How many times have you heard someone say, “I am so tired. I could use a nap right now.” Or “I feel like I haven’t slept a wink.” How many times have you slept all night yet felt exhausted in the morning?

People who suffer chronic pain or suffer from a chronic disease need sleep. It takes a lot of energy to cope with chronic pain and disease. When a person sleeps, their body uses their energy for rejuvenation. Rest allows the body time to refuel and prepare to meet the demands of another day.

Quite often pain and stiffness cause people to sleep poorly. They may fall asleep only to wake each time they try to change their position.

Folks who are depressed sleep poorly. Others wake frequently to use a bathroom and then find they can’t get back to sleep.

Do you dream? Have you ever awakened from an eventful dream only to feel like you actually lived it? Well believe it or not, there are times when your body responds to dreams as if they were actually living them. This can lead to an exhausted feeling in the morning as well.

So what can you do to help you sleep? Here are a few suggestions. Perhaps you can add to the list!

• Take time to relax before going to bed. Give your body a chance to start unwinding before heading into bed for the night.
• Take a nice warm bath or shower to help you unwind.
• Burn some aromatherapy candles to promote relaxation.
• Avoid eating or drinking too late into the evening. When you eat late, your body spends all night digesting food rather than resting.
• Be careful what you do eat when you eat and/or drink in the evening. Avoid caffeine drinks and foods. Consider snacking on peanut butter toast, or drink herbal teas to help you relax.
• Play soothing music
• Read or watch a little TV if this helps you relax.
• If you have a lot of things on your mind, try writing them down rather than tossing the ideas around and around in your head.

These are just a few ideas to add to your pain management tool box.. Now let’s see if you can add any more!

Related Topics: WebMD Video: Understanding Aromatherapy, Fix Your Sleep; Improve Your Health

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