Know how sleep matters for people with chronic pain. Getting a good night’s sleep while having chronic pain is often difficult. Pain can prevent you from falling asleep or getting peaceful sleep. However, sleep plays a crucial role in managing and reducing chronic pain. Understanding the sleep-pain connection can help you feel better physically and emotionally. Poor sleep increases cortisol, a stress hormone that contributes to inflammation which is one of the main causes of chronic pain. When you sleep well, your body regulates cortisol levels, reducing inflammation and, consequently, pain. In addition, sleep impacts the body’s pain threshold. The better the sleep, the higher the tolerance to pain; the lesser the sleep, the higher is sensitivity. In other words, sleep enables the body to deal with discomfort more effectively. Chronic pain often disrupts sleep, and poor sleep can worsen the pain—creating a cycle. Pain interferes with melatonin production, making it difficult to fall asleep. The discomfort can also keep you up throughout the night, preventing restorative sleep. This cycle leaves you feeling tired, irritable, and less equipped to manage pain. Poor sleep negatively impacts mood, focus, and energy, making chronic pain harder to deal with. The good news is that there are several strategies to break this cycle and improve both sleep and pain management.
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Saturday, January 18, 2025