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Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) often disrupt more than muscles and joints. Unfortunately, over the following months, it can also ruin your ability to sleep. Pain, anxiety, and medications keep many patients tossing at night, slowing recovery. A simple tweak at night, worn over the eyes, can block light, helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. At Chambers Medical Group, one of the highest rated car accident medical doctor care programs in Kentucky, most of our patients are not sleeping well at night and that means slow healing. Dr. Aaron Workman talks about a sleep mask and how this addition can help recovery following an accident.
What is a Sleep Mask?
A sleep mask is a soft fabric cover you wear over your eyes. Its only job is to block all light. This simple act of creating total darkness is a powerful signal to your body. It helps manage your internal clock, telling your brain it is time to produce melatonin. Melatonin is an important hormone that makes you feel sleepy and keeps you asleep. This mask ends up being a cheap tool that provides a significant healing advantage in many ways:
- Promotes Deeper Sleep
Even small amounts of light from a hallway night light, TV in the background or a streetlamp can alert your brain. By creating total darkness, a sleep mask signals “night” to your internal clock. This darkness helps you reach the deep sleep stages that are critical for repairing damaged tissue and supporting your immune system after trauma.
- Reduces Pain Perception
Poor sleep amplifies pain, and this is a huge problem when you are already in pain. One bad night can make a sore neck feel twice as stiff. Quality rest lowers pain sensitivity. Many research studies show that patients utilizing masks in different settings, even hospitals, report falling asleep faster and waking less. Less pain at night means less medications needed. This will lead to a better, more clear-headed morning starting your day.
- Post-Accident Anxiety
Flashbacks, bad dreams, worry about bills, or fear of driving again spike cortisol and keep the mind racing. Darkness from a mask lowers arousal levels, allowing for a more safe, quiet environment. This calming effect can help you drift off easier, reducing stress that delays physical healing.
- Supports Medication
Many MVA patients take muscle relaxers or pain relievers at bedtime. A mask helps these drugs work better by deepening sleep cycles, so you wake refreshed instead of groggy. Consistent sleep also stabilizes mood, reducing reliance on daytime medications.
- Speeds Overall Recovery
Sleep is when growth hormone peaks, repairing damaged tissues. One week of improved sleep with a mask can boost recovery by supporting the body’s natural repair crew. If we see a patient not sleeping well, we understand their treatment still has a way to go. Sleeping better is a good indicator of returning to daily activities faster.
The sleep mask is an easy addition you can purchase today if needed. Find a soft, contoured mask that fits without pressure on the face, covering the eyes completely. Use it every night, even for naps, to retrain your sleep cycle. Pair it with a consistent bedtime and a dark, cool room. Avoid screens 30 minutes before bed. If pain wakes you, adjust position with pillows, but do not take off the mask. At Chambers Medical Group, I am always asking about sleep, and it is typically reliable to predict pain levels based on that sleep. A $10 mask can cut a great amount of time off recovery by giving your body the rest it needs to rebuild. Do not underestimate your sleeping darkness as it is one of the strongest tools in your healing kit.
— This article is written by Aaron Workman, DC, one of the members of Chambers Medical Group’s team of car accident chiropractors who offer a variety of treatments and therapies ranging from diagnostic testing to various soft tissue therapies for car accidents and injuries in Kentucky.
