ANCSLEEP BLOG

Chronic pain, poor sleep, and mental health disorders are often intertwined in a complex cycle that can significantly affect quality of life. Many people who suffer from chronic pain also experience sleep disturbances, and these disruptions can, in turn, contribute to mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. Understanding how these three factors are interconnected can help you take a holistic approach to managing your health. In this blog post, we’ll explore the relationship between pain, sleep, and mental health, and offer strategies to help break the cycle.

Pain and sleep are intricately connected, often creating a vicious cycle that can be hard to break. Chronic pain can make it difficult to get a good night's rest, while poor sleep can amplify the sensation of pain, making it harder to manage. Understanding the relationship between sleep and pain is essential for anyone dealing with discomfort, whether from an injury, chronic condition, or stress. In this blog post, we'll explore how sleep improves pain and why prioritizing rest is a crucial step in pain management.

Shoulder pain can be a persistent and unwelcome companion, disrupting not only your waking hours but also robbing you of the restorative power of a good night's sleep. Whether it's due to an injury, overuse, or an underlying condition, shoulder pain can make finding a comfortable sleeping position a nightly challenge. In this blog post, we'll explore the impact of shoulder pain on sleep and share tips to help you navigate the night while promoting healing and restfulness.

Waking up with back pain can be a frustrating and debilitating experience. The discomfort that greets you each morning might leave you wondering about the possible causes behind this unwelcome sensation. In this blog post, we'll explore some common reasons for morning back pain and provide insights into how to alleviate or prevent it.

Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, affects millions of people worldwide. While there's no cure for lupus, there are various strategies to manage its symptoms and improve quality of life. One often underestimated and overlooked aspect of managing lupus is sleep. In this blog post, we'll explore the connection between sleep and lupus and provide valuable insights on how to improve sleep quality for those living with this condition.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory disease of the spine. It is strongly connected to sleep, as the symptoms of AS - pain, stiffness, and depression - can severely disrupt sleep. 

AS is fairly rare, as only 0.2%-1% of people in the US have it. Up to 91% of individuals who have it report sleep problems. Restful sleep is important for everyone, and could really help limit the inflammation that worsens AS. Continue reading to learn more about the connection between sleep and AS.  

Is pain keeping you awake at night? You are part of a group with nearly 40 million adults in the U.S. also struggling with severe pain. 80% of those individuals have sleep disturbances and more than half have insomnia. In fact, most patients with chronic pain as report that as the reason for intermittent sleep disturbances. 

Focusing on the anxiety that comes from pain can turn into this endless cycle of poor sleep, anxiety about pain, which then leads to more sleep disturbances and increased pain. The mind and the body are interconnected, and the more anxious you feel anticipating a bad night of sleep, the more tense you'll feel which can further contribute to feelings of pain as well as sleep disturbances. The more pain you experience while sleeping, the less dopamine your brain will make and opioid receptors that you have, making you more sensitive to pain. 

Getting good sleep is vital for pain management. But knowing that fact can have one of two effects: increase one's motivation to find solutions for great sleep, or increase the amount of anxiety that one feels about the necessity of good sleep that they are not going to get. Continue reading to learn more about how to overcome feelings of pain throughout the night.  

Back pain is a common issue that many people struggle with on a daily basis. The back is an intricate part of the body that consists of many muscles, fibers, and bones. When these get out of whack, that can cause back pain. 

The lower back back is extremely load bearing, meaning it holds a majority of our weight all day. Having weaker back muscles and poor posture can increase the risk for developing back pain, especially with poor posture. 

Back pain can interrupt a majority of the day, making activities like walking, playing and sleeping much more challenging. Exercise and stretching are the best methods for attending to back pain, yet back pain can make doing all of these activities nearly impossible. 

Sleep is another aspect of life that back pain negatively impacts. Pain disrupts sleep, and poor sleep can make pain worse. Also, sleeping in a position that doesn't support the back, or on a mattress with poor support can worsen lower back pain.  

If you understand the relationship between sleep and back pain, then you may be able to better address both sleep and back pain issues at once. Continue reading to learn more about this complex relationship. 

Insomnia is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, or MS. MS is an inflammatory disease that can become quite debilitating, including messing up sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to daytime fatigue and low energy. Many experts believe that sleep-related disorders are direct consequences of the physical and emotional burden of MS. Continue reading to find out more about about MS and its impact on sleep, and how you can overcome these sleep issues. 

Nerve pain has many causes, including diabetic neuropathy, trauma, sciatic, lupus, arthritis, and the list goes on. It is a very unsettling pain with very little relief. The pain can range from bothersome tingling to unbearable shooting pain down your leg. For some, this pain seems to intensify at night, making sleeping almost impossible.

The sad part about this symptom is that getting good sleep may actually buffer some of the pain from the neuropathy. So, if you are able to manage your sleep, then you may be able to reduce some of your pain. Continue reading to find out more about why your nerve pain is so poor at night and what you can do to get good sleep.