SLEEP!

I’m here to answer another question from Garry Poole’s book The Complete Book of Questions.

This one asks: “To feel rested, how many hours of sleep do you need each night?”

A few weeks ago, I had a precious night at home all to myself.  I went to bed at 10:00 pm, probably actually got to sleep around 10:45, woke up around 7:00 am to go to the bathroom, then went back to sleep for another 2 hours.  All adding up to about 10 hours of sleep.  That was the first time I have really felt rested in years! 

Sleep is a touchy subject for people with chronic pain.  Fatigue and insomnia are symptoms (or maybe effects?) of RA.  I am tired almost all day every day, and then when it’s time for bed, I have a really tough time getting to sleep and staying asleep.

New this year!  I have been having problems with Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) for about a year now which has made it even more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.  I would lie down and just barely get comfortable enough to relax, and I would get a twinge in my arm or leg that was uncomfortable.  The only relief I could get was to wiggle and move and shake.  I would settle down just enough to get comfortable again, and I would need to wiggle.  I had to take some painkillers to help it go away.  But I couldn’t just take the painkillers, lie back down, and fall asleep.  Oh no.  I had to be upright so they could absorb better.  I would then get out of bed and do something for an hour until the meds kicked in enough for me to sleep.  It worked well, but I just lost an hour or more of sleep that I could have had that night.

I try not to take prescription painkillers on a regular basis, so after a week of this, and with no sign that it would go away, I went to my doctor and he agreed that painkillers are not a good option for long-term treatment of RLS.  He prescribed some more meds to help with this issue.  So, on top of all of my RA medications, vitamins, supplements, side-effect-coping meds, now I am also on meds for RLS.  They make me drowsy, but that’s kind of what I want because I desire sleep, and I only take them at night.  I told my doctor I needed something to help me get to sleep but not knock me out entirely because I need to be able to wake up in case my kids fuss and I need to attend to them at night.  We finally figured out the right dosage so I can sleep soundly but have the ability to wake up to my kids’ noises.

 According to the Oxford Journals on Rheumatology, “Pain is reported to be a leading cause of insomnia in medical illnesses.”  And then, “On the other hand, sleep disturbances may decrease the pain threshold.”  So if we don’t get enough sleep, we hurt more, and the more we hurt, the more difficult it is to get sleep?  So frustrating.

There’s a website called healthline.com that has some good tips on how to get a good night’s sleep, including, exercise, diet, working with your doctor to possibly use medications, good pre-bedtime routines (hot baths, turning off electronics…), and trying to reduce stress in your life.

I don’t need to tell you how important it is to get enough sleep in your life.  I’m sure you have plenty of personal experience with that so I will let the US Department of Health & Human Services tell you.  It says “sleep deficiency is not only harmful on a personal level, but it also can cause large-scale damage. For example, sleep deficiency has played a role in human errors linked to tragic accidents, such as nuclear reactor meltdowns, grounding of large ships, and aviation accidents.”  So, unless you want me to crash an airplane onto your cruise ship that was just converted to run on nuclear power, LET ME SLEEP!

Riley