SILENT NIGHT: Five Sleep Myths That Could Disrupt Your Festive Rest
Sleep is a vital weapon in the fight against pain, but it can be a struggle to get enough of it - pain leads to difficulty sleeping, and lack of sleep makes pain worse so it can become a cruel loop of sleeplessness and pain. A poor night’s sleep will leave us feeling not only tired and irritable but will also have long-term effects on our health. And worse still, not only does sleep deprivation increase our risk of developing health issues, it also reduces our body’s ability to cope with them. Pain can feel a lot worse after a sleepless night, which in turn can lead to raised stress levels and then we are caught in that old ‘pain - overwhelm - stress - more pain’ cycle.
Pain, discomfort, worry, and night sweats can find us having difficulty in falling asleep, cause us to wake up frequently during the night, wake too early, wake not feeling refreshed, or a combination of all four problems. It can be a constant struggle ensuring that we get our full nightly quota of seven to nine hours of restorative sleep.
Studies have shown a link between sleep loss and a lower pain threshold, so flip that for a more positive statement - the more good sleep we get, the less pain we might experience as a result. And there is more good news where that came from - there are many easy-to-implement lifestyle changes we can make to upgrade our sleep experience. But of course there is a bit of bad news - it can be extremely difficult to keep up the good work during the festive season when we tend to eat and drink more than usual, spend more time socialising, and generally kid ourselves that it doesn’t really matter as January 1st is just around the corner and we can have a fresh start in the new year. Let’s face it, when you live with chronic pain getting enough sleep can be challenging at the best of times, never mind at Christmas.
Unfortunately, by letting good habits slide during December we could be setting ourselves up to experience higher pain levels, ultimately reducing our enjoyment of the Christmas celebrations. However, even knowing this, it can be difficult to resist all the temptations on offer - am I alone in this, or is this a stumbling block for you too? For me, Christmas represents a time of comfort (among many other wonderful things) and when my pain levels are through the roof I’m not going to deny myself some yummy chocolate or a glass or two of mulled wine when it makes me feel better in that moment. The problem is (I once read somewhere that this is something that goes along with being a Pisces) I have difficulty saying no to nice things. I’m not one of those admirable people who can stop at one square of chocolate (I really wish I was) - I can eat the whole flipping bar in less than a minute. It’s easier to abstain altogether as once I start I just cant stop!
This year I’m going to be a bit gentler on myself. Rather than denying myself all festive treats, I am going to try and adopt a more balanced approach to Christmas, and then hopefully carry that balance into 2022. And, to keep myself in check, I thought I would share a few harmful sleep myths here and also some suggestions for damage limitation.
So what steps can we take to limit the havoc that the festive season will most definitely inflict on our sleep?
SLEEP MYTH ONE
A nightcap helps you sleep
It is true that alcohol can help us nod off but the reality is that it affects the quality of our sleep. We are more likely to sleep lighter, wake throughout the night, and spend less time in the deep restorative sleep stage and more time in the less restful REM stage, meaning that we wake feeling tired and less able to deal with pain the next day. I know this to be true as I spent far too many ‘mornings after’ in my twenties and thirties where my body felt broken as a result of too many drinks the night before.
Damage limitation: As we get older we become more sensitive to the negative effects of alcohol on the body and ideally it is best to avoid alcohol altogether when it comes to optimising our sleep and boosting our ability to manage pain. But, it is the season of celebration so if we want to indulge in a festive tipple or two we should try alternating our alcoholic drinks with water or soft drinks. It is best to avoid stimulants for several hours before bed and the recommendation is to try and allow at least one hour to process each unit of alcohol before trying to sleep.
SLEEP MYTH TWO
We need less sleep as we get older
It’s not true that we need less sleep as we progress into our later years, but we may struggle to get our necessary seven to eight hours because we naturally fall asleep and wake earlier - and if we don’t honour the need for an earlier bedtime we don’t get our full quota of restorative sleep. We also tend to get less sleep because we’re losing cells that make sleep-promoting substances like melatonin, and our brain volume shrinks, so drifting off and staying asleep can become more difficult.
Damage limitation: The odd sleepless night isn’t too harmful but longer term it can cause health problems, and of course when we wake up tired it can make it so much more difficult to manage pain. Let’s face it, like me, you probably want to limit the number of days you feel like this over the festive season so it is time to set some healthy boundaries and not say yes to every invitation for late-night socialising that comes our way. Suggest meeting friends earlier in the day, or even leaving it until after Christmas - you never know they might even be relieved - everyone tends to over-commit themselves during Advent.
SLEEP MYTH THREE
Exercise helps you sleep well
Yes it does, but it is important not to do it too close too bedtime and to avoid activity which is too vigorous. Exercise stimulates the brain and raises the body’s core temperature, neither of which are helpful when it comes to falling asleep. Worth bearing in mind on the dance floor at a late night Christmas party! And of course, when you have a chronic pain condition, too much exercise and lack of sleep are only going to make the pain worse the next day. Again, been there, done that, worn the Christmas jumper.
Damage limitation: Ideally we shouldn’t exercise within four hours of bedtime to give our body a chance to cool down ready for sleep. Limit the number of party invitations you accept this Christmas to give your body the rest it deserves, and allow yourself time to wind down before climbing into bed.
SLEEP MYTH FOUR
It’s okay to use your mobile in the night mode
This one is definitely a big fat myth! - smartphones, laptops, televisions and tablets all emit a blue light that interferes with the production of melatonin and our sleep cycle. The light on all these devices is too bright, convincing our body that it is morning rather than bedtime, and interacting with our phone stimulates the release of pleasure hormones dopamine and adrenaline which keep us awake. So if you are lying in bed texting friends, carrying on the conversation from the festive party or Christmas dinner earlier, or scrolling through Facebook and Instagram it is only going to put you further away from sleep.
Damage limitation: Limit the texting and scrolling when you get home and let your friends know you will chat to them the next day. Switch off your phone at least an hour before bed and keep it off all night so there is no chance of it disturbing you. Ban your phone from the bedroom and buy an alarm clock. If this all seems too traumatic and the thought of your phone being turned off is too disturbing, turn off all notification sounds and leave your phone on the landing instead. That way you can hear it ring if anyone calls you in an emergency, and if you wake during the night it’s not within reach so the temptation of lifting your phone and scrolling at 3am is removed.
SLEEP MYTH FIVE
It’s okay to eat late as long as you avoid cheese
We should try to avoid eating late in the evening as doing so will mean that digestive processes distract our body from vital restorative processes, such as rebuilding bones and balancing hormones, while we are sleeping. Eating too close to bedtime can also prevent us from falling asleep easily, especially on a bloated or acidic stomach, and we are more likely to wake up during the night.
Damage limitation: Ideally we should try to avoid eating within three hours of going to bed but if you can’t resist all the delicious temptations on offer try to avoid foods that are over-spicy, or those that contain sleep-disrupting sugar and caffeine. If available, choose sleep-inducing foods - those that help promote our production of the sleep hormone melatonin, or have a relaxing effect on our nervous system, including bananas, kiwis, almonds, pumpkin seeds and goji berries. Cherries contain Melatonin so are excellent at promoting sleep!
Also take care to eat slowly and mindfully while maintaining a good posture, to reduce the risk of acid reflux, and use an extra pillow to raise your head above chest height if indigestion is preventing you from falling asleep.
