. That is why morning myofascial pain - with the slightest stretching of the muscle during some movements - is perceived as a pain in the body after sleep.
Studies have shown that pain in the muscle itself, as well as in adjacent areas is caused by prolonged muscle overstrain, which triggers the trigger point formation mechanism. A prolonged muscle strain occurs during a forced long stay in one position - with the wrong posture at the desk, in front of the computer, while driving a car. Provokes the appearance of pain in the muscles of their hypothermia.
Moreover, the pain in the muscles after sleep can be the result of the constant carrying of a bag with a strap over the shoulder, narrow bra straps, tight belt on jeans, heavy warm clothes pressing on the shoulder girdle ...
Treatment of pain after sleep
The choice of means of treatment of pain after sleep is influenced by the etiology of pain and the place of their occurrence. In pharmacological therapy of pain, including pain after sleep, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are most often used, although they do not always give a positive effect. The most widely used drugs for the treatment of pain include Indomethacin, Piroxicam, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac.
Indomethacin (synonyms - Integan, Metindol, Indocid, Articin, Artizinal, Melitex, Nurikon, Peralongon, Vellopan, Arthrocid, etc.) - an effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic for rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthrosis and neuralgic pain. Adults take the medicine inside after eating to 0,025 g (25 mg) 2-3 times a day. For relief of acute attacks of pain, the dosage can be increased to 0.05 g (50 mg) 3 times a day, the maximum daily dose is 200 mg, with long-term admission - not more than 75 mg. Possible side effects of indomethacin: headache, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, pain in the epigastric region, rashes on the skin. The drug is contraindicated in the presence of a history of peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum, ulcerative processes in the intestine and esophagus, with bronchial asthma, during pregnancy and lactation.
Piroxicam (tablets or capsules of 0.01 and 0.02 grams, as well as gel and cream) has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects and is prescribed for pain and inflammation of the joints and soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system. It is taken orally 1-2 tablets once a day. After the acute stage of the disease, supportive treatment is prescribed. With external topical application, the gel or cream Piroxicam (5-10 mm column) is applied to the painful areas of the skin 3-4 times a day. Possible side effects of this medication include nausea, loss of appetite, pain and discomfort in the abdomen, constipation, diarrhea, in rare cases, liver or kidney dysfunction, stomatitis, skin rash and itching, leg swelling, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, and also anemia, leukopenia or thrombocytopenia. The drug should not be taken with ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, asthma, violations of the liver and kidneys, pregnant and lactating women.
Indications for the use of Ibuprofen (synonyms - Nurofen, Ibupron, Ibuprof, Ibusan, Ipren, Bonifen, Profen, etc.) are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, neuralgia, myalgia, radiculitis, traumatic inflammation of soft tissues; as an auxiliary is prescribed for headache and toothache. 1 tablet contains 200 mg of ibuprofen. With moderate pain, the drug is taken orally 400 mg three times a day (the maximum daily dose is 2.4 g). It should be borne in mind that taking Ibuprofen can cause side effects such as nausea, flatulence, constipation, heartburn, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, insomnia, skin rashes. The drug is contraindicated for ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, hematopoietic disorders and kidney and liver function, in childhood (up to 6 years). And during pregnancy, it can be used solely for the doctor's prescription.
The main indications for the use of diclofenac in the treatment of pain after sleep
Are similar to Ibuprofen. Diclofenac tablets adults take 25-50 mg 2-3 times a day, children older than 6 years - 2 mg per kilogram of body weight. Diclofenac in the form of ointments or gels is applied only on undamaged skin areas.
Side effects of this drug are expressed in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, exacerbation of peptic ulcer, dizziness, headache, insomnia, tinnitus, cramps and itchy skin rashes. Contraindications include: peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, hypersensitivity to diclofenac, children under 6 years of age, pregnancy and lactation. In the presence of chronic or acute diseases of the liver, kidneys and stomach, as well as people with bronchial asthma, hypertension and heart failure, Diclofenac should be taken with great care because of the threat of negative side effects.
According to the statistics of the European Pain Federation (EFIC), 19% of Europeans have chronic pain, and most often something hurts in Norwegian citizens, where almost 30% of residents complain of pain after sleep, as well as Italians, 26% of whom suffer from similar pain.
The third US president, Thomas Jefferson, once said that "the art of living is the art of avoiding pain." If you do not own this art, and the body constantly gives you painful "signals" - ask for qualified medical help so that the pain after sleep does not overshadow your life.