How to Sleep With Tennis Elbow? 9 Tips

Everything you need to know about managing tennis elbow, sleeping with tennis elbow, and other important safety measures is provided here.

Tennis elbow is a serious pain that frequently gets worse over time and makes it difficult to fall asleep. Usually, it begins as sporadic discomfort, but over time, it progresses to pain that interferes with activities of daily living like holding a coffee cup or brushing your teeth. It can also hurt even when the arm is at rest or immobile, such as when you sleep.

You may be having trouble sleeping because of these symptoms, which may be a result of how you sleep. With lateral epicondylitis, you can, fortunately, take measures to improve your sleep. Here are three tips for sleeping better with tennis elbow:

How to Sleep With Tennis Elbow?

Sleeping with a tennis elbow doesn’t have to be difficult (and painful) if you follow the below-given tips:

Keep the Affected Arm Down

According to a study, “The way you sleep should be taken into account as a potential aggravating factor that prevents an acute injury from healing quickly and causes chronic pain.”Tennis elbow can become worse if the affected arm is kept overhead.

Sleep on the Back

Sleeping on your back is the ideal solution. Your elbows will be able to relax as a result of not being under pressure. Reduced pressure on the affected arm can aid in the issue’s faster recovery because our bodies heal while we sleep.

Warm Up the Affected Arm before Going to Sleep

Heat lessens pain, as is common knowledge. Blood flows to the injured area more quickly when it’s hot. The muscles are then soothed as a result of this. For the necessary heating effect, use a hot water bag for 10 to 15 minutes.

Support Your Elbow With Pillows

There are still problems that can make sleeping with tennis elbow less restful even if you choose to sleep on your unaffected side. The upper arm muscles may put a strain on your elbow in this position, which could make the elbow tendons more painful.

Additionally, you might find yourself twisting your forearm while you sleep, which can aggravate the pain from the injured tendons and add to the stress on them.

Tennis elbow sufferers can support their afflicted arm on a pillow to prevent such problems. By doing this, you can hold your forearm in a straight position while you sleep and relieve tension in the upper arm muscles.

Use a Brace While Sleeping

A tennis elbow brace is a third choice that can make sleeping while having a tennis elbow more comfortable. These braces are made to be worn on the forearm just below the elbow and can support the forearm muscles.

They do this to help lessen pressure on the hurt elbow tendons, which can help lessen the pain that keeps you awake at night. If you typically clench your fists at night, wearing one of these braces can help prevent your forearm muscles from fully contracting, which can help with tennis elbow.

Sleep on a Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress for More Comfort

A hybrid mattress with adaptive memory foam on top and a pocket coil support core, which offers excellent postural support and pressure relief to keep your arm in a good position and lessen the pressure on your elbow, is the best type of mattress to sleep on if you have tennis elbow.

Get Physical Therapy to Speed Up Recovery

Your ability to resume your regular life sooner depends on how quickly you heal. Physical therapy is always suggested for tennis elbow and plays a significant role in how quickly you recover.

It accelerates healing by increasing blood flow to the tendons. A trainer can evaluate your needs and create a set of exercises that are tailored to them. Avoid overusing your elbow. Avoid any of these exercises if you feel like your elbow is being overworked.

Tennis elbow won’t be affected much by these exercises, provided you do them correctly. They can help you strengthen your muscles and tendons. Additionally, they can be done as a preventative measure to avoid tennis elbow.

Here are a few exercises you can do at home:

• Wrist Turn
• Wrist Lift
• Elbow Flex
• Passive Wrist Extensor Stretch and Flex
• Make a Fist
• Friction Massage

Manage Pain Using Several Techniques

Tennis elbow pain can range in intensity from mild to extremely painful. Here are some strategies for managing the pain of tennis elbow effectively:

• Apply Cold to Reduce Inflammation
• Apply Heat to Promote Healing
• Doctor Prescribed Pain Medications
• Steroid Injections
• Ultrasound Therapy
• Surgery

Rest the Elbow to Deter Pain and Promote Healing

Tennis elbow is brought on by overusing the muscles that are connected to the lateral part of the elbow repeatedly. Microtears, inflammation, and pain are brought on by this.

It may take months or years for the inflammation and pain to stop after they start. You should give your body enough time to heal itself during this time by resting your elbow.

Here are a few strategies that can help:

• Refrain from the Aggravating Movement
• Invest in Braces and Splints
• Use Tennis Elbow Friendly Equipment

Why Does My Elbow Hurt When Sleeping?

The degeneration is ongoing and doesn’t necessarily require movement to feel irritated because the tendon already has been damaged as a result of repetitive motion. Unfortunately, it only hurts.

Aside from that, tendons heal very slowly on their own without treatment due to poor circulation and a decreased blood supply. Additionally, due to reduced circulation and lack of movement while resting, especially as we age, muscles and connective tissues can become tight and somewhat stiff while we sleep.

Additionally, the way your body and arm are positioned while you sleep can add stress and aggravate pain. Sleeping on the injured arm, raising your arms overhead, rolling onto, or twisting, your forearm, can all make the injury worse.

Tennis Elbow Causes and Symptoms

There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this blog, either you or someone you know has tennis elbow, which affects about 10 million Americans. who suffer from it each year. The effects on the arm are the same whether it was brought on by playing tennis, playing video games, biking, working out, or doing other things.

Repetitive movements of the tendons and muscles in the forearm and arm result in microscopic tears, which lead to this overuse injury. As a result of these tears, the tendon gradually becomes inflamed, painful, and irritated. Symptoms include:

• Dull ache
• Sharp pain when using the forearm and wrist
• Stiffness or soreness at the elbow
• Weak grip strength
• Difficulty lifting items
• Numbness in the fingers

These symptoms can occur while lifting weights, playing tennis, using a computer mouse, carrying a briefcase, turning a doorknob, shaking your hands, or bumping your elbows. In addition, a lot of people who have tennis elbow find that the pain interferes with or keeps them awake at night.

Conclusion: Fall and Stay Asleep Tonight

When you have tennis elbow, you should consult your doctor to determine the best course of treatment. You should also think about combining several treatments, such as sleeping on your back, using a memory foam mattress with a hybrid cover, wearing an elbow brace, and managing your pain.

The best way to deal with tennis elbow-related sleep issues is to effectively treat the injury and get rid of the pain. Additionally, you can apply ice to your elbow a few times a day to help with pain relief and inflammation reduction. You also need to rest your arm. In order to complete tasks or convince yourself that you are strong, don’t try to push through the discomfort.

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