Please note: This information is educational and not a substitute for medical advice. Check with your provider before starting a new exercise or self-care routine, especially if you have a heart or lung condition, recent surgery, osteoporosis, or are pregnant.
What it is
Pain can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep, and poor sleep can make pain feel worse the next day. Working on sleep is a practical part of managing chronic pain.
Good sleep habits (sometimes called sleep hygiene) and comfortable positions are a reasonable place to start. Ongoing insomnia is treatable, so tell your clinician if it continues.
How it may help
Harvard Health describes a two-way link: sleep loss may increase sensitivity to pain, and pain often worsens at night. Steady sleep routines and calming bedtime habits may help.[1]
Mayo Clinic and the CDC recommend a regular sleep schedule, a cool, dark, quiet bedroom, and limiting caffeine, alcohol and screens near bedtime.[2][3]
Results vary from person to person. These approaches are meant to complement, not replace, the care plan from your provider.
Starter routine
- 60 min before bed: Dim the lights and put screens away.
- 45 min: Warm shower or bath; it may ease stiff muscles.
- 30 min: Gentle stretches, such as knee-to-chest or child’s pose.
- 15 min: Slow belly breathing in bed.
- Lights out: Same time each night, in a cool, dark, quiet room.
1. Back sleepers
Place a pillow under your knees to ease pressure on the lower back.
Pillow under knees
2. Side sleepers
Bend your knees slightly and place a pillow between them to keep your hips and spine lined up.
Pillow between knees
3. Getting out of bed
Roll onto your side, drop your legs over the edge and push up with your arms. This “log roll” avoids twisting your back.
Roll, then push up
Illustrations move gently between positions. If your device is set to reduce motion, they stay still.
Safety tips
- Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, including weekends.
- Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet; use the bed for sleep.
- Stop caffeine by early afternoon and limit alcohol, which can disrupt sleep.
- If you cannot sleep after about 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet in dim light until you feel sleepy.
- Ask your clinician about snoring, gasping at night or daytime sleepiness, which can be signs of sleep apnea.
Stop and call your provider if you notice:
- New weakness, numbness or tingling in a leg or arm, or numbness in the groin or inner thighs
- Loss of bladder or bowel control (call 911 or go to the emergency department)
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting
- Sharp pain that is clearly worse during or after the activity and does not settle within a day or two
- Fever, unexplained weight loss, or pain after a fall or injury
Mild soreness that fades within a day is common when starting something new. Sharp, spreading or worsening pain is not.
Watch and learn
Video: “Tips For Better Rest and A Healthier Sleep Routine” from Cleveland Clinic on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Video: “Mayo Clinic Minute: Tips for Better Sleep” from Mayo Clinic on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Video: “Do Certain Sleeping Positions Cause Back Pain?” from Cleveland Clinic on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Captions: press the CC button in the video player to turn on captions. Some captions are generated automatically by YouTube and may contain errors.
Conditions this may help with
Sources
This information is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.