Could sleep be your missing link?
Most of us know that we generally feel better when we get adequate sleep. Many are even in tune with how many hours their unique body requires. But did you know that sleep has a strong relationship with musculoskeletal injuries and pain? While it is not a factor regularly discussed during most orthopaedic visits or physical therapy sessions, I strongly believe that it should because the research is compelling.
To start, teens are 1.7 times more likely to sustain a sports injury if they get less than 8 hours each night. For active adult males less than 35 years of age, it was shown that those who slept 4 hours or less per night were 2.35 times more likely to sustain a musculoskeletal injury compared to those who slept 8 hours or more. In a study on older nurses, inadequate sleep was significantly related to musculoskeletal symptoms, most frequently in the low back, upper back, neck and shoulders. For adults 50 years and older, researches found that there was somewhat of a “sweet spot” when it came to duration of sleep. The evidence showed that those who slept <5 hours or >9 hours were significantly more likely to have musculoskeletal pain for more than 30 days or have multiple regions of pain.
So why does sleep directly influence our musculoskeletal health? Here are a few mechanisms:
Growth hormone is secreted when we sleep which is what facilitates tissue regeneration and repair. This means that we actually heal when we are catching zzz’s, not when we are awake! Whether you sustained an actual injury or simply had a tough work out, this tissue regeneration time is critical to proper recovery.
Cytokines are released, which signal your immune system to do its job regarding inflammation, trauma and infection. Along the same lines as what was stated with the growth hormone discussion in number 1, this is important whether you had an injury, exercised strenuously, or simply overdid it with household demands. Along with growth hormone, the immune system “cleaning up” while we sleep is important to decrease the risk of cumulative overuse injuries.
Muscles relax, blood pressure reduces and cortisol drops, all allowing muscles to have a “reset” of sorts during sleep. This is important in avoiding the pains and strains that can occur from hyperactive muscles. Neck tension, low back stiffness and muscle tightness can all be symptoms of hyperactive muscles.
You could do the best physical therapy out there and eat an optimal diet but without sleep your body will have a tough time healing or coping with that knee pain, back injury, or shoulder strain. If you have been struggling to recover from a muscle or joint problem, take an honest assessment of your sleeping habits and take action. You may be surprised how much a sleep makeover helps!