Stage One

This is the shortest phase of the sleep cycle. You will often feel overcome with the 'heavy lidded' sensation of drifiting off to sleep. Breathing and heart rate begin to slow down.

Stage Two

This is regarded as being the longest phase of the sleep cycle. Bodily functions such as brain waves, met

Can you remember a time, when you actually had a good nights sleep and woke up feeling refreshed? If you’re struggling to remember, then chances are, you can probably relate to Katie’s story. Read on..

Katie Blake, age 39, a married mother of two from Somerset, UK, began suffering from chronic back pain after a near fatal car accident which occurred in January 2006. She has recently been feeling very low, due to lack of sleep caused by her back condition. When asked how her back pain had been affecting her sleep, here’s what she had to say,

“Since suffering with chronic back pain after the accident, I’ve found that I constantly toss and turn from one side to another just to try and get some relief.

There are nights when the pain seems so unbearable, almost as though my lower back is splitting in two; that trying to change sides literally leaves me in tears. So, I prop myself up with cushions and try to force myself to lie still on my back, only to wake up as stiff as a board the next morning.

When you’ve got to get up early, to sort out two young kids on after virtually no sleep at all, well, what can I say, it’s no laughing matter is it!”

Unfortunately, Katie’s story is not an isolated one. In fact, just like you, she is among one of the thousands of chronic back pain sufferers, whose quality of sleep is affected in a negative way, by their pain. Two Thirds Of Back Pain Sufferers Have Sleep Trouble

A recent study conducted by the National Sleep Federation revealed that:

* As many as two thirds of chronic back pain sufferers have sleep trouble.

* The more severe the pain, the more likely it is to affect sleep

* Disrupted sleep can make the pain feel worse

* Traditional pain relief medication, such as analgesics can disrupt the sleep patterns and make getting to sleep more difficult.

The Five Key Stages of Sleep

You may have heard the terms NREM ( Non Rapied Eye Movement) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) used when describing sleep patterns. NREM accounts for around 75% of the sleep cycle in adults and 50% in infants.

NREM is often the most restful and also when the body's functions such as metabolism and blood pressure are reduced. The majority of dreams occur in the more active phase i.e. the REM cycle.

Stage One

This is the shortest phase of the sleep cycle. You will often feel overcome with the 'heavy lidded' sensation of drifiting off to sleep. Breathing and heart rate begin to slow down.

Stage Two

This is regarded as being the longest phase of the sleep cycle. Bodily functions such as brain waves, meta

“Since suffering with chronic back pain after the accident, I’ve found that I constantly toss and turn from one side to another just to try and get some relief.

There are nights when the pain seems so unbearable, almost as though my lower back is splitting in two; that trying to change sides literally leaves me in tears. So, I prop myself up with cushions and try to force myself to lie still on my back, only to wake up as stiff as a board the next morning.

When you’ve got to get up early, to sort out two young kids on after virtually no sleep at all, well, what can I say, it’s no laughing matter is it!”

Unfortunately, Katie’s story is not an isolated one. In fact, just like you, she is among one of the thousands of chronic back pain sufferers, whose quality of sleep is affected in a negative way, by their pain. Two Thirds Of Back Pain Sufferers Have Sleep Trouble

A recent study conducted by the National Sleep Federation revealed that:

* As many as two thirds of chronic back pain sufferers have sleep trouble.

* The more severe the pain, the more likely it is to affect sleep

* Disrupted sleep can make the pain feel worse

* Traditional pain relief medication, such as analgesics can disrupt the sleep patterns and make getting to sleep more difficult.

The Five Key Stages of Sleep

You may have heard the terms NREM ( Non Rapied Eye Movement) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) used when describing sleep patterns. NREM accounts for around 75% of the sleep cycle in adults and 50% in infants.

NREM is often the most restful and also when the body's functions such as metabolism and blood pressure are reduced. The majority of dreams occur in the more active phase i.e. the REM cycle.

Stage One

This is the shortest phase of the sleep cycle. You will often feel overcome with the 'heavy lidded' sensation of drifiting off to sleep. Breathing and heart rate begin to slow down.

Stage Two

This is regarded as being the longest phase of the sleep cycle. Bodily functions such as brain waves, met

Unfortunately, Katie’s story is not an isolated one. In fact, just like you, she is among one of the thousands of chronic back pain sufferers, whose quality of sleep is affected in a negative way, by their pain. Two Thirds Of Back Pain Sufferers Have Sleep Trouble

A recent study conducted by the National Sleep Federation revealed that:

* As many as two thirds of chronic back pain sufferers have sleep trouble.

* The more severe the pain, the more likely it is to affect sleep

* Disrupted sleep can make the pain feel worse

* Traditional pain relief medication, such as analgesics can disrupt the sleep patterns and make getting to sleep more difficult.

The Five Key Stages of Sleep

You may have heard the terms NREM ( Non Rapied Eye Movement) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) used when describing sleep patterns. NREM accounts for around 75% of the sleep cycle in adults and 50% in infants.

NREM is often the most restful and also when the body's functions such as metabolism and blood pressure are reduced. The majority of dreams occur in the more active phase i.e. the REM cycle.

Stage One

This is the shortest phase of the sleep cycle. You will often feel overcome with the 'heavy lidded' sensation of drifiting off to sleep. Breathing and heart rate begin to slow down.

Stage Two

This is regarded as being the longest phase of the sleep cycle. Bodily functions such as brain waves, met

* Disrupted sleep can make the pain feel worse

* Traditional pain relief medication, such as analgesics can disrupt the sleep patterns and make getting to sleep more difficult.

The Five Key Stages of Sleep

You may have heard the terms NREM ( Non Rapied Eye Movement) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) used when describing sleep patterns. NREM accounts for around 75% of the sleep cycle in adults and 50% in infants.

NREM is often the most restful and also when the body's functions such as metabolism and blood pressure are reduced. The majority of dreams occur in the more active phase i.e. the REM cycle.

Stage One

This is the shortest phase of the sleep cycle. You will often feel overcome with the 'heavy lidded' sensation of drifiting off to sleep. Breathing and heart rate begin to slow down.

Stage Two

This is regarded as being the longest phase of the sleep cycle. Bodily functions such as brain waves, met

Stage One

This is the shortest phase of the sleep cycle. You will often feel overcome with the 'heavy lidded' sensation of drifiting off to sleep. Breathing and heart rate begin to slow down.

Stage Two

This is regarded as being the longest phase of the sleep cycle. Bodily functions such as brain waves, metabolism, and heart rate etc., continue to slow right down. You may find that you are easily roused by external interruptions during this period.

Stage Three

This phase is often referred to as the restorative phase. Research has shown that the chemical HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is usually released to promote the growth of intenal organs and the creation of new cells. Waking up suddenly from this phase can often leave you feeling groggy and disoriented for a few minutes.

Stage Four

This is known as the deepest phase of sleep. Your body temperature may fall, you may also begin to sweat during the this period. Studies have shown that problems such as Sleepwalking and Night Terrors can occur. The process of restoration will also continue throughout this part of the sleep cycle.

Stage Five

This is where the REM phase comes into play. Dreaming predominantly occurs during this cycle. Twitching in your fingers, face and toes may occur as your brain reacts to action being played out in your dreams. If suddenly awoken during this phase, you may find it difficult to separate dream from reality; as it takes a while for the brain to orientate itself.

According to John Zimmerman Ph.D., Laboratory of the Washoe Sleep Disorders Centre in Reno,US, " The quantity and quality of sleep varies from person to person, but how well and how lon one sleeps is ultimately the result of varying physical and psychological influences."

The Vicious Cycle

So as you can see, it’s pretty much a vicious cycle where you find it difficult to get to sleep because of the pain and the less sleep you get, the worse the pain feels.

Assuming you’ve been in the position, where you’ve experienced insomnia; you’re probably familiar with the effects it can have on your body, such as:

* Feeling un-refreshed and lacking in energy the next morning

* Poor concentration levels

* Feeling irritable and moody

* Impaired ability to think and speak

There has long been a medical debate as to whether prolonged insomnia can lead to depression or whether insomnia is a symptom of depress