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The Importance of Quality Sleep
I was reading an article about fibromyalgia and insomnia and it got me to thinking about issues of poor sleep. It is understandable about the decreased ability to tolerate and cope with chronic pain syndromes when I lack quality sleep. Insomnia or poor sleep can lead to a lot of things like depressed moods, thought impairments, fatigue and an inability to manage activities of daily living. Insomnia and sleep disorders are often considered co-morbid conditions.I have been dealing with chronic neck pain along with a few other chronic pain syndromes and I experience very poor quality sleep. I realize I am unable to cure the diseases and chronic pain syndromes I have. However, there may be some things I can try to help me sleep better.
Today I learned there is little that outside of a possible surgical procedure, little else can be done to alleviate the pain and discomfort I have in my neck and back. I walked away from my doctor's appointment very discouraged and hurting. While having a pity party in my truck as I drove home, I knew I was going to have to make some decisions. I allowed myself the 35 minutes or so to feel sorry for myself and let out a lot of emotions. Being alone during this time enabled me to vent to myself about the different thoughts and feelings I was having about the situation.
Knowing that prolonged negative thoughts do no good for improving the situation, I made a conscious decision to change the thought patterns I was entertaining during that trip. When I reached home, I started outlining a plan on how I was going to think about and deal with this situation. I would strive to avoid prolonged thoughts on the functional losses and the pain. I would focus on the positive aspects such as the abilities I still have and I will continue to explore other options. Surgery for me is not an option at this time and I refuse to look at that as an alternative as long as I have functionability in my arms and hands.
I accepted the fact my conditions/situations were not going to go away. I began to list the things about the conditions I faced i.e.: my limitations and my current abilities, aspects I can control at least to some extent and those issues and factors I could not. For the things I feel some control over, I began to think about options and alternatives I could try to help me improve them.
As I mentioned, sleep is a problem and I am going to focus on that first. So I am looking into some of the ways I might be able to improve it. The first thing that comes to mind is the anxiety I have about not being able to sleep. This in itself adds to the restlessness that keeps me from obtaining sleep so I need to change the way I think about this problem. I am going to try:
- Create a sleep diary for about a month to see if I can identify any patterns or factors adding to my problem.
- Drink less fluids in the evening to help cut down on the trips to the bathroom during the night.
- Try to relax before bedtime by reading, listening to soft music, avoiding television full of drama, violence, useless noise.
- Consider warm shower or bath in the evening--maybe after doing some gentle stretches and neck exercises
- Use relaxation techniques and some imagery at bedtime.
- If I wake and can not fall back to sleep, I will get up and do something until I again feel drowsy.
- Clean up my bedroom and make it cozy and without clutter.
- I need to avoid working in my bedroom or being in there for reasons other than sleep or intimate activities.
- I need to make sure the temperature is cool and comfortable because I know that I sleep better in a room that is cool.
- I will continue to use earplugs for when my hubby snores.
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Technorati Tags: chronic pain, fibromyalgia, insomnia, sleep, health-and-wellness
Labels: chronic pain, fibromyalgia
