Three tips for better sleep with whiplash in Wentzville, MO

How to Sleep With Whiplash

Whiplash is an injury that often occurs to the neck or back during a motor vehicle accident. This condition can cause you to experience pain, and it can also lead to tense back, shoulder and neck muscles. One issue that you may have when dealing with whiplash is that it makes it harder for you to sleep well at night. If you’re having trouble sleeping with whiplash in Wentzville, Missouri, there are three tips that may help you sleep better. 

1.   Check your sleeping position

You may want to make some changes to your sleeping position if you have whiplash. For one thing, it’s better for whiplash patients to sleep on their side or back. However, you’ll want to make sure that your head and neck are in a neutral position regardless of which sleeping position you prefer. 

Also, using a pillow between your knees when sleeping on your side can help decrease pressure on your neck and spine. Patients who prefer to sleep on their back can get the same benefit by placing a pillow under their knees. These changes to your sleeping position can help you sleep a lot better while recovering from whiplash. 

2.   Relax before getting in bed

The tense muscles that whiplash can cause may increase your pain and make it harder for you to sleep. One tip to counteract this muscle tenseness is to find ways to relax before you go to bed. For example, taking a warm shower or bath can help reduce the tension in your muscles. 

It may also help to perform some gentle stretches before getting in bed, and a physical therapist can help you develop an at-home stretching plan to use before bed. Also, you can try doing some breathing exercises to reduce both physical and mental tension right before bed. The sense of relaxation that these activities can bring can be helpful in getting a better night’s sleep with whiplash. 

3.   Do some gentle physical activity during the day

It’s true that you’ll need to take some time to rest when you first get whiplash, but after a few days, doing some gentle physical activity can be helpful. For instance, you can talk a short walk a few times a day. Gentle activity such as this can be especially helpful for getting to sleep. This is because even gentle physical activity can help tire you out. 

Gentle activities can also have other benefits for whiplash. Activity helps improve the blood flow to the neck. This allows more oxygen and nutrients to get to your injury, and in turn, more oxygen and nutrients can help improve your body’s natural healing ability while you’re sleeping. 

Excel Sports & Physical Therapy wants to help treat your whiplash

At Excel Sports & Physical Therapy, we’re ready to help you treat many motor vehicle accident injuries such as whiplash. Our Wentzville clinic has a highly trained team of physical therapists that can offer you support during your recovery, and part of this support will be the personalized treatment plan we create for you. We’ll also be here to provide encouragement throughout your entire recovery process. 

Take the next step to get our support for your injury recovery. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an appointment.