Painsomnia

I think we all know what pain is, especially those of us who have EDS. 

But what is Insomnia? 

Insomnia is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep long enough to feel refreshed the next morning. 

The most common symptoms of insomnia are: 

-  Difficulty falling asleep.

-  Waking up multiple times during the night. 

-  Waking up early in the morning and not being able to go back to sleep. 

-  Finding it difficult to function during waking hours.

-  Feeling irritable and tired. 

So what causes Insomnia? 

-  Stress

-  Anxiety

-  Medical conditions linked to sleep

-  Depression

-  Asthma 

-  Environmental factors and lifestyle choices 

- And of cause pain... This brings me to Painsomnia... 

What is Painsomnia? 

Painsomnia is insomnia caused by pain. 

Unlike Insomnia that is caused by environmental factors or lifestyle choices  that can be adjusted, there isn't a great deal we can do about Painsomnia except from trying to manage the pain and staying comfortable. 

I would advise anyone that is suffering from a lot of insomnia due to pain to contact there GP and see if there is anything that can be done to manage your pain more effectively as lack of sleep can cause you to be more prone to accidents and falls and heightened pain. 

What can be done to help with Insomnia? 

-  Avoid caffinated drinks later on in the afternoon. 

-  If possible try not to take naps in the afternoon. 

-  Avoid eating heavy meals too close to bedtime. 

-  Using blackout curtains/blinds or an eye mask to keep out light and ear plugs to block out noise. 

I have recently come across something called Sleep Phones, they are great for wearing in bed, whether you are using them to listen to relaxing music to help you sleep or if you are wearing them whilst relaxing in bed because the speaker is completely flat and you can lie on your side without anything pressing into your ear/head making you uncomfortable. 

These are the ones I own, there are a lot of different designs on the Internet. 

I am actually struggling with Painsomnia myself this evening and that's why I'm sat here writing a blog post at 12.15am! 

I hope this helps :) thankyou for reading!