How Pain Affects Sleep? What To Do To Improve Your Sleep?
Does the pain keep you up at night?
It is a common observation that pain affects sleep, we cannot enjoy sound sleep during pain. The whole situation becomes unbearable when the painful condition gives rise to sleep disorders.
According to research, one in five Americans experiences chronic pain that results in sleep disturbances.
As we study the effect of pain on sleep, we have come to know that pain and sleep both create a vicious cycle. Pain affects your ability to sleep and inability to sleep makes the pain more irritating and worse.
The Link Between Pain And Sleep Problems
The intensity and connectedness of pain and sleep vary from person to person and we have to see whether the sleep disorder is resulting in the painful sensation or the pain is causing the lack of sleep.
In most cases, the real culprit is chronic pain that serves as the main reason to keep the person up at night. Even if the person sleeps, he wakes up multiple times at night, which has a bad impact on the cardiac rhythm as well as the quantity and quality of sleep.
It further worsens the situation and the deprivation of sleep reduces your ability to tolerate the pain.
Simple solutions to solve the sleep and pain problems
Let’s figure out solutions for when pain affects sleep
● First of all, you should see what is playing a vital role in making the situation irritating. In simple words, you should see whether the lack of sleep is causing pain or the painful condition is giving rise to sleeplessness.
● For this purpose, check out the underlying sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. Moreover, the physicians should also proceed with the pain-causing issues in the patient’s body such as arthritis.
● After analyzing the diseases and disorders related to sleep and pain, the physician should proceed with the solutions to the problems that are interfering with the patterns of sleep.
● It is a common observation that the people who have sound sleep experience less pain. So the treatment of sleep disorder will also make the patient comfortable because he will ache less.
Treating Pain Related Sleep Problems
Modern study has revealed that people who suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetic nerve pain, or lower back pain experience sleep problems. However, other diseases may also cause chronic pain and result in sleep disorders.
But the problem is, most of the individuals are already taking medications and drugs to solve their pain disorders and relieve the symptoms. So they may not like to take sleeping pills.
Medical Research shows that if the sleeping pills are taken along with pain medications, they can produce a lot of side effects that may give rise to new medical issues.
It is due to this reason, most physicians advise the patients to change their sleeping habits and use comfortable mattresses and pillows to provide themselves with the proper support and comfortability.
Moreover, the physicians also go through the diet and habits of the patients and ask a few questions such as:
● Do they exercise regularly?
● Do they consume caffeine alcohol at night?
● Do they use their bedroom only for sleeping purposes or use it for reading or studying as well?
● What kind of pillows and mattresses use how old their sleeping setup is?
Knowing the answer to such questions makes it easy for the physicians to tell the simple solutions of sleeplessness. In this way, they do their best to keep the patient away from sleeping pills because they may interact with their pain medications.
Important factors that affect sleep hygiene and promote the pain
It should be noted that the overall habits of the person play a vital role in sleep and pain management. For example, if the person is already suffering from arthritis and sleeplessness, he should not consume caffeine, coke, chocolate, or other things that badly impact the metabolism.
So if you want to get rid of pain issues, you should inculcate sleep hygiene in your life which means managing the things that affect the problems associated with pain and sleeplessness.
Diet
The person suffering from sleeplessness and chronic pain must avoid sugary foods, caffeine, coke, chocolate, and alcohol. Moreover, he should have some milk at night.
Noise
The availability of a quiet environment is very important for the patient suffering from chronic pain and sleep disorders.
Temperature
A warm shower in the evening promotes sleep and maintains the overall metabolism.
Light
Melatonin is the hormone that promotes sleep. It is only produced in the body when the person is exposed to sunlight during the day and darkness during the night.
Exercise
Various painful diseases have a direct relation to exercise habits. If you do not exercise daily, there are greater chances of suffering from joint and bone issues. Such issues give rise to chronic pain.
Daily exercise also promotes good night sleep but it is better to avoid exercise before going to bed. This is because your body temperature increases immediately after the exercise which may make it difficult for you to sleep.
Some Pro Tips To Maintain Good Night Sleep During The Painful Condition
● Take pain-relieving medications regularly.
● Avoid indulging yourself in emotional issues.
● Keep the lights dim at night.
● Avoid the activities that trigger chronic pain. For example, if you are suffering from arthritis, you should not lift heavy weights.
● Balance the fluid intake.
● Do not neglect the sleep problems.
● Immediately consult with the physician if you do not get relieved with the pain-relieving medications.
Final Verdict
Sound sleep requires you to have a slow nervous system. But when you suffer from chronic pain, your nervous system becomes extraordinarily active. As a result, it interferes with your sleep pattern.
It is due to this reason the physician advises the patients to follow the sleep hygiene and continue with the pain-relieving medications. He does not recommend the use of sleeping pills because they may interact with the pain medications.
By understanding the relationship between pain and sleep, the patient can fight the sleep disorders that result from chronic pain. Carolinas Pain Center has a unique approach to pain management. As a result each patient receives an individualized, multidisciplinary approach to care and treatment plan. We have two conveniently located offices in Huntersville, NC and Charlotte, NC. If you are dealing with chronic pain affecting sleep contact us today.
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