If You Live With Chronic Pain, We Need to Talk About Sleep.

One of the (many) problems of living with a chronic illness, and particularly chronic pain, is that deep, restorative sleep is hard to come by. In fact, it's estimated that 95% of folks with Fibromyalgia experience chronic sleep disturbances (1). Ninety. Five. Percent. And that doesn't mean that we just need an extra cup of coffee in the morning to get started. It actually contributes to the vicious cycle of chronic pain in many ways, including:

Additionally, poor sleep often leads to brain fog (6), low mood, and depression (7), which many of us already experience, and all of which feed into poor quality of sleep and - you guessed it - an increase in pain. It also means less energy to do things we know can improve pain symptoms, such as movement, preparing nutritious meals, participating in self-care, or even making time for positive social interactions.

When we sleep, there are 4 different stages that we cycle through: stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and REM sleep (8). Sometimes, people refer to these stages as Non-REM sleep (stages 1-3) and REM sleep. They are classified by differences in eye movements and brain activity. I made this little chart (9,10) to use a reference.

Now, based on this information, it might make sense to think that I'm going to tell you that you should just get more sleep. I'm not going to do that. I've been on the receiving end of that comment, and it is not in any way helpful. But, if sleep is an issue for you, here are a few things to try:

I know that getting good sleep is near impossible with chronic pain, especially during a flare. But I hope you are able to find some supportive techniques to help you feel more rested. For me, my weighted blanket and restorative yoga made the biggest difference.

Cheering you on,

Jenna xo

References

(1) Whale, K., & Gooberman-Hill, R. (2022). The Importance of Sleep for People With Chronic Pain:

Current Insights and Evidence. JBMR plus, 6(7), e10658. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm4.10658

(2, 4) Haack, M., Simpson, N., Sethna, N., Kaur, S., & Mullington, J. (2020). Sleep deficiency and chronic

pain: potential underlying mechanisms and clinical implications. Neuropsychopharmacology :

official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(1), 205–216.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0439-z

(3, 6) Pacheco, D., & Rehman, A. (2022, April 29). Pain and sleep: Common sleep disturbances & tips.

Sleep Foundation. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-

health/pain-and-sleep

(5, 7) Choy E. H. (2015). The role of sleep in pain and fibromyalgia. Nature reviews. Rheumatology, 11(9),

513–520. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2015.56

(8-9, 11-12) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Sleep phases and stages. National

Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/stages-of-sleep

(10) Summer, J., & Singh, A. (2023, March 2). REM sleep: What it is and why it matters. Sleep Foundation.

Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep/rem-sleep

(13-14) Lasater, J. H. (2016). Relax and renew restful yoga for stressful times. Shambhala.

(15) Summer, J., & Rehman, A. (2022, December 16). Meditation and sleep. Sleep Foundation. Retrieved

March 16, 2023, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/meditation-for-sleep

(16) Suni, E., & Vyas, N. (2023, February 23). What is sleep hygiene? Sleep Foundation. Retrieved March

24, 2023, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene