How is your sleep?

November 10, kitchen table

Poor sleep and chronic pain are bedfellows in up to 90% of cases.

And poor sleep is associated with pain severity.

You know what it feels like when you haven’t slept well.

Sleep matters.

Many people tell me their pain wakes them in the night — this is a common belief.

However, the evidence suggests it is the other way around — poor sleep increases the pain rather than pain disrupting sleep.

Consider for a moment, you wake up and feel pain.

That is your experience.

How do you know the pain woke you?

Having pain when you wake is not the same as being woken by pain.

Noticing pain when you wake does not mean pain is the cause. We know there are other biological mechanisms at play.

Why does this matter?

One reason is if you believe the pain wakes you, it is another problem caused by pain.

Out of your control.

What can you do about it? Nothing.

Because there is nothing you can actively do about waking up.

Your body systems do it for you.

And you certainly cannot choose how you feel when you wake.

When you wake, there it is. Life.

Knowing pain is not causing you to wake, you can focus on creating a sleep habit to improve your sleep.

A good sleep habit is not just about night time.

It is in the way you manage your whole day.

This is why in our 1:1 sessions we look closely at the nuance of your life, and design specific behaviours to create the conditions for better sleep.

You learn to plan, prioritise and periodise your day to build towards sleep — your sleep drive.

Sleep drive is a chemical build up through the day that results in the feeling of tiredness, the cue for bed.

What is your pattern of energy through the day?

For many people I see, it is up and down, rather than gradually building.

It is always up and down somewhat because nothing is exactly linear.

But when energy is an issue, sleep is disrupted, pain persists, there is more and more biological chaos to be minimised.

Transition to chronic pain

Unlike the textbooks and articles describing chronic pain as starting at three months, in reality there is a transition over time, influenced by a range of factors.

One appears to be poor sleep.

Certainly a night of poor sleep can contribute to more pain the next day.

It is also harder to cope with the pain when you are tired.

For both these reasons, understanding the experience and then creating a sleep habit is an important part of getting better.

What is the first step?

To make it a priority.

Working on your sleep habit is a non-negotiable.

As with all habits, you do not know when you will feel the results, but you will only feel the results if you practice consistently every day.

You do not have control over any results or outcomes, only your practice.

Process over prize.

Or as coach Bill Walsh said, the score takes care of itself.

You cannot decide the score.

You can decide on your approach and take action.

Sleep matters.

r.s.

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We will be looking at sleep in much more detail in the forthcoming Skills Sessions, so you may like to upgrade your subscription to access all the resources. At the moment we are looking at the myths of chronic pain and the practical implications.

1:1 Pain Coaching to help and guide you to understand and overcome your chronic pain.