Isn’t it true that we’re supposed to receive roughly 8 hours of sleep per night? If you have a chronic disease, you may need extra sleep the following day to feel functional and rested.
Our bodies get an opportunity to restore themselves when we sleep, building muscular tissue and releasing essential hormones.
Finding a comfortable sleeping posture might be difficult, whether your chronic pain is stabbing, jabbing, aching, throbbing, burning, or something else.
Instead of restful sleep, tossing and turning all night might leave you feeling uncomfortable, wide-eyed, angry, and even more pain the next day.
In the end, a vicious cycle is created. Chronic pain is made worse by a lack of sleep, and chronic pain makes it more challenging to get the rest you need. Some specialists believe that fibromyalgia and sleep difficulties are connected.
Pain somnia, or the inability to get quality sleep due to pain, is used in the chronic illness community to describe the regular pain-poor sleep cycle. However, there are several things that chronic pain sufferers can do to stop the process of sleepless nights.
A good night’s sleep can be made or broken by the mattress. Begin by concentrating on finding the best one for you and your body.
Many people with chronic pain have been informed that sleeping on a firm mattress can help them sleep better.
Although there isn’t a lot of research on chronic pain and mattresses, one 2015 study, Trusted Source, found that a hard bed isn’t always the most excellent choice for improving sleep quality and reducing discomfort.
More than 300 persons with low back discomfort slept on mattresses classified as “medium-firm” or “firm” during the trial.
Participants who slept on medium-firm mattresses reported less pain when lying in bed and during waking hours than those who slept on hard mattresses at the end of the 90-day trial.
Even if you’ve been advised that sleeping on a firm or hard mattress is optimal, it may not be the most incredible option for everyone with chronic pain. Your preferred firmness is ultimately a matter of personal preference, but you can use your usual sleeping position as a guide.
Before purchasing a firmer mattress, use a low-cost approach to test it out.
A firm mattress may be more comfortable for some people, while a medium-firm bed may be preferable for others.
What works for you may not work for someone suffering from chronic pain. However, there are a few factors to consider.
The best mattress for hip pain or any other joint pain that allows your spine and joints to align correctly while you sleep is generally preferable to one that permits your spine to hang or your joints to rotate and twist.
If you wake up with a lot of pain, it’s possible that your mattress is to blame, and your spine isn’t getting the support it needs while you sleep.
Simply rotating your mattress could help you sleep better.
You’ve undoubtedly heard that rotating or flipping your mattress is necessary from time to time. But how frequently should you do it?
That depends on the mattress and the time you’ve had it.
When it comes to changing the position of your mattress, there are no hard and fast rules. Mattress manufacturers may make specific recommendations, such as rotating or flipping it every three months to yearly.
If your mattress has a pillow top, you won’t be able to flip it over, but you should rotate it to ensure that it wears evenly over time.
Think about getting a mattress that isn’t harmful.
Mattresses can emit a strong chemical odor (known as off-gassing) and contain a variety of harmful materials, including:
Plastics, foam, and synthetic latex are all created using petroleum-based compounds, which can be dangerous.
Substances that are flame retardant. Many people with chronic illnesses sleep on nontoxic mattresses because such materials can aggravate pain.
When looking for a nontoxic mattress, you’ll see that natural latex, organic cotton, and organic bamboo are commonly used. However, not all mattresses labeled as organic are created equal.
Mattress manufacturers frequently display several certifications. This makes deciding which brand to buy harsh.
According to Consumer Reports, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) are the two certifications with the strictest requirements for mattresses that contain latex (GOLS).
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is another certification that Consumer Reports recommends. This designation does not ensure that the mattress’s ingredients are organic. Still, it restricts the number of toxic chemicals and volatile organic compounds that can be present in the final products.