Sleep and pain are intimately linked, and can be both beneficial and harmful. Getting a good night’s sleep can significantly improve your perception of pain, reduce inflammation, and ultimately help you manage your symptoms over the long term.
The connection between sleep and pain is complex and cyclical. Pain affects the quality of your sleep. Conditions like joint pain can flare up or be triggered by certain sleeping positions, causing persistent discomfort at night that doesn’t go away, or causing frequent awakenings during the night. Medications you take to control your symptoms may have side effects that disrupt sleep. Pain is also often accompanied by anxiety, stress, and/or depression, which can negatively impact sleep.
On the other hand, lack of sleep can also affect your pain. In fact, some believe that the impact of sleep on pain may be stronger than the impact of pain on sleep.
If you’re sleep deprived, your body is more sensitive to pain because sleep and pain share many of the same chemical and electrical processes. For example, melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep, also plays a role in your perception of pain.
How can you sleep better at night?
Here are 7 sleep well tips you can try:
1. Avoid stimulants before bed
You probably wouldn’t brew a cup of coffee or down an energy drink before bed, but have you ever considered that your favorite soda or tea might have caffeine lurking inside? Make sure caffeine isn’t the main ingredient in your late-night drink, or you risk sabotaging your chances of a good night’s sleep.
2. Don’t Go to Bed in Pain
If you go to bed in pain, you’re almost certain to have trouble sleeping. Try to schedule your medication so that it’s most effective at the time you usually go to bed. You should also avoid triggering activities and replace them with relaxing activities. For example, try taking a hot shower or soaking in the tub before bed to soothe aching joints.
3. Find Time to Exercise
Fighting joint pain may have pushed exercise to the bottom of your to-do list, but moving during the day can help reduce pain and make you feel more tired when you go to bed.
4. Manage Your Stress
Life is stressful enough. Add chronic joint pain to the mix, and you may be hitting your limits every day. The result? Worsening pain and sleepless nights. Try your best to manage and cope with stress and avoid stressful situations before bed.
5. Create an oasis
Your bedroom should be a sleep sanctuary. That means removing the TV, banning electronics, and filling the space with the most comfortable sleeping surfaces possible. You can also try room-darkening curtains and/or sound machines to block out light and noise that might distract you from sleep.
6. Stay out of bed
When pain-related insomnia strikes, you may find yourself tossing and turning in bed. However, that can actually do more harm than good. Instead, get out of bed and do something that isn’t too stimulating. This helps your brain associate bed with sleep, not tossing and turning.
7. Resist the urge to rely on sleeping pills
In a pinch, sleeping pills are a great option to catch up on sleep. But when you’re struggling with chronic joint pain and insomnia, the last thing you want to do is rely on medications that only provide temporary relief. Instead, focus on the healthy habits we’ve outlined above to find a long-term solution to your sleep deprivation.
