Has anyone out there found ways to improve your sleep, so you are not waking in pain all night long? I'll wake up and it hurts so much to move, even just to adjust. Then I can't fall back to sleep because I'm so stiff and hurt too much. Suggestions?
Hi Lainee,
I'm so sorry that your sleep is being disrupted by pain. That can be so frustrating. If you are currently taking pain medication, over-the-counter or prescription, try to take it close to bedtime so that it will last you most of the night. Personally, I take Tylenol and a Benadryl right before bed. If I wake up in pain during the night and it is 3 or more hours before I have to get up again, I'll take another Benadryl. I wouldn't recommend taking Benadryl with prescription pain medicine, though, unless you clear it with your doctor, as the combination might be too sedating. I've also had some small success with meditation/visualization while lying in bed. This is a pretty standard visualization aid: Imagine that you are at the top of a flight of 10 steps. Take one step at a time, trying to *feel* the movement of your body - your (painfree) foot making contact with the stair, your weight shifting downward, breathing slowly and quietly all the while. When you reach the bottom of the steps, calmly state to yourself that your pain is better, that you feel relaxed and comfortable enough to go back to sleep.
And if it doesn't work, at least you've killed 10 or 15 minutes of what must feel like an endless night!
; - )
I wish you a good night's sleep!
Andrea, thanks for your note. I do take pain meds before bed. I think not moving while I sleep makes me "freeze" up and I need to move around to get the joints moving again before I can fall back asleep. I appreciate your visualization suggestion...I'll give it a try!
Lainee B.
I sleep on a heating pad. Although it turns off after 2 hours if I wake up I can just reach down and turn it back on. I had to start sleep on my back due to the arthritis…either side will get my hips throbbing and on my stomach will make my back ache. I had to buy a new mattress a few years ago so decided on a memory foam one… It helped a lot!
Hi Lainee - and Roni, too -
We're just moving into colder weather here in the Chicago area so I'd forgotten about another little sleep help. Last year I bought a heated mattress pad. It will stay on for 12 hours at a stretch (though I don't get to enjoy it for that long, but the cats do!) and I found that a low/moderate heat level all night does help with the stiffness in the morning. Plus it is lovely to climb into a warm bed in the winter! I've burnt myself falling asleep on an old heating pad, so I was glad to try the all-over heat of the mattress pad. The one I have is for a king-sized bed and has dual controls so my husband doesn't have to be cooked if he doesn't want it on. Take care!
Thanks Roni. I LIVE by my heating pad around the house, but mine is the microwave type, so it doesn’t last long at night. My sister inlaw suggested the heated mattress pads. Maybe worth a try??? How funny, as I posted this I saw Andrea’s post on the heated mattress pad. I think I’ll have to invest in one. My hubby is always hot, so the dual controls would be great. We live even further north…in Western Michigan were we get big winters!
Andrea said:
Hi Lainee - and Roni, too -
We're just moving into colder weather here in the Chicago area so I'd forgotten about another little sleep help. Last year I bought a heated mattress pad. It will stay on for 12 hours at a stretch (though I don't get to enjoy it for that long, but the cats do!) and I found that a low/moderate heat level all night does help with the stiffness in the morning. Plus it is lovely to climb into a warm bed in the winter! I've burnt myself falling asleep on an old heating pad, so I was glad to try the all-over heat of the mattress pad. The one I have is for a king-sized bed and has dual controls so my husband doesn't have to be cooked if he doesn't want it on. Take care!
I’m on the east coast of Canada so can relate to the nasty winters!! The matress pad is a great idea. I don’t think it would work for me personally… I use the intense heat setting on my pad for pain relief! The newer pads turn off after a set length of time so you don’t burn yourself…otherwise I would have third degree burns! LOL. I also can’t sleep if I’m too warm so keeping my room cool and using the heating pad really works for me. Of course the other draw back is that it only works for the sacroilliitis and other parts will still be stiff and sore in the morning. All over heat from a mattress pad would help with everything.
I just ran out at lunch time and looked into a King Size heated pad for my bed. (dual controls so my hubby can stay cool too.) Kohl’s had them for 50% off, but they were still $89.00 on the half off sale (regularly $180!!!). I couldn’t quite afford it…but I’ll keep my eyes open for one of their really “cheap” sales. I think that it would keep me from waking up so stiff and my joints screaming with pain. SIGH. Just have to keep praying for relief. Thanks for all your advice!
Hi Lainee,
You might want to try Overstock.com - that's where I got mine and I think I paid something like $70.00 for it. Still expensive but I found it helpful. If you haven't signed up for e-mails from Overstock, you can often get 10-20-30% off stuff. Hope you find a great deal somewhere!
Andrea
Lainee B. said:
I just ran out at lunch time and looked into a King Size heated pad for my bed. (dual controls so my hubby can stay cool too.) Kohl's had them for 50% off, but they were still $89.00 on the half off sale (regularly $180!!!). I couldn't quite afford it...but I'll keep my eyes open for one of their really "cheap" sales. I think that it would keep me from waking up so stiff and my joints screaming with pain. SIGH. Just have to keep praying for relief. Thanks for all your advice!
I was having trouble with aching at night and also with getting warm enough (and then I’d get too warm …). I’ve found that taking tylenol at bedtime helps with the aches, and if I don’t take it, I’m sorry. My big bedding investment was a thick wool fleece mattress pad (http://snugfleece.com/). I’m amazed at the immediate difference it made to the quality of my sleep. No more pressure points, my back feels good, and I’m toasty warm but dry and comfortable all night. I really love love love it, and I even bought a second for the RV. I’m broke, but oh how well I sleep!
I guess I have a whole regimen. 1. I take an Aleve. 2. I have high anxiety so I take my prescribed klonopin 30 mIns before bed. 3. Recently bought a king size bed ISP I have enough room to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs so my knees and ankles don’t touch as well as another pillow between my arms allowing me to stretchy arms out away from my body, no elbows or wriists touching and at the same time keeping my “top” shoulder from sagging. It’s a process but it allows me a number of hours of uninterrupted sleep which is helpful for me
Ok…my iPhone is really bad at making typos. Sorry and hopefully that made some sense
Suzanne Hall said:
I guess I have a whole regimen. 1. I take an Aleve. 2. I have high anxiety so I take my prescribed klonopin 30 mIns before bed. 3. Recently bought a king size bed ISP I have enough room to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs so my knees and ankles don’t touch as well as another pillow between my arms allowing me to stretchy arms out away from my body, no elbows or wriists touching and at the same time keeping my “top” shoulder from sagging. It’s a process but it allows me a number of hours of uninterrupted sleep which is helpful for me
Bedtime is torture time for me. I gave it up. I now sleep in a recliner which is much easier on my hips and back. I invested in two different beds, one @ $2700 and one @ almost $4000. (and those were for full-size only!) Those were memory foam beds. They helped my hips but flat out killed my back. Now I have a memory foam gel infused mattress that is better, but still is not a 100 percent cure for the problem. I get about 5-6 hours before it drives me out with hip pain. Still 5-6 hours is better than the 2 hours I got from my old bed. Most nights I sleep in the recliner, after pain meds and mirapex for Restless Leg Syndrome. I can’t win the lottery, but when it comes to orphan diseases, I got 'em all! lol But, yes, the bed is intolerable for me. I’ve been sleeping in chair for a year now. My PT says about 30 percent of his patients do this. I didn’t feel so strange after that. Extra pillows do help if you are still trying the bed. You can put one between your knees, which may help your hips/back. You can use them to prop bedding off of your inflamed toes or other problematic joints. Invest in a good, quality (400 thread count) sateen cotton set of sheets. Get the ones that area easy care and require no ironing. The sheets make it easier to move in bed, and they don’t hurt skin that has open P lesions if you have to slide across the sheets. Wish I could be of more help, but the truth is, I couldn’t ever work the problem for myself. My recliner has heat in it, so that is most likely a large part of our sudden interest in each other. lol I hope you have better luck and do keep us posted on your progress! It never hurts to share ideas and team up on Uncle Arthur!
Thank you all!!! I feel better just knowing I’m not alone out there. I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. Because I have years of chronic back problems, I have a really good mattress, the nice sheets and take pain meds before bed. I get 2-3 hours of sleep then awake with the worst pain/stiffness that I can’t turn over in bed I’m so sore. It’s gotten really bad the past few months, it seems to be progressing (in not a good way!) I work long days and need my sleep. Thanks everyone for your comments, they were very helpful! Hugs to all!
Have you tried melatonin? It's a very interesting supplement, and really works for me. I sleep longer and better when I take it. There's lots written about it on the 'net.
Seenie
I get a good sleep once week by taking Endone, celebrex and osteo panadol together. I did it last night and had a sleep like it used to be. Although I’ve been told I could safely do this more often I do worry about such a cocktail and I find the one good sleep a week makes life much better.
Bedtime has changed in my house too. Before the “official” diagnosis I literally could not roll over without having support to lift and drag my hips. I stopped trying to sleep with hubby as he is a lot bigger than me and has his own aches and pains, with my tossing and turning and squalling, no one was sleeping. I moved into my own room, with no TV, extremely low light, and I’m not sure if it is really helping but I’m gonna stick it out my salt light. I wait to go to bed until complete exhaustion, take my Desryl and read a few minutes. Some nights I sleep relatively well, then there are nights like last night where I went to bed at 10pm and was wide awake at 3am(always fun). I am not in a position to purchase a new mattress, but the 3/4" plywood has helped…I love the idea of trying to sleep in a recliner, but at 6’2, I haven’t found one that accomodates “all of me”. Prior to Desyrl, melatonin was what I used, liked it better than say unisom which leaves you groggy if you can’t sleep through all of its effects.
FYI - Just a follow up, I did get the heated mattress pad and would HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who gets stiff back/hips/knees while sleeping like I do! It was wonderful to sleep on, like a full body heating pad.
For a swollen joint, ice and compression might help you sleep.