If pain keeps you from sleeping, create a calm environment, use relaxation techniques (deep breathing, warm bath, meditation), stick to a consistent sleep schedule, and avoid stimulants; if still awake after 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet in another room until sleepy, and always talk to your doctor about managing chronic pain and sleep issues, as they can offer personalized advice and treatment.
Check with your doctor to be sure that fits into your treatment plan. If pain does wake you in the middle of the night, first try meditation, visualization, or whatever relaxing distraction you favor. But if it doesn't work, getting up to read a book in a quiet room with low light can help you to get back to sleep.
10 ways to reduce pain
If pain can stop you from getting off to sleep, try having a microwavable hot water bottle for that part of your body, or headache patches if you tend to experience headaches. Pain can make it more difficult to get comfy in bed – try things such a 'V' shaped pillow which might help.
10 hours before bed: No more caffeine. 3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time (shut off all phones, TVs and computers).
The koala is the animal that sleeps approximately 90% of the day (20-22 hours), a necessity due to its low-energy eucalyptus diet requiring intensive digestion, making it the ultimate champion of sleep in the animal kingdom, followed closely by sloths and bats.
The 80/20 Rule means that you stick to your healthy, consistent sleep schedule 80% of the time. You then can make exceptions to your schedule 20% of the time. The 80/20 Rule allows you to “live life” and enjoy those special moments with your family.
Practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness or guided imagery can not only help you relax and focus on something besides pain but can also help calm the nervous system. Sometimes simply changing your sleep position can help alleviate pain.
Common causes of pain at night include: Hormone levels – production of the anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol drops to its lowest point at around midnight, so this could see discomfort rise for certain ailments. Sleep position – staying in one position all night can cause your joints to get stiff.
7 – Severe pain that dominates your senses and significantly limits your ability to perform normal daily activities or maintain social relationships. Interferes with sleep.
20 most painful conditions
The following techniques can help you take your mind off the pain and may help to override established pain signals.
If you experience significant pain (a level 7 or higher on a 1-10 pain scale), this is a sign you should seek urgent medical care. If you have chest pain, discomfort, or pressure with other signs of a heart attack, like fainting, shortness of breath, or numbness, go to your nearest emergency room.
Sleeping on Your Back
Placing a pillow beneath the knees can add further support to maintain your body's personal curvature, help relieve knee and hip pain, and even reduce tension headaches and sinus buildup. Sleeping with your hands to the side or on your chest can also reduce neck and back pain.
You might survive a single night on 2 hours of sleep, but the effects can be immediate and intense: Brain fog and reduced attention span. Poor decision-making and memory lapses. Mood swings, irritability, and heightened emotional sensitivity.
Chronic pain lasts months or years and can affect any part of your body. It interferes with daily life and can lead to depression and anxiety. The first step in chronic pain management is to find and treat the cause.
One significant red flag is the presence of persistent back pain that worsens at night and hinders sleep. If the pain becomes progressively worse or is accompanied by other symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs, it may indicate nerve compression or spinal cord involvement.
Chronic pain is highly comorbid with sleep that is deficient in duration or quality, such as is seen in sleep disorders. Moreover, the pain-sleep relationship is a bidirectional one: pain can disrupt sleep, and short or disturbed sleep in turn lowers pain thresholds and increases spontaneous pain.
What are some distraction techniques I can use?
The 3-2-1 sleep rule is a simple wind-down routine: stop eating and drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed, stop working/mentally stimulating activities 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping you transition to rest by reducing stimulants and preparing your mind and body. It's often part of a larger 10-3-2-1-0 rule, which also adds no caffeine 10 hours prior and no hitting snooze (0) in the morning.
Gamaldo recommends warm milk, chamomile tea and tart cherry juice for patients with sleep trouble. Though there isn't much scientific proof that any of these nighttime drinks work to improve your slumber, there's no harm in trying them, Gamaldo says.
So I have seen research and evidence that suggest there's a bi-directional relationship between pain and sleep. If we're in pain, the chances are we're going to struggle to sleep, but also, if we're not getting enough sleep, there's research to suggest that we're then going to feel that pain more intensely.
Yes, the Navy SEAL sleep trick (an 8-minute power nap with elevated legs) is a real technique for quick rest, popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, that helps improve alertness and reduce fatigue, though its effectiveness depends on individual relaxation skills and it's not a substitute for full nighttime sleep. The method involves lying down, elevating your feet above your heart (on a chair or couch), relaxing facial muscles, dropping shoulders, and clearing your mind for about 8-10 minutes to promote relaxation and blood flow, preventing grogginess.
Signs of poor core sleep (deep, restorative sleep) include waking up foggy, daytime fatigue/energy crashes, poor concentration, irritability, frequent illness, memory issues, and mood swings, indicating your brain and body aren't fully repairing and consolidating memories. You might also experience increased sugar cravings, slow muscle recovery, and a weakened immune system.