Sleep deprivation rife for millions due to muscle and joint pain

A staggering 79% of Brits suffer from disrupted sleep thanks to joint or muscle pain, according to new real-world research^[1] by Deep Relief – the topical joint and muscle pain specialists. Half of respondents claimed that it was a struggle to fall asleep thanks to the pain, with 66% waking up in the night and 72% feeling uncomfortable when lying in certain positions.

It makes for worrying reading as sleep is crucial to good health yet sleep problems themselves can in fact make joint pain worse. Over three quarters of respondents admit to being unaware of what happens to their joints as they sleep, however two-thirds rightly feel that disrupted sleep or a lack of sleep can actually contribute to their muscle or joint pain. Plus, a sky-high 84% of Brits suffer from stiff muscles when they wake up in the morning.

It’s very much a catch 22. Physiotherapist, sleep expert and an advisor to Deep Relief – www.deep-relief.co.uk Sammy Margo says that sleep deprivation can alter the nerve signals in the brain and reduce the pain threshold.

Sammy Margo notes: “Soothing pain can help avoid sleep issues. The new Deep Relief Actiflex Patch is a non-medicated, complementary therapy designed to get you through day or night; it can be conveniently worn under clothing or while sleeping, for up to 12 hours.”

Plus, Sammy Margo adds: “A study in healthy adults found that even moderate sleep loss induces inflammatory cytokines, something which 69% of Brits are aware of according to the latest Deep Relief research.

“Sleep deprivation also hinders emotional and cognitive abilities so it is not surprising that over three-quarters of participants in the Deep Relief research poll find lack of sleep makes it harder to deal with pain.”

Sammy Margo explains that we must deal with joint and/or muscle pain as soon as we start to experience it. Yet, the interesting research by Deep Relief has discovered how 46% of those surveyed don’t know how to look after their joints and muscles.

Just over a third do have a particular bedtime routine to help ease muscle or joint pain. For 43% of people this routine includes oral painkillers, with 37% opting for a warm bath and 31% choosing hot topical treatments like a hot water bottle. For bedtime itself, four in 10 have previously bought a special pillow to help them sleep. As for the morning stiffness suffered by so many Brits, only four in 10 have specific exercises or stretches that they practice in the morning to help their muscles and joints.

With 61% admitting they’d be happy to try anything to help ease muscle and joint pain, what can we do to help our muscles and joints in a bid to protect our precious sleep?

Watch your weight

The Deep Relief research has found that 43% of Brits are concerned about being overweight, with 52% saying that they’d lose weight if it helped with muscle and joint pain. Excess weight is likely to be the number one risk factor when it comes to joint pain. “Carrying too much weight increases the burden on joints,” explains Sammy Margo, “which naturally can then cause them to ache.” Exercise and eat healthy portions of whole foods, to help maintain a healthy weight.

Eat right

A poor diet can contribute to joint pain too. “Diets high in processed foods may be convenient but they’re taking a toll on our joints as they cause inflammation in the body. The joints and the surrounding cartilage must be nourished to remain healthy and free of pain,” says dietitian and an advisor to Deep Relief, Dr Carrie Ruxton. Enjoy a colourful, whole food diet and keep processed foods – high in salts, fats, and sugars – to a minimum.

Perfect your posture

Personal Trainer Chris Ruxton who swears by both the Deep Relief topical range and the Deep Relief Actiflex Patch says that we need to focus on standing or sitting tall, with weight distributed evenly throughout both sides of the body, AKA, try not to lean on one leg.

“When working, be sure that your laptop screen is at eye level, feet flat on the floor and forearms resting at a comfortable height on your work surface,” says Chris Ruxton.

Exercise right

Chris Ruxton explains that exercise and movement can help keep joints and muscles healthy; in fact, two-thirds of Brits would exercise more if it helped avoid pain. Warming up and cooling down is vital though.

“A warm up prepares the body for the work it’s about to do; it helps deliver oxygen to the muscles and warms up the synovial fluid around joints, to help lubricate and protect them,” explains Chris Ruxton.

A cool down on the other hand, brings the body back to a resting state.

Use Deep Relief

“Using the latest patch innovation technology, Deep Relief Actiflex Patch provides fast, soothing relief to discomfort in the joints such as knees, shoulders, hips, wrists, elbows, and ankles. A flexible fit means the Deep Relief Actiflex Patch can be applied to all joint areas. Great news for those people where joint issues like their knees or their backs are keeping them awake at night. I am a fan of these patches and would recommend the Deep Relief Actiflex Patch to anyone being kept up at night thanks to joint and muscle issues,” says Sammy Margo.

The Deep Relief Actiflex Patch also contains Bionovex Oil, a purified marine oil derived from New Zealand green lipped mussels. The Deep Relief Anti-Inflammatory Gel and Deep Relief Joint Pain Gel are also available for the effective relief from back pain, rheumatic pain, muscular aches, pains, and swellings such as strains, sprains, and sports injuries.

Sammy Margo explains that the Deep Relief topical range – formulated in an aqueous gel – contains Levomenthol and Ibuprofen.

“Unlike single active NSAID gels, Deep Relief contains two active painkilling ingredients, so it can reduce pain and inflammation and also provide a fast cooling and soothing effect, so both topical gel formulations have a triple action. As a result:

• Levomenthol acts on the nerve endings in the skin, giving a soothing, cooling effect, while its counter-irritant activity stimulates the nerves that perceive cold and depresses those that perceive pain.
• Ibuprofen penetrates the skin to help relieve mild to moderate pain and inflammation, by blocking the production of prostaglandins via inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway.

To round off, Sammy Margo concludes: “Making these simple, yet incredibly effective lifestyle changes can ward off muscle and joint pain and help us sleep soundly. Incorporating Deep Relief products into your regime, at the first sign of muscle of joint aches and pains, can help lower the burden that muscle and joint issues can cause on our everyday lives.”

Deep Relief – The facts

Deep Relief Anti-inflammatory Gel and Deep Relief Joint Pain Gel both contain a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) and offer an effective, evidence backed, targeted pain and inflammation relief alternative to oral painkillers. Their unique formulation combines ibuprofen and levomenthol to provide powerful pain and inflammation relief where you need it most.

Deep Relief Anti-inflammatory Gel and Deep Relief Joint Pain Gel are the only anti-inflammatory gels in the UK which contain the two painkilling ingredients Ibuprofen and Levomenthol. As a result, the ingredients in both the Deep Relief Gel formats have a triple-action formula where Levomenthol works to quickly cool and soothe the pain, while ibuprofen gets to work to reduce pain and inflammation. More on the ingredient science below.

Deep Relief Anti-inflammatory Gel is recommended for the effective relief from back pain, rheumatic pain, muscular aches, pains, and swellings such as strains, sprains, and sport injuries. Deep Relief Joint Pain Gel is additionally recommended for non-serious arthritic conditions

Deep Relief: The Science

Deep Relief is formulated in an aqueous gel, which adds to the soothing and cooling effect when applied to the affected area. It contains levomenthol and ibuprofen – in a topical, gel format. Levomenthol induces tingling and cooling sensations when applied topically, conferring pain relief through its ability to bind to TRPM8 receptors^[2] which produce blocking actions. Activation of TRMP8 receptors increases nitric oxide production resulting in localised increased blood flow. Menthol also binds kappa-opioid receptors and thus may confer an additional analgesic effect.

Topical ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory non-digested drug (NSAID), which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties without ingestion. The formulation exerts its effects directly on inflamed tissues underlying the site of application, mainly by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis.^[3] Plus, topical ibuprofen is clinically proven to be as effective as 400mg oral ibuprofen for joint and muscle pain.^[4]

FACT: The prostaglandins are a group of lipids made at sites of tissue damage or infection that are involved in dealing with injury and illness. They control processes such as inflammation, blood flow, the formation of blood clots and the induction of labour.

The gel formulation penetrates through the skin rapidly, achieving high, therapeutically relevant local concentrations in underlying soft tissues, muscles, and joints. While it is absorbed into the blood, levels are unlikely to be sufficient to cause any systemic side effects, other than in rare individuals who are hypersensitive.

Deep Relief: A product A-Z

^[1] Perspectus Global, 1,000 adults questioned; Autumn 2022

^[2] Ma et al., “Menthol Derivative Ws-12 Selectively Activates Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin-8 (Trpm8) Ion Channels.”

^[3] “Painkillers and Prostaglandins,” Nat Struct Mol Biol 10, 233 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0403-233.