I wrote this blog after my complex hip surgery, as I had been struggling to sleep before, and then it got worse after. I also have other medical conditions, including fibromyalgia and disability. So, I researched why this was happening, and this blog shares details from my journey and the research.
We have all heard that sleep is vital, it is essential and that without it, we will struggle at school, work and just life in general.
Google tells us that Children’s sleep needs vary by age. Still, generally, infants (4-12 months) need 12-16 hours, toddlers (1-2 years) need 11-14 hours, preschoolers (3-5 years) need 10-13 hours, school-aged children (6-12 years) need 9-12 hours, and teenagers (13-18 years) need 8-10 hours, and that most healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night to function optimally, though individual needs vary. This does not include nap times during the day, like the power nap.
So what if you are a not-so-healthy child or adult and have medical conditions, including fibromyalgia and have just had surgery? Or……. none of those, but take medication. Or …….. Just struggle to sleep!!!!!
When you don’t get enough sleep, you find yourself tired during the day, which can affect your ability to think clearly and make decisions, and you get frustrated. If you are driving or using heavy machinery, you are a danger to yourself and others. Lack of sleep has many side effects/impacts, and it is essential to understand why.
Here are some learnings from my journey and what science tells us:
Pain & Healing
If you are in pain, you will struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep for the recommended hours. Pain interferes with your sleep. This can be pain from an injury, a medical condition or surgery. It can also be pain from grief. Any type of pain will impact your sleep if the pain is not managed. If you have had surgery, it may be healing pain from your scars and healing underneath the skin as things settle into place, itching that is so intense that it hurts, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I was advised to tap on my scars, which helped a little. There is also pain from the side effects of physiotherapy. Do communicate with your doctor and health specialists to find a way to help and support you so you can get the sleep that you need to feel rested and ready for another day.
Medication
You can take painkillers, but they will not take your pain from a level of 10 to 0. There will still be some pain, which can impact your sleep. You may be prescribed anxiety or sleep medication, but they only temporarily take the pain away. Medications can interfere with sleep. This can be when your body is getting used to a medication or when it has side effects. Medication can change the body’s chemistry and can disrupt your sleep. Some medicines contain caffeine, which will impact your sleep. I’m not sure why caffeine is in them, but my practical thought is to keep you a little awake and still breathing. It’s a catch-22 situation. You are in pain, so you can’t sleep, so take some pain meds, but they have caffeine in them, so you still can’t sleep. It is a vicious circle.
Anxiety and Depression
Stress and anxiety do interfere with sleep. While stress and anxiety can share similar symptoms, the key difference is that stress is a reaction to a specific external event or personal situation. In contrast, anxiety is a persistent feeling of worry or unease, often without a clear trigger. Stress can be from a medical condition, something that is happening in your life, or anxiety because of the stress and its effects and impact on your life or your loved ones. While lying in bed trying to sleep, the symptoms of stress and anxiety can take over, and then you are thinking and worrying more, which in turn means that you don’t fall asleep. By that, I mean the deep sleep that we all need.
Relationships
Our relationship with our partners, our families, and even ourselves can be a reason for not getting the sleep we need. An argument with our partners or family members just before bed will affect our sleep as we go to bed thinking about it. Sometimes, these arguments are about something so small that we wonder why we argued. But you did, and so it had an impact on your sleep. The partner or family member snoring can keep you awake. It could even be your snoring or breathing waking you up. Going to bed in a happy mood will impact how much sleep you get.
Food and Hydration (this is not about alcohol)
We need to get a good night’s sleep. You can do this by staying hydrated through the day and not eating too late in the evening, especially just before bed. We should also consider the type of food we eat in the evenings. Staying hydrated should not mean you drink loads just before you go to sleep, as this would mean you spend more time getting out of bed to use the bathroom, but keeping hydrated throughout the day. Do not have fried and fatty foods in your evening meal or overeat, as this will not allow your body time to break it down unless you plan to go to the gym or exercise at home. Also, going to bed after overeating will mean you will struggle to get a good night’s sleep, affecting your health.
In Summary
You are in charge of your health, so if you are not getting the sleep you need and are waking up tired, then you need to learn to communicate this with your doctor, partner, family and, importantly, yourself. Sit down and think about how to balance your day, family time and work. Don’t overpromise to the detriment of your sleep. If snoring is the issue, communicate with your partner and get them to go and see the doctor. It is also okay to sleep in separate rooms if it means you get the sleep you need. If you know you don’t drink enough water. Then, find a way to change that. If your stress or anxiety is the issue, communicate with your doctor, family or partner and learn to talk about what is affecting you. It’s a known fact that talking about things and using different types of journaling techniques do help with managing stress and anxiety.
Sleep is a powerful tool to energise our bodies and heal our bodies, so don’t take sleep for granted.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this.
Sonal
