Insomnia Caused By Chronic Pain: Some Help And Advice

Pain is one of the most unpleasant, annoying and bothersome feelings you can ever experience. It worries you, is an obstacle to performing your daily tasks and affects your social life. But most of all, it stops you from having a good night’s sleep. When the pain is prolonged, your sleep is greatly affected. In this article we will talk about insomnia caused by chronic pain.

If at some point in your life you have had significant pain, you may have feared that night will come. This is because the feelings of pain tend to be aggravated by a lack of external stimuli. Therefore, you are unable to fall asleep, which makes you feel extremely frustrated. For those who suffer from chronic pain, this is a constant in daily life. And although there may be methods to relieve the pain, it is always important to ensure that the quality of sleep is good.

Chronic pain

Pain can manifest itself in two different ways. Acute pain occurs in connection with a recent injury or problem, has a limited duration and disappears when your body is healed. On the other hand , chronic pain continues for more than three months or remains for a month after the original disorder has resolved itself.

Depending on the origin, chronic pain can, among other things, manifest itself as a constant or throbbing pain, pressure or stiffness. In addition, there are a number of disorders that can cause it to appear. The most common are:

• arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatism
• migraines and headaches

• cancer
• nerve damage
• fibromyalgia
• trauma and infections

It is generally estimated that between 20 and 35 percent of the world’s population suffers from chronic pain. The personal and financial costs of this reality deserve investment in research.

How does pain affect sleep?

Insomnia is just one of the consequences of chronic pain. It has been discovered that around 50-89 percent of people with chronic pain experience sleep disorders as well as poor quality of life.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the relationship between rest and pain works in two ways. Pain prevents the person from resting properly. Lack of sleep, however, worsens their perception of painful experiences. In this way, a vicious circle is generated that is difficult to break.

Furthermore, when sleep is not complete, deep and restorative, medications used to alleviate pain lose their effectiveness. This is because the suppression of the REM phase in sleep causes the numerical effect of morphine and other opioids to be reduced.

Paradoxically, the same substances can alter the sleep structure and contribute to the suppression of the REM phase and cause increased sensitivity to pain. Ultimately, all of these interactions put people with chronic pain in a very difficult situation.

What can be done?

Unfortunately, in many cases it is simply not possible to prevent the onset of chronic pain. Take migraines, for example. Although there are several approved preventative medications for this condition, they are not always as effective as you might expect.

Unlike other diseases, medication is only prescribed for pain management when it has already appeared. Therefore, we ask the question, what can we do so that these feelings do not disturb the rest? There are several measures:

It has been found that the use of drugs with delayed release may be more effective than those with rapid release. This avoids sleep disorders associated with painkillers.

Sleep hygiene

It is important that the person maintains adequate sleep hygiene. These simple steps can help them fall asleep, sleep and improve the quality of rest. The steps you need to follow include:

• Avoid drinking coffee, tea, sugar and other stimulants in the late afternoon. Similarly, try not to drink alcohol, as this can cause premature awakening.
• Take a warm bath or shower before bedtime. This can help relieve pain and cause a state of relaxation that encourages sleep.

• Make sure that the environmental conditions are adequate. Darkness, silence and a temperature of around 20 degrees are recommended.
• Avoid doing anything other than resting in bed. For example, do not eat or watch TV.
• Adopt stable sleep routines and stick to them every day, even on weekends. Also try to go to bed around 11 or 12 at night as this is the most favorable time for the body.

Ultimately, insomnia caused by chronic pain is difficult to prevent and manage. However, there are some solutions. In fact, if you are suffering from this type of problem, do not hesitate to mention it to your doctor so that they can help you. Quality sleep is actually essential for your physical and mental well-being. Therefore, you must always take care of it as much as possible.