Many individuals experience severe pain at night. These individuals may or may not indulge in taking over-the-counter and/or prescription medications in order to reduce the pain that they experience.
If you are the physical therapist of one of the millions of patients that suffer from the devastation of pain once they try to settle in for the night, you may be pleased to know that there are many natural treatments that you can use in order to assist your patient in reducing the pain that they experience at night. In this guide, we will introduce you to several steps that can be taken in order to reach a high level of comfort without the complicated side effects that chemical based treatments often result in.
One of the first steps that your patient can take to reduce pain is to allow themselves to indulge in a warm bath in the late evening. The warmth in itself is usually quite pleasing to the person that experiences high levels of pain. However, there are many ingredients that one can actually add to their bath water that will assist in eliminating pain and allow them to relax enough that they may fall asleep easily once they go to bed.
Essential oils such as those that are sold as Lavender, Neroli, and Chamomile may induce a state of relaxation that will allow your patients to fall asleep with ease. If your patient suffers from pain, oils such as Ginger, Geranium, Cypress, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary may assist them.
When preparing the room for sleep, there are numerous things that one can do in order to promote rest while suffering from pain at night. First of all, your patient should ensure that they have comfortable bedding and pillows. Then, they should monitor the temperature in the room.
Excessive cold can result in higher levels of pain, and excessive heat can have the same effect. A comfortable temperature for rest is usually about 75° on average. In addition to this, your patient should ensure that when they rest, the room is kept dark and quiet. If they prefer a bit of sound in order to be comfortable, a running fan or a simple sound machine may be productive.
If your physical therapy patient suffers from pain at night and it interferes with their sleep, it is important to avoid certain substances prior to lying down to rest for the night. These substances may result in mild to severe insomnia, as well as varying degrees of pain that can be quite uncomfortable.
These products include items that contain sugars, caffeine, and alcohol. If your patient wants to take a product that can help them sleep, you should opt for a natural one. Melatonin and Valerian Root are often preferred choices among those that suffer from sleep complications due to intense pain.
As you can see here, there are many natural treatments to assist your physical therapy patient with pain that occurs at night. If your patient continues to experience complications, be sure to adjust their treatment plan.
