sleeping underlay

Time shift

24. March 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

It’s about to happen again in the night from Saturday to Sunday. We are changing from normal time (= winter time) into summer time. The clocks will be set from 02.00 a.m. to 3.00 a.m. Besides spring fever, time shift, too, affects the organism. The time shift might lead to concentration difficulties, tiredness and head ache. Often, elder people, infants and small children as well as employed with a strict schedule suffer under difficulties. Depending on the personal biorhythm, it will be hard to cope with the missing hour.

Getting up revived made easy

Normally, early birds, also known as “larks”, have fewer difficulties. For night persons on the other hand, getting up in the morning after the time shift becomes harder.

In case you are sensitive to the time shift, best prepare yourself in advance. With simple measures you will accustom your body. You are going to get up on Monday revived and full of power.

Hints for a good start in the new week after the time shift

Follow the advices of sleeping expert Prof. Dr. h.c., Günther W. Amann-Jennson and you will have no restrictions.

Change your rhythm of life and time for eating: already one day before the actual time shift, try to change your rhythm as well as your eating times. Get up, eat and go to bed half an hour earlier. On Sunday, do everything one hour earlier than you normally do.
Walks in fresh air, vitamin-rich diet: an expanded walk in fresh air supports the change of your inner clock. Also, a vitamin-rich diet is helpful during the time of change. Try to avoid caffeine-containing beverages at least three hours before going to bed.
Herbal teas and relaxation: if sleep just won’t come, take advantage of herbs facilitating falling asleep. Hops, valerian and balm, for example. In addition to that, try some relaxation exercises.
Good sleeping underlay and comfortable bedding climate: care for a good sleeping underlay, a proper pillow as well as a comfortable bedding climate. These things, too, will make adaption to summer time easier and support healthy sleep.

Seek medical advice if you suffer under time shift problems for a longer period of time.

Imagesource: @fotolia

Slipped disc #3 – prevent a herniated disc

23. March 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

The first step is prevention. To prevent a herniated disc it is important to strengthen the musculature. This ensures support and relief of the spine at the same time. And this in turn reduces the pressure on the intervertebral discs. Often, simple measures in everyday life generate prevention.

What else does help? Other measures to prevent a herniated disc

Movement: A lack of movement leads to shortened back and spine supporting muscles. Sports like hiking, Nordic walking, backstroke, yoga and special training for spine and back lead to a targeted strengthening of the corresponding muscles.

Ergonomic body posture at home and at work: Sitting for a long time is strainful for your intervertebral discs. Here, the gelatinous core is pressed under great pressure and the blood flow is impaired. This obstructs the nutrient supply of the intervertebral discs. Therefore, it is important to sit in an upright position and at the proper sitting height – at home and at work. When sitting longer, vary the sitting positions and stretch once in a while to prevent tensions.

Correct carrying and lifting: An incorrect carrying and lifting overloads the spine resp. the intervertebral discs. Therefore, care for spreading the weight evenly on both hands. When lifting, bend your knees and car for an upright back.

Proper bedding content: A perfect relief of the back, the spine and the muscles during night cares for a balance of the water loss in the gelatinous core. It is important to use an adaptable sleeping underlay; this enables the spine to take the same position like when standing upright.

In the next article you will find exercises for the abdominal- and back-muscles when already suffering under a herniated disc.

Imagesource: @istock

Avoid back pain with orthopedic proper lying

30. November 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Healthy, restful sleep is the basis for regeneration of body and mind. Bad sleep leads to tensions and back pain. To avoid these, you should care in advance for appropriate conditions for a relaxed and restful sleep. These include inter alia a suitable position to fall asleep as well as an orthopedic bedding content that cares for relaxation and support.

Back relieving lying position

Normally, during night we are changing our sleeping position from 30 to 60 times to balance a poor posture. Every one of us has a preferred position to fall asleep. But, not any sleeping position is relieving your spine, your back as well as your musculature in the neck and back.

Prone position: Sleeping on your stomach may lead to complaints in the area of the cervical spine. When lying like this your neck-muscles are not able to relax completely since you have to turn your head left or right. Furthermore, this position leads to a hollow back and may lead to back pain.

Dorsal position: When using a correct sleeping underlay this position leads to supporting the natural shape of the spine and to a neutral position of the neck. Lying like this will support you in avoiding neck tensions and back pain.

Lateral position: Sleeping on the side cares for a straight spine. Provided that you are using the proper sleeping underlay. Point elasticity is important, also the use of a suitable pillow to ensure support for your head and cervical spine.

Is there a bed that supports relief of back, spine and muscles?

It is important that our spine can keep its natural form during lying. Only when this is ensured our intervertebral discs will optimally regenerate. Furthermore, a proper bedding content prevents neck tensions and back pain. Therefore care for using an orthopedic bedding system.

Preconditions for a bed with orthopedic bedding content are:

A flexible, freely suspended slat frame that cares for an optimal positioning of the body.
A point elastic mattress caring for an adaption to body weight without time loss.
An overlay and cover that care for optimal bedding climate.
A pillow caring for an optimal support of the cervical spine.
A suitable size of your bed ensures sufficient freedom of movement. The width of a single bed should at least be 1m; for a double bed at least 1.80 m. The length should be at least 20 cm longer than the tallest sleeper.

Ideally, the above mentioned components are made of natural materials like for example untreated ash wood, certified natural rubber, untreated sheep wool and cotton.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Imagesource: @SAMINA

Factors favoring back problems

28. November 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

According to a US study more than 80 percent of the US population are suffering under back pain at some time during their life. The costs for treatment and the loss for the economy due to work absences are constantly rising.

One of the main reasons for back problems is the sedentary lifestyle combined with a decreasing amount of exercise. Lacking physical activity weakens the musculature of the back. Not only your brain works in accordance with the quotation “use it or lose it”. Muscles, ligaments and fascial structure need constant movement and release to stay efficient. Lack of exercise and the resulting under load lead to a slow degeneration of the locomotor system. Besides lack of exercise mental factors like mental problems or stress in work- and private life as well as physical factors like an inappropriate sleeping underlay trigger back problems.

Further possible factors:

Overweight
Malposition and incorrect loading
Genetic predisposition
Smoking
Heavy physical activities
Working place (ergonomics!)

Once the back is weakened even the slightest bit of activity may lead to back pain and tensions. Therefore strengthen your back and care for sufficient and appropriate movement, even in the office. Take a closer look to your pillow and your bed – take care that you receive sufficient support and avoid additional tensions. Is your pillow inappropriate it might lead to a bend in the sensitive area of the cervical spine. Are your mattress and your slat frame offering too few support your spine will be sagging.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339077/

Imagesource: @fotolia

Pain in the back

25. November 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Is your bed too soft or too hard?

Sink into your bed, relax your tense back, let go and fall asleep – and then, wake up the next morning fresh and pain-free! Too many only dream about this, especially people suffering under back pain. Overstrain and incorrect loading during the day, overweight as well as lack of movement lead to a constantly increasing number of people suffering under back pain. More and correct exercise, correct lifting and carrying are a requirement for an improvement. But – don’t underestimate the power of a proper sleeping underlay! This is the decisive factor for an improvement may occur overnight.

Sink into a soft bed?

Embedding yourself on top of a soft underlay has little value. Are slat frame and mattress too soft the body weight will simply press it downwards; you end up lying in a “hammock”. Independent from the sleeping position chosen the spine will constantly be brought into an unnatural “hanging” position. Tensions and pains won’t get better like this, on the contrary, they are going to be increased.

Better supported with a hard bed?

But, simply putting a hard board into the bed surely is the wrong way. Once your bed is too hard your musculature is constantly busy with supporting your body resp. your spine. A hard bed makes it impossible that your shoulder and hip can sink deeper into the bed when lying in the lateral position. And this would be important for your spine. The pressure arising due to the body weight massively disturbs blood circulation, especially in the capillary.

Solution: an orthopedic sleeping system working independent from weight

The proper sleeping underlay leads to a restful night and enables your spine to remain in its natural-double-S-shape and supports it at the same time. And this independent from body weight and whenever you are turning, without any delay. An orthopedic sleeping underlay is supporting where necessary and gives way where it should. Due to a natural latex mattress no pressure points arise, on overlay made of natural sheep wool is perfect for a comfortable sleeping temperature – taken these things together, the urge to toss and turn minimizes and the sleep in total becomes much more restful. The ideal sleeping underlay is perfected by an individual orthopedic pillow.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Imagesource: @SAMINA

Help in case of back pain

26. October 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Only when you are sleeping well your body, mind and soul will recover and will be fit for a new day. But, what to do, when thanks to pain in the back, sleep becomes shallow and not restful? And, due to the lack of recovery the pain intensifies more and more?

Causes and remedies

Besides signs of wear, muscles tensions due to incorrect loading and/or too few movement are amongst the most frequent causes of back pain. An optimization of the everyday motion sequences on the one hand, a sleeping underlay that supports physical relaxation and recovery on the other hand create perfect preconditions that acute back pain is not turning into chronical back pain. Expert advice is necessary when back pain is not disappearing after some time.

With a holistic, natural sleeping system you are lying right; not only when suffering under acute but also under chronical back pain. Furthermore, it is a perfect supplement to eventually necessary therapeutic measures.

Mental strain in work or in private life, deadline pressure – everyday stress, too, can lead to pain in the back. Now, not only back pain is disturbing sleep, the increased cortisol level significantly makes falling asleep more difficult. Thanks to Music Medicine it is easy to effectively and pleasantly take countermeasures during sleep.

Sleeping position

Without any doubt, the most back-friendly sleeping position is the lateral position, followed by the dorsal position. With the proper sleeping underlay the spine remains in its naturally S-shape. Sleeping in prone position creates poor preconditions for a healthy, relaxed back.

Last but not least an important detail for a relaxed back as well as for a restful sleep: complement your orthopedic sleeping system with the proper orthopedic pillow. Your total well-being will significantly increase due to a finally restful sleep.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Imagesource: @SAMINA