How to avoid neck pain during sleep?
Featured below is an interesting article from Harvard Health Publications on how important sleep posture is to the quality of your rest. Poor sleep posture can cause twisting of the spine putting tension on the muscles that surround it. This in turn reduces circulation, which causes muscle fatigue. The natural reaction of fatigued muscle (to protect itself) is spasm which we feel as stiffness and soreness and restricted range of movement. Read more
Newsflash: Muscles tone up when they are engaged! The more we engage them, the more they tone up.
The common image of a gym fanatic pumping iron, with bulging veins and wild eyes is one way, but there are many other ways to strengthen and improve muscle tone. Running, cycling and walking are all good but even if you stand behind a counter at work all day you can still take steps to improve your muscle tone (and posture). Wait for it: Slightly bend your knees! This takes the load off locked out joints and transfers it to the muscle. Hey presto you are (in a very quiet way) working out. Engaging muscle tones muscle. Remember even gym instructors now favour 'the plank' (where you support yourself on elbows and toes while keeping your body as straight as a...plank). No movement but one heck of a workout! So if you are looking for easy ways to improve core strength just keep your abs tight, it improves your posture and relieves pressure on your back. Best of all you can do it anywhere and you don't need a leotard!
I don't want to bang on about it but.... this is why it is so important to keep at least a modest amount of muscular movement going..."The lymphatic system aids the immune system in removing and destroying waste, debris, dead blood cells, pathogens, toxins, and cancer cells. Since the lymphatic system does not have a heart to pump it, its upward movement depends on the motions of the muscle and joint pumps."
How many of us appreciate the importance of the lymphatic system in maintaining our good health? Muscular activity is required to work this passive system.. Read More:
Fidgeting is ok! It can help lower the risk factors behind serious life threatening diseases such as stroke, heart disease and cancer. Read More:
Prolonged inactivity e.g. sitting at a computer is seen as a important factor in metabolic syndrome, where production of the body's fat burning enzymes slows, contributing to obesity and the development of long term health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Read more:
Harvard Health Publications suggests memory foam neck pillows like the Peacepillow Connect to enable correct sleep posture, avoiding twisting of the spine which reduces circulation to the muscles.
Impaired circulation causes fatigue leading to spasm. This manifests as a sore, stiff painful neck and back. Read more: