To Sleep or Not To Sleep

One of the most frequent discussions at any fibromyalgia group will involve the word ‘sleep’ and will be a discussion on how difficult people find it.  Last night I had what I call one of my ‘stay awake nights’ which sees me falling asleep quickly but only sleeping for about half an hour then being awake for hours which obviously leaves me exhausted the following day. The need to sleep well is vital for our well being, for our body to ‘rest and digest’ but our fibro affected bodies are stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode so sleep is hard to come by.  I thought I’d drop into the fibro group and hear their discussions and see if they had any tips for better sleep. These responses all come from the Young People with Fibromyalgia

‘LB’ “I have done sleep hygiene courses, tried Amitriptyline to it's highest dose which made no difference whatsoever. I've also tried various scents and lotions, bathing just before sleep, and electric blankets (which do help my pain just not the sleep).

So apart from using sleeping pills (which is my last resort if I really have to) I'm stuck on. don’t what else to do.  I currently have at least two all-nighters a week and a normal nights sleep for me is around 3 - 4 hours”.

‘KW’ “Try getting a new pillow. I was suffering big time until I got an adjustable shredded foam pillow and adjusted it until it was just right for me. I immediately got my first night of sleep when I got it.  Try more pillows. Support everything -- hips, shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, etc. Basically,  if it even hurts a little, be aggressive in making it stop”.

‘TM’ “I listen to audio books or pan flutes. I also take a large glass of calm before bed (it's a magnesium powder essentially) it's helped me but I don't really suffer from insomnia unless the pain is really bad”.

‘SE’ “I’ve been using a weighted blanket for a few weeks now and it has really improved my sleep, I still struggle to drop off to sleep but once asleep I stay asleep and also dream more so guess that means I’m sleeping deeper”.

‘SH’  “I have a bag of lavendar next to my bed and started drinking clippers night time tea. I swear it's made a difference.  I'm still up later than 'normal' people, but there's a definite change”.

‘JM’  “Have you tried meditation before bed? I've always been a terrible sleeper and this helps some of the time for me. You can YouTube it”.

‘HM’  “I know the official advice is to ban all tech stuff from the bedroom to sleep better but it made no difference to me, it actually just made me more depressed so now I play games on iPad until I feel tired again”.

‘AP’  “I have a 13 tog duck feather duvet and I can't sleep with anything lighter. Its the weight of it that gets me to sleep”.

‘BT’  “Some nights I can sleep right through, some I’m up and down a few times. Most of the time lately I’m lucky if I get an hours sleep. I try watching videos or play games on my phone in the hope that they make me tired. Then the rest of the day I feel so tired I could curl up in bed and sleep for weeks. It’s really irritating”.

‘LG’  “For me mindfulness works, as I focus on how heavy my body feels when it relaxes which then makes me realise which part of my body I actually do need to relax and I'm not! Try also getting that bedding that is temp regulated. Also I used to worry about not getting to sleep and the after effects but actually I almost always coped or was fine. You need to believe in yourself that you can do it which I know is easier said than done. Anxiousness is almost always the reason you can't get back to sleep! Find something that relaxes you to help you with that - usually for me reading distracts me enough to the point that I fall asleep with the book still in my hand”.

I know for us all the current situation in the world and our own fears and worries plays havoc with our already poor sleep. If you have any tips you can share why not come over to the Facebook groups and had your voice to the discussions on the groups.

Helen Watts