Tammy Applegate dreams of sleep – when she dreams, that is. Most nights, she can’t sleep soundly; pain rousts her four or five times. She turns over, repositions the pillow under one shoulder – the only position that offers some relief – and waits for slumber to overpower her discomfort. “Sometimes it takes me so long to get comfortable that I stay awake anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours,” says the Fort Worth, Tex., mother of four, who has mixed connective tissue disease and requires sleep treatments to resolve her issues with pain and sleep.
She’s got plenty of company. Insomnia – broadly defined as having trouble falling or staying sleep – affects anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of American adults, at least intermittently, according to population studies. It’s estimated that some 10 to 15 percent have long-term sleep problems (lasting more than a month).
If you have problems with pain and sleep that seem intractable, don’t lose hope. Arthritis Today will help you understand the sleep process and guide you through sleep treatments that will improve your chances of getting a good night's rest.
What goes wrong
Adults usually need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Ideally, that sleep comes in cycles, played out in roughly 90-minute segments throughout the course of a night. It includes rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, in which you dream, and four stages of non-REM sleep. First you enter several stages of non-REM sleep, descending from stages 1 and 2 into stages 3 and 4 – the deeper and more restorative stages. You then resurface and enter REM sleep. Then another 90-minute cycle starts.
Insomnia – the disruption of the sleep cycle – comes in two forms. Secondary insomnia is a side effect of another condition, illness or behavior (see “Treating Underlying Conditions”). In addition to arthritis or fibromyalgia, for example, it can be caused by poor sleep hygiene; stress; and a range of medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids and, for some people, statins (such as Lipitor and Zocor).
With primary insomnia, however, there is no clear cause as to why people can’t sleep. It may be triggered by a major stressful event or by disruptions in your sleep routine (caused by travel or work). Researchers are also examining whether some people simply are predisposed to insomnia.
Even normal aging takes a toll: As we grow older, we naturally get less restorative sleep and are more likely to wake up in the night – although the amount of sleep we need doesn’t change.
Just worrying about insomnia can make it worse, so that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, says Art Spielman, PhD, a longtime sleep researcher and psychology professor at The City College of The City University of New York. “If you think you are not going to fall asleep, you don’t fall asleep,” he says.
For some of you who are kept awake because of the pain another person suggested memory foam. That was a great suggestion. If you can afford monthly payments you might check out the Temper-Pedic Beds. The A.F. actually endorses them. That's one of the reasons we got ours. They are pricey and make sure you don't get a store that offers financing but won't let you return it for a full refund. We went thru a reg Matress store that carried them because I needed to finance it. After a few days I was overwhelmed at how much we had spent and wanted to return it but was told in the contract we signed we could only return for store credit. I am sure if you go thru Temper-Pedic or even another mattress store you will be fine just read every line of what you are signing.
I really don't regret it and am glad to have because it has made a big difference for myself and my husband.
If these are out of price range then I would definately spend the money on a very good memory foam mattress topper and perhaps get the Temper-Pedic Pillow. Depending on your insurance company you may be able to get an
RX from your Rheumatologist for your mattress
and save receipts because tax is deductable and the whole cost of your matress could be- check with an accountant.
Physical Therapy did wonders for me. I have R.A. and when first diagnosed I could not sleep at all. I had pillows under me, around me but nothing worked. Once my Rheumatologist got me on a regimen of Methatrex, Plaquinil and Predn. she wrote a script for P.T. I was very scared at first and thought it would only make the pain worse but it was the best thing for me. My pain went way down, less flare ups, more energy it was great. The sleep however did
not improve.
I had to have brain surgery in '08 and have suffered from insomnia since then. It was supp to be a temp side effect. Well this is the longest temp side effect I have ever had.
My Internist put me on Lunesta but with in a few weeks I had built up a tolerence to it.
I was okay handling the lack of sleep until I was hit with the R.A. at the end of '09.
If I don't get to sleep until 5 or 6 A.M. I end up sleeping until 3PM. I have tried making myself stay up if it is 6 AM hoping to fall asleep early the that night but that doesn't always work.
I have no P.T. left on my insurance but I just got some exercise videos I ordered from the A.F. so now all I need is some energy to go with them.
I talked to my doc and right now I am taking
OTC Melotonin. I tried it last night and nothing happened so I took a couple of Benadryl and with in a few min. fell asleep.
I'm not sure it's a good idea to combine the two.
I'm sorry this is so long. I wanted to pass on any info that might help someone but also ask if any of you have any advice for me.
Some nights I am in pain but my doc has done such a great job that those really are few this was a problem before the R.A. hit.
Thanks for any input you might have,
Cindi
(yes, I am associated with this company)
www.sleepworks.com/sleep/arthritis-pain-and-sleep
Do whatever you can to lose the extra weight.
My brother was morbidly obese and died last April due to an enlarge heart and lung problems. He was on oxegen and a CPAC machine.
I take 200 mg of Trazadone nightly plus Bi Polar medication but my sleep never last more than 40 min. off and on.
Have you tried a memory foam bed?
http://momentumbiz.isotonix.com/
To learn more information about Calcium that is absorbed about 95% and does not irritate your stomach. It has really helped my sleep.
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