Trying to combat sleeping problems can be an uphill battle, especially when it comes to insomnia due to chronic pain.
A good rest can normally help with your aches, but what happens when the pain is so severe that it causes you to lose sleep?
If you’re struggling with insomnia due to chronic pain and you spend your nights tossing and turning, here are some of the ways you can improve your sleep.
Upgrade Your Mattress and Pillow
When the pain you’re experiencing is in your neck and back, one thing you should consider is the bedding you sleep on. A mattress that is too soft can often worsen your back pain. Similarly, having too many or too hard pillows could cause your neck pain to flare up.
Getting a mattress and pillows to match your needs and sleeping habits can keep your aches at bay and help you to get better sleep. Online mattress retailers such as My Next Mattress offer orthopaedic mattress ranges designed to improve the comfort of sleepers suffering from back pain.
You can also get specific pillows that can ease your neck pain. A bedding expert would be able to recommend suitable mattresses and pillows to help ease your back and neck pain.
Take Time to Take Care of Your Mental Health
Stress can result in your body releasing a hormone known as cortisol. This particular hormone can intensify your pain sensitivity. To add to the problem, stress can make your mind more alert, preventing the release of melatonin and contributing to your insomnia.
Going to bed when you’re feeling stressed is likely to cause sleep struggles and even worsen the pain. If you’re concerned about insomnia due to chronic pain, you should try getting into the habit of de-stressing before bed. A great example of a relaxing, sleep-inducing activity is taking a bath. This can relax your muscles and help your body release endorphins to lower your stress levels and fight the pain. Listening to music and podcasts, meditation, and reading are some other relaxation techniques to try.
You can also try relaxing sleepy time teas made from herbs that can help you fall asleep faster. Suppose you believe that stress combined with chronic pain might cause your sleeping problems. In that case, it’s definitely worth looking into relaxation activities.
Seek the Help of a Professional
If nothing else is helping and your pain keeps you up at night, then it might be best to get the help of a professional. A medical professional would be able to prescribe you medications that can reduce your pain so you can combat insomnia.
Common causes of chronic pain, such as lower back pain, inflamed nerves, or arthritis, can be treated with many different forms of pain relief, including injections or even surgery in severe cases. A doctor will be able to advise on the best treatment for you.
Different factors in your lifestyle might trigger other pains, such as migraines. Those can include foods, smells, or something as minor as changes to your routine. A medical professional can help you identify what triggers the pain and help you with advice on how to avoid it to combat pain-induced insomnia.
Combating insomnia caused by chronic pain can often be challenging. Still, a lack of sleep is detrimental to your well-being. Long periods of sleep deprivation due to chronic pain can lead to even more health problems and worsen your pain over time.
If you feel like you’re losing sleep due to pain, then you should definitely take action sooner rather than later.
