Better Sleep with Chronic Pain?

@shack76 Being unable to get quality rest seems to be an issue to many of us with chronic pain. Going to OSHU I have heard there are many stellar doctors there [I live further south and inland a bit, at the bottom of Douglas County] .

A few things I have tried, in no particular order:
- our cat sleeps on my lap in the recliner. Her soft fur and purring has helped me relax, to "do it like me" in effect!
- A cup of chamomile tea, sometimes with honey. The B vitamins in the honey will help relax you.
- Deep breathing, concentrating on taking cleansing breaths, chasing out the toxins.
- Journaling and writing out the things that keep your mind spinning like a hamster wheel when you would rather it rest.
- If there are environmental issues, a white-noise machine, cool room, or dark room may be just the ticket.
- Right now with seasonal allergies and pollen count through the roof, are you opposed to taking an antihistamine like benadryl? Some people report the side effect of drowsiness is enough for them to get rest.

I will be interested to hear what works for you! Getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep at a time is about all I do, also.
Ginger

My only suggestion is get as many naps as you can. I went to bed last night at 11 was up a 1:30. I have accepted that my sleep is not going to be all at once and just try to nap when I can.
Not the answer your looking for but it's what my experience is. Yes I did try all of the suggested tips however for me and the pain I am in they did not work. Now if I could find a way not to move when I am sleeping that might help me lol

Thanks for the response,
I'm very aware there are no easy answers a few that help me and some are similar,
-I have animal, as well, she's a furry little dog (poodle-mini schnauzer mix)
-I've found a few guided meditations that have some effect (there are quite a few for sleep, and a some specifically for pain relief.) They are not a complete solution, but helpful.
-Being on the coast and close enough (that if the night is not really cold) I can open the window and hear the ocean. That's also why allergies are not an issue, though the medication I'm really only opposed to is sleeping pills. (They can have a ton of absurd side-effects I don't to deal with).
-Music can help. (Playing it myself works better for me than listen as it as a similar effect to meditation. And specific music is more beneficial than others. Bach is probably the best if you need to relax.
And yes like our other response, don't be afraid to nap.

Hey there @shack76. It's been a minute since we connected. Outside of your interrupted sleep, how are you doing?

I remember miserable, sleepless nights from symptoms. I even slept in my living room, in my recliner, for the better part of 3 years. Thankfully, I've worked what I learned at Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehabilitation Center diligently and have been able to break disruptive cycles like poor sleep. I'll throw out some basic sleep strategies I learned. It's not rocket science, but can make a difference.

Sleep Strategies:
1. Same sleep/wake cycle - go to bed and wake up the time every day
2. Limit naps to 20-30 minutes (set a timer)
3. Zero electronic screens before bed (tv, phones, games)
4. Bedroom is used for sleep and intimacy only (stay out of bedroom during the day)
5. Wind down time - learn relaxation techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, mindfulness
6. Read (or listen) to a book before bed (young adult novel is recommended... brainless, no stress distraction. I actually do a word search puzzle instead)
7. Sleep in cool environment (68 degrees or less)
8. Warm bath or shower before bed
9. Manage symptoms throughout day to avoid push/crash, making nights worse
10. Stress management throughout day
11. Reduce or omit unneeded chemicals (meds) as much as possible that affect sleep
12. Don't lay in bed for more than 20-30 minutes if you cant sleep. Get up, turn lights on, go elsewhere, read and try again later

It's a lot, I know, but maybe you can start to pick and choose some ways then build on that to benefit your sleep pattern. Nothing to lose! It took me time, patience, and diligence. Good luck, my friend.

Thanks for the reply.
These suggestion all make sense, but they fit into the category of easy to understand a lot harder to pull off. I'd say I have both some decent habits in terms of sleep and also some bad ones. (You've never heard that before.) One of my good ones is being a musician most of my life (it's one of the things I do for work. I'm very grateful for the fact I can still do some work I enjoy that doesn't take me out of the house) music is something that helps.
Bach wrote a book of variations , where supposed to be written for some 18th century Prince who was suffering from insomnia. They're called the Goldberg variations. (That's probably just historical Legend.) One of things I've started doing started doing is working on now or two of the variations on the piano I have downstairs for about twenty minutes before bed. This does seem to help.
One of things that about this is once I get to sleep the pain wakes me up. It seems to worsen when I don't move, but when I don't get enough rest it gets worse to. If I could learn how to sleep walk that might be the answer, but I don't think that is a learned skill.
Bad habits I need to work on our clearly; caffeine. It only makes things worse.
I don't know whether more physical exercise would help right now;

I've gotten started with OHSU, I've been referred to a couple of clinics. And based on the records we sent them, the referral's my primary care doctor sent , and the online health history which was taken by physician's assistant they have referred me to one of their neurology professors who also sees patients. There is a possibility I have what is called Autoimmune Mitosis; this is an umbrella term to describe a set of neuromuscular diseases which can come to the surface in a manner which my current symptoms have (surgery and vaccines can both play role), and tend to be seen in patients with my background. The symptoms often start in the nerves and spread to the muscles. (This has started to happen. There's been times where I feel like my legs are dead weight, the calfs and thighs have dull ache).
Overall it looks similar to MS (which does run in my family), in a the very least the same specialists tend to treat both
So even though exercise and movement tend to make thing's feel better. I need to be very careful, not to over do it, and find out exactly what I'm dealing with.
If this is in fact the correct diagnosis it's not that different from the sensitization disorder the neurologist in the video from Mayo you sent a few weeks ago was talking about.
Even if it doesn't fit the exact definition I believe many of the concepts still apply.
Philip

@shack76 A musician, Philip?! Fantastic! I love the explanation of Bach's music variations and how you are learning, applying and receiving a little benefit. Ah, the therapeutic power of music.

You are making progress with OHSU. Good for you! I know how important it is to feel like no stone has been left un-turned before making forward progress. When do you meet with the neurology professor?

I'm not sure when this is going to happen; but they are working on arranging a nerve study in one of their neurology clinics. I'll obviously need to go to Portland for that (I'm about an hour away), I'll meet with the neurologist shorty after that. Until then they've ordered a bunch of lab tests.
I'm supposed get more of time table on the nerve study (it sounds like they expect this to tell them quite a bit) next week.
Like every other hospital in the country they are suffering from staff-shortages while they try and catch up on care people delayed during the recent Covid peak.
Philip