Nobody argues about how important a good night's sleep is; though that can be more of a distant hope than a realistic expectation for many sufferers of low back pain.

It is a condition that troubles most people at some point in their life and is one of the leading reasons for days off work in North America - many cases actually caused by job-related tasks.

Yet few people appreciate how acute or chronic low back pain can permeate into many other areas of our lives, if not addressed.

What is Low Back Pain?

Lower back pain can result from a number of causes:

Aging - as bone strength and muscles weaken, the backbone discs can lose strength and their capacity to cushion the vertebrae decreases

Injury - for example, when people lift heavy objects without due care, the resulting overstretching can cause sprains, spasms, ligament damage or bone problems.

Nerve Problems - serious injury like ruptures or extreme strain can create pressure on nerves leading to serious pain (think pinched nerves)

Disease - especially arthritis, osteoporosis, other bone diseases or diabetes

Lifestyle - extreme weight gain, smoking, stress, poor posture or lack of exercise can induce or worsen back pain

What's a Lost Night's Sleep?

For many ailments, rest and sleep is a great comfort and helps the healing process.

Many people experiencing back pain will only have to suffer a night or two of lost sleep before the pain dissipates.

For other sufferers the problem can be more serious and can lead to other issues.

If someone is not able to get to sleep because of back pain or has their sleep interrupted by it, they do not achieve the therapeutic rest that we all cherish and hope for; and, in turn, this can make the waking hours at work or at home a misery as well; lack of rest can lead to lethargy, lack of energy, lack of mental clarity, depression and anxiety - all of which have complications of their own.

As sleep gets altered, pain increases, which further affects sleeping patterns creating a vicious cycle

At least if we can sleep we have some break from the pain we are suffering - and that is a pretty powerful thing.

Getting Better Rest

- Typical approaches to improving sleep, when experiencing low back pain, range from addressing the sleeping environment to more serious measures that address the actual back pain. These include:

- Improving sleep posture

- Updating your mattress

- Using corrective exercises to alleviate sore and achy muscles and joints before going to bed

- Engaging in meditative and breathing related exercises

- The method you choose will probably depend upon the severity of the pain you are experiencing, as well as which other measures you are taking with your healthcare provider, according to your diagnosis.

- We will talk more about this in future articles. Meanwhile if you have any experiences about low back pain and how you have alleviated it, please leave a comment below and share it with us.