sleep quality

How To Get Quality Sleep In The Face Of Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

sleepRestful sleep is incredibly important to our overall health. When we’re well rested, our body has time to recover from the rigors of the previous day, and we have more energy to attack today with exercise and activity. Conversely, poor sleep quality can do just the opposite. If we’re not getting great sleep, we may be more sedentary throughout the day and pain sensitivity can also increase. It is very important to work to get quality sleep.

With that said, quality restful sleep isn’t always easy to come by, especially if you are dealing with a pain condition that makes it harder for you to fall asleep or stay asleep. You may have to work a little harder to achieve restful sleep in the face of a chronic pain condition, but it can be done and it will be worth it. In today’s blog, we share some tips for achieving restful sleep despite dealing with a chronic pain condition.

Improving Your Sleep Quality If You Have Chronic Pain

We know that chronic pain is unique to the individual, so we don’t expect all of these tips to work perfectly for every single person battling a pain condition. However, if you really commit to one or more of these techniques, we’re confident that you’ll eventually find a way to improve your sleep quality. Here’s what we suggest.

Turn Off Distractions – For starters, keep your phone out of arm’s reach and don’t fall asleep to a television program in bed. These blue light sources can strain our eyes and make our brain more alert, which in turn makes it harder for you to relax and fall asleep. Try to make the last 15-30 minutes or more before bed a technology-free time.

Deep Breathing – You can help your body become more relaxed by practicing some deep breathing or meditation exercises right before bedtime. Focus on your breathing patterns and feel yourself begin to calm down and relax. Try to block out your mind from any sources of stress and really just work on clearing your head.

Exercise During The Day – Many people find that they fall asleep faster and sleep better if they are physically active during the day. Your body craves activity, and challenging your body with activity is physically exhausting. Sometimes feelings of anxiousness or restlessness at bedtime can be controlled by making it a point to exercise during the day. Exercise is also great for chronic pain management.

Avoid Caffeine and Naps – It may also be helpful to ditch the caffeine and naps, especially in the afternoon or evening if you want to fall asleep faster at night. We know that a nap can recharge your batteries and help you get through the day, but it can also make it harder to fall asleep at night. Try to avoid napping and consuming large amounts of caffeine in the hours before bed. A coffee to start your morning shouldn’t cause any problems at night, but a soda with dinner may, so be mindful of what you put in your body before bed.

Dive Into A Pain Management Plan – If pain is the main reason you’re struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, we urge you to talk with a pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn to develop a personalized care plan. By making small adjustments to your daily life with things like increased exercise, dietary improvements, medication management, posture awareness and physical therapy techniques, we’re confident we can help you find ways to reduce or eliminate your chronic pain, which can make it easier for you to relax and fall asleep at night. Chronic pain and poor sleep quality can build off one another, so really commit to a pain management plan, and you may find that your sleep quality dramatically improves.

For help overcoming personalized sleep issues that you’re dealing with, or for assistance managing your unique chronic pain situation, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.

How To Improve Your Sleep Quality

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

sleepEveryone wants to sleep better. Problems with sleep are now pervasive in today’s society, and there are many culprits. Medical sleep experts are taking a deeper dive into the dynamics of sleep and are now starting to have a more comprehensive approach to issues. In the past, sleep problems were overly simple and only a few problems were considered. Sleep apnea was the main concern, then restless legs became another area. At sometime it became a matter of taking the correct sleep medication; the right pill was the answer, but we’re learning more about better techniques.

Poor sleep leads to multiple problems. The simple one is fatigue with difficulty functioning at an appropriate level.  Compounding being tired is mood changes from anxiety to depression and even more severe psychiatric disorders.  Sleep deprivation also leads to a large number of health problems including weight gain, hypertension, heart disease and possibly late neurological problems like dementia.

The New Science in Sleep

The new science in sleep is now paying closer attention to whether the person is trying to follow their normal circadian rhythm.  Most people have normal sleep times and baseline cycles. Some people are morning people, while others like to stay up late and sleep in during the morning. These are natural cycles one is often born into, and trying to work against the natural tendencies often leads to additional sleep difficulties. Working within your natural cycle for sleep can diminish ongoing sleep problems.  If you are a night owl, trying to be awake at the crack of dawn is likely just to cause problems.

Recognizing your own natural tendencies towards sleep can reduce anxiety and improve the quality. I am not a night owl at all, therefore when I chose a specialty in medicine I knew I wanted to be able to sleep at night.  I knew I could not function well in the middle of the night so I needed a specialty where I could usually sleep at night. Throughout college I only pulled one all night routine. I almost always went to sleep before midnight and then awoke early to do whatever had to be done. My spouse is just the opposite and is up to all hours of the night routinely and hates mornings, and hates the cheerful me as I start exercising at the crack of dawn.

During the daytime our brains are processing new information and making new connections. At night the brain is doing its housekeeping, removing toxins and cementing into place the information acquired during the day. Nighttime also is the time the brain works on processing emotional connections. Time spent asleep is when the brain does all the background work to maintain health and is not interrupted by functions that are needed when alert and awake.

For healthy sleep and general ability to stay awake during the day, maintaining a regular circadian cycle is necessary.  There are multiple things that one can do to improve your sleep. The first thing is to consider using a 10,000-lux light box in the morning to mimic sunlight for 30 minutes.  This will help stimulate the brain to wake up and be less tired. At night, go to bed when you are tired. Do not lie around in bed waiting to fall asleep. Bedtime preparation is important.  Stop working 1-2 hours before bed and avoid thinking about provocative topics prior to sleep. As part of the wind down, do something calming like reading or listening to music. Avoid looking at screens and social media.  Lastly, avoid caffeine and stimulants late in the day as well as alcohol within two hours of sleep. Alcohol after the first hour of a sedative effect tends to make the brain alert after it is metabolized.

Having good sleep habits as well as working with your natural circadian rhythm improves the ability to successfully sleep and feel rested. It improves brain function and overall health in many ways. When sleep is a problem and the simple issues are addressed, then working with a medical sleep specialist is important to identify and address the causes of poor sleep.