SLEEP AND ARTHRITIS PAIN
Rest is extremely important when dealing with arthritis. A lack of sleep can worsen fatigue, and can increase arthritis symptoms. However, arthritis pain can interfere with sleep. This can create a difficult cycle where a lack of sleep leads to pain, and pain leads to further sleep loss. To avoid these issues, you need to consider 2 strategies:
STRATEGY 1: Get your pain under control
Visit your doctor regularly to make sure that you are taking the proper steps to keep your arthritis medically under control. This will start by taking the proper medications and adjusting as needed. If you are having trouble with arthritis pain at night, your doctor may prescribe medications for sleep, pain, or inflammation to get you through tough nights. Your doctor will also counsel you on your lifestyle risk factors. Healthy diet, activity modification to avoid joint stress, and decreasing risk factors like weight loss are interventions you can work on at home.
STRATEGY 2: Get prepared for better sleep
Make sleep a priority by blocking off time dedicated for rest. Reserve the bed for sleep, and make it a tech-free, food-free environment. You may benefit from “padding” the joints at night with braces, sleeves, extra pillows, etc, and your physical/occupational therapists can help with this. Investing in softer, firmer, or adjustable mattresses can be an expensive trial-and-error venture that is difficult to predict because of individual preferences—there is no such thing as a perfect mattress or bed for joint pain. If you are able to find the right bed/mattress combo, then it can really make a huge difference. Look for a mattress company who offers a free trial period so that you can switch to another bed if the one you buy doesn’t seem to be helping.
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