Poor sleep can make other elements of your arthritis more pronounced and therefore if you can find a way to get a good night’s sleep as often as possible, you may find your condition settles and is easier to manage.
Arthritis can affect your sleep in a number of ways which are looked at more closely below.
How Arthritis affects Sleep
Arthritis which causes back or neck pain can result in many occasions of waking in the night and the need for a pillow and mattress of the right firmness. Osteoarthritis often wakes people up due to the pain that comes when they move in their sleep and is particularly problematic when the condition effects the hip joints.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis studies have shown you are more likely to suffer from disturbed sleep than people of the same age without the condition. Sleep disturbance increases when you are having a flare up in pain and it can in turn lead to increased fatigue.
Dealing with Sleep Problems
Sleep problems can be hard to handle if they’re linked to pain but if you have a healthy sleeping pattern usually and follow a healthy routine before sleep, such as no televisions or mobile phones in the bedrooms and relaxing quietly without too much light on, you should be able to overcome sleep problems quite quickly.
It is also worth considering changes to your bed. As mentioned the right pillow and mattress can make a huge difference as can the positioning of the pillow and the number you use. Some people choose a moulded pillow or v-shaped pillow for additional support and others also find it helpful to sleep in a foam collar if the condition effects their neck or back.
Sleep is an absolutely essential part of a healthy lifestyle and when it is disrupted it can affect other parts of your life. If your pain is disrupting your sleep to a level which is unbearable then medical advice should be sought as soon as possible to help alleviate some of the pain or find solution to the issue.
Make an appointment to discuss your arthritis
If you have any questions about arthritis or would like to book an appointment with Dr Stephanie Barrett then please get in touch here.
