pj top and bottoms | sleep mask | duvet set | sleep spray | tea | pillows | radio | mattress topper
so, as i mentioned last week, i'll be moving flats in a couple of weeks. not too far thankfully, the new place is literally only one postcode over, and i'm pretty happy that i get to stay in the leafy green borough of lewisham. the thing that worries me about the move, and what i'm really not really looking forward to, is the move itself. when i moved into this flat almost exactly two years ago, i did something a bit funny to my back - carrying boxes or some such thing, and as a result lived with a trapped nerve in my left shoulder blade for a good six months before i did anything about it. then another six months as it was being tended to by the good folks in the nhs' physiotherapy department.
in that time, i researched and googled and asked around for tricks that would help me try to sleep comfortably at night, as the exhaustion from trying to find comfort in the night only affected me more in the day time. ultimately, the physiotherapy and the medical treatment was what resolved the problem, but there certainly were a few saviours that helped me stay comfortable after long nights awake from stress because of the bad back.
i've talked about a few of them before, but ultimately, the most important thing i added to my bed for help sleeping was a latex mattress topper and cushion-top mattress protector. yes, double the cloudiness, but actually, the latex is quite firm and works a bit like memory foam. it adsorbs the weight where it needs to, then supports in other ways. similarly, i invested in a memory foam pillow - my "good" pillow, which is about seven times thicker than the others, but it's the one i now can't sleep without. i'm a front sleeper 70% of the time, and side sleeper the rest of the time, and the memory foam pillow is the only one that supports my neck and back well enough when i move from one position to the other. true story.
then there were a few aesthetic changes i made to my night time routine to ensure that my mind was calm and my body was relaxed enough for comfortable sleep. lavender pillow and room spray became a necessity of mine, and i still keep a bottle of it beside the bed at all times. the natural and therapeutic smell instantly relaxes you, and coupled with some sleepy-time tea and a set of fresh pjs, there's nothing that works better for me. some people suggested white noise - whale sounds or the sound of rain, and to be honest, they sort of annoy me too much. i prefer to have the radio on low as i'm getting ready for bed and for the last twenty or so minutes as i finish up my whatsapp chats and hand out my last few likes online for the night. a nice, soothing station works a treat - there's nothing like a bit of olivia newton john singing you off to sleep.
and if all that failed, then the nice physio lady gave me some great muscle relaxants and sleeping tablets - which never left me feeling particularly well-rested the next day, so i definitely think that the natural remedies were always the preferred option over the medical ones. in saying all this though, i do sincerely hope there are no repeats of the last move, and this time my body stays in tact. if not though, at least i have the number of a good physio, and all the tools for a decent night's sleep...
have you any tips for sleeping comfortably with a bad back? i am always keen for more!
*post written in collaboration with brand*
