A pelvic fracture sounds and is quite painful! It’s when you break the bone that connects your hips and spine.
Whether you were in an accident, had a fall, or simply developed the fracture, doing daily tasks can be challenging, especially sleeping.
If you cannot seem to sleep with a pelvic fracture, you’ve landed on the right page. We will teach you:
- How to sleep with a fractured pelvis.
- What sleeping position and posture is correct.
- Which mattress is a good option for a fractured pelvis?
If you have a fractured pelvis, even basic tasks like sleeping become a nightmare. However, if you take the proper medication or even sleep in the correct position, you will find that falling asleep becomes easier. Even removing disturbances and using sleep-inducing scents can help alleviate pain and improve sleep.
How to sleep with a fractured pelvis
When it comes to pelvic fractures, road accidents, in particular, are the leading cause of such fractures among people. If ever you get such a fracture, it can be pretty painful and uncomfortable. Everything you do will become more complicated and more inconvenient. You will even have trouble sleeping due to the pain.
Many people will eventually have to learn and cope with the pain during the healing process. Many other needs can be taken care of by a friend or someone close to you. However, sleeping is entirely up to you. People need to learn ways to sleep despite dealing with their pain and discomfort. But the good news is, there are straightforward ways to cope with such a situation.
Try making pain medication
This is an obvious solution for those who are struggling to sleep with a fractured pelvis. Since recovery can take anywhere from six to twelve months, a proper sleep routine is a must. The easiest way to condition your body to fall asleep is to take pain relief medication. Your doctors will indeed prescribe it, so make use of them before you sleep.
If you had a significant pelvic fracture and needed surgery, your doctor will indeed write you a pain relief medicine. You should take this medicine about an hour or so before you plan to sleep. Severe pain can not only disturb your sleep but prevent you from falling asleep as well. In such cases, pain relief medications are a must.
Make use of sleep medication
Most people suffering from a fractured pelvis, pain relief medications are enough to induce sleep. They help eliminate and manage the pain so that people can fall asleep. But if you find that it’s not practical, you can always consult your doctor and try taking sleep medication like melanin or zolpidem.
If you suffer from severe pain, sleep medications will help you fall asleep by managing the pain. These medicines not only induce sleep but also improve the quality of sleep. Remember to always make a professional consultation before using any sleep medication.
There are also natural medications like herbal tea to help you sleep.
The correct posture can help
You can take all the medications prescribed by your doctor. However, if you do not follow a proper sleeping posture, it’s not going to work. You will have pains and trouble falling asleep. People who are dealing with a recovering fractured pelvis need to follow the correct sleeping position.
So, what is the correct sleeping posture for people with a fractured pelvis? The one posture that all doctors will recommend is to sleep on your back. Never sleep on your sides, especially the fractured side. This will only aggravate the pain more, causing difficulties in sleeping. Sleeping on the back reduces pressure on the pelvis. Another tip is to sleep starfish. Spread your legs and arms while sleeping on your back to remove pressure from the hips and pelvis.
Making use of pillows
Okay, so you must be wondering why pillows? What benefits can pillows give for someone with a pelvic fracture? Well, to start with, making use of pillows can prove quite helpful to help you sleep better and prevent you from moving around a lot while sleeping. This will minimise the pain and help you sleep.
When preparing to sleep, place a pillow underneath your knees so that it lifts a little. This will significantly remove any pressure on the hips and pelvic area when sleeping. You can also use pillows to make a boundary around you. This will help you to move less at night and avoid the risks of injuring yourself again.
Sleep therapy and removing disturbances
Many people who struggle to fall asleep due to orthopaedic injuries like a fractured pelvis make use of aromatherapy, music therapy, and even white noise to fall asleep faster and even improve their sleep. Before sleeping, you can always burn some essential oils, lavender, or even jasmine oil. These are popular sleep-inducing essential oils.
White noises like fire crackling, raindrops, nature sound, or even just playing light music in the background might help take your mind off the pain. Before bedtime, you should also remove disturbances like blue lights, unwanted noises, and even bedtime snacking, as these can disturb your sleep.
Which mattress is a good option for a fractured pelvis?
One can only imagine how painful and uncomfortable it must be to try and sleep while recovering from a fractured pelvis. The inability to move about a lot, the dependency on pain medications, and being conscious about the sleeping position can be quite stressful. This is why choosing the right mattress matters a lot since it helps people sleep better.
Correct bone alignment is key to the healing process. To get these correct sleeping conditions, the right mattress is crucial. For someone suffering from a fractured pelvis, a mattress that distributes weight evenly is ideal. Try looking for mattresses that are chiropractor-recommended, which tend to be memory foam mattresses. Such mattresses are suitable for people with all kinds of back pain, hip pain, and other physical injuries or ailments.