How can I manage my chronic pain to sleep better?
Up to 88 percent of chronic pain sufferers report that they also struggle with poor-quality sleep, which in turn can ramp up their symptoms and worsen pain.
A range of medical issues can cause chronic pain. Fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, nerve damage, and cancer are all leading causes of persistent pain, although sometimes it occurs with no identifiable cause. The relationship between pain and sleep is a two-way street: pain leads to poor sleep, and poor sleep increases our perception of pain. A lack of deep sleep also disrupts the body’s ability to fight pain. It inhibits the production of the hormones prolactin and HGH, which have anti-inflammatory properties and are vital to the body’s repair processes—and this further adds to the burden of chronic pain.
The automatic response we have to pain is to tense our muscles. For chronic-pain sufferers, muscle tension can therefore seem normal and may not even be something they are aware of. However, this tension can make the experience of pain worse, so learning to relax can be an effective way to reduce symptoms.
Sleep loss/pain cycle
Poor sleep not only increases our vulnerability to and perception of pain, but pain itself can be the trigger for problems falling and staying asleep—perpetuating the negative relationship between sleep and pain.
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PAIN
Trouble falling asleep
In bed with no distractions, the perception of pain can increase. The more you feel pain, the more difficult it is to fall asleep.
Trouble staying asleep
Pain triggers a stress response in the body, heightening our arousal and increasing the likelihood we will wake.
LACK OF SLEEP
Poor sleep increases pain sensitivity and reduces the body’s ability to manage pain.
RELAX TO BREAK THE CYCLE
Progressive muscle relaxation is a practice whereby you relax the muscles of the body in turn, which is proven to help with pain management. Studies have shown that it can decrease the sensation of pain and improve sleep. To see if it works for you, you’ll need around 10 minutes for the following exercise:
1. Lie on your back in bed, or on a yoga mat, and take a minute to allow your breathing to come to a slow, steady rhythm. Be aware of your inhales and exhales.
2. Beginning with your left foot, tense the muscles in your foot tightly, inhaling slowly, and hold for a count of five. Exhale and release all the tension in the foot—your muscles will feel a sudden relaxing sensation. Repeat this process twice more before repeating for the right foot.
3. Repeat this gentle process of breathing, tensing, then releasing the muscles all the way up your body in the following sequence: calves, thighs, buttocks, stomach, hands, arms, chest, shoulders, neck, and face.
Gradual relaxation
The progressive muscle relaxation exercise (see above) works by focusing on one area of the body at a time. Starting from your feet, tense and release the muscles first on the left side, then on the right, before moving on to the next group of muscles. Gradually work up to your head, as shown above.