Painsomnia Sleep Solutions: Finding Relief

It is a cool evening; there is a certain crispness to the air, and I love it when it is so cold that you can snuggle down into your bed and blankets and stay warm. What a blessing that is in itself. Crawling into bed with a plate of dinner in my tummy and a warm, safe home on a crisp winter night.

Now, if I could just get the sleep schedule to match, I would be elated and likely not leave my house - less than I do now, anyway.

My painsomnia has got me in its grip at the moment and it has been making my nights pretty challenging. This has proven to be my greatest challenge this year and has started to affect my everyday life. It has been making me quite miserable, which does not bode well for me or those around me.

Pain from psoriatic arthritis

Mostly, my painsomnia stems from having psoriatic arthritis. It causes me a lot of pain when laying down for extended periods of time, so much so that I wake up in excruciating pain and have to get out of bed. I cannot sit or lie down anymore. This will often have me wondering around aimlessly through my apartment

Since starting back at a desk job, my pain levels have certainly increased. The pain is localized to my back, ribs, and chest, often a result of costochondritis.

Costochondritis is an inflammatory condition that impacts the cartilage which connects the ribs to the breast bones. The pain can radiate to your back and or stomach too. This is something that I have been experiencing for about 20 years. It goes through seasons, it flares and dissipates mostly as it pleases, the cooler weather certainly exacerbates this issue.¹

Traditional pain management

I am not a huge fan of pain medication. I only take it when I have to. I have an irrational fear of it not working when needed. For this pain, though, I do take pain medication as prescribed by my doctor. The medication, however, does not seem to have a huge impact on my costochondritis pain.

I am often up multiple times a night because I am too sore to lie down. This leaves me looking for alternative ways to find some pain relief. I have tried heat and cold and all manner of silly ideas.

At the end of the day, getting up seemed to be the only thing that helped. I have to be up for a while, walk around a bit, and grumble - the grumbling is essential. Sometimes, I will stand on my balcony and have some tea while I try and find my peace and enjoy the cool air.

Sleep challenges and potential solutions

As someone who has had insomnia for what feels like forever, I am always trying to get the most sleep I can when I do sleep. If it is an hour or 5 minutes extra, I take it when I can. On a particularly difficult night a few weeks ago, and out of desperation, I sat down on my recliner.

I was reminiscing about how similar it was to when I had a small, colicky baby, and no matter how tired you are, there is no sitting. Just pacing and waiting for the reprieve to come in one way shape or form.

Leaning back in my recliner, I thought I might actually be able to sit back a bit - it was worth a shot. I was too tired to keep standing. I tucked a pillow under my neck and leaned back.

Within minutes, I had dozed off again and slept a further 2 hours. When I awoke, I was sore again, and off I plodded to bed. And thus, without intention, my musical sleeping spots was born.

Painsomnia and psoriatic arthritis sleep solutions

Much to my delight, and others confusion, this has become the new way for me to get some more sleep. While I am not really getting the issue "fixed," I certainly am getting a bit more sleep than I was. Right now, that is enough for me.

If I remember to I sometimes change spots when I am up for a bathroom break. This has been helping lately and stops me from waking up in excruciating pain. So, I guess it is down to what wakes me up first - my bladder or the pain.

Sticking to healthy bedtime hygiene remains important to me as I feel that is the back bone of any healthy sleep routine. So, I still start off in my bed every night. The difference is if I wake up in pain, I get up and resettle on the recliner. If I wake up there and I am sore, I go lie on the sofa or go back to bed. I have prepared each area with a blanket and a pillow, which has made the transition much easier. Subsequently, I am getting more sleep.

It may not suit everyone and I think I just needed to let go of the idea of how I thought it was supposed to work. Do you always sleep in your bed, or have you also been known to use a recliner or sofa?