In this lesson, you will learn how to adopt lifestyle changes to support better sleep. There are certain behaviors you can practice during the day that will promote sleep. This includes actions you should do or avoid.

Actions to Promote Sleep

What you do during the day affects your sleep at night. The following actions are simple habits you can easily incorporate into your lifestyle. They include regular exercise, getting morning sunlight, drinking water, and relaxing.

Exercise

Getting regular exercise may be the biggest adjustment for some people. However, you do not need to become an ultramarathon runner or gym rat to get quality exercise.

You can start with whatever you’re comfortable with. Especially if you have pain, you may want to focus on low-impact exercises. Walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi, and water aerobics are a few examples. Aim to get about 30 minutes of moderate activity each day.

Being active during the day increases the amount of slow wave sleep (deep sleep) you get at night. Deep sleep is when your body restores itself; so, this is very important for people with chronic pain. Further, exercise releases endorphins, improving your mood and releasing stress. This can help to ease your mind, reducing worry at night.

Morning light

Getting morning light helps sync your circadian rhythm. It tells your brain that it is morning time, perking you up. Then, at night, you’ll get sleepy at a more appropriate time. Basking in the morning sun is easy to pair with exercise. Go for a walk outside! Join a tai chi club in the park. If you live somewhere with dark winter mornings, this can be difficult. However, there are sun-imitating lamps you can get. These also help with seasonal affective disorder.

Hydration

One of the easiest actions you can take to get better sleep is staying hydrated. Being dehydrated can disrupt sleep. You’re more likely to snore if you’re dehydrated. It can also cause leg cramps in bed. Additionally, waking up dehydrated can cause you to be less energetic, alert, and cognitively competent.

To combat dehydration, make sure to drink fluids throughout the day. You should be sufficiently hydrated before bed because you lose fluids via breathing (and maybe sweating) all night. However, don’t drink a gallon of water right before bed because you’ll wake up needing to use the washroom.

Relaxation

People with chronic pain often hold a lot of muscle tension in their bodies. You can learn to control your tension through relaxation. Relaxation is the opposite of tension. Practicing relaxation techniques can help relieve some of your tension. In addition to releasing tension, relaxing will clear your mind. Incorporating relaxation into your nighttime routine can help you prepare for sleep.

A simple relaxation technique is deep breathing. Breathe in for five seconds, hold it for five seconds, and breathe out for five seconds. The amount of time doing each is up to you, however, make sure you’re filling your lungs. Your belly will move, rather than your shoulders, if you are filling your lungs. Do this for a few minutes before getting into bed. Imagine your tension is releasing with each exhale.

There are several more relaxation techniques that you can try. There are techniques outlined on the internet or relaxation apps you can download. Different techniques work for different people. Try out several until you find a few that work for you.

What to avoid to get better sleep

Sleep disrupting substances

It’s no secret that most humans rely on substances to get through the day. Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are all common substances that people use. However, they are all guilty of disrupting good sleep. To get better sleep, try to eliminate these substances or reduce your consumption.

Caffeine can make it hard to fall asleep. This is due to its effects on adenosine receptors. It also causes shorter and lighter sleep. If you have trouble sleeping regularly, it’s best to completely avoid caffeine. Alternatively, try to avoid it after 2 pm if you can’t function without it.

Nicotine stimulates your central nervous system. After a smoke, your heart rate, blood pressure, and brainwave activity increases. This makes it difficult to sleep. Further, a nicotine craving could cause you to wake up out of a deep sleep. Many people who have quit have reported being able to fall asleep more quickly than when they were smoking. As most healthcare professionals would suggest, quitting smoking is always a good idea. However, if you don’t want to, avoid tobacco 2 hours before bed. This also applies to other nicotine products like vapes, chewing tobacco, and nicotine pouches.

Alcohol is tricky because it can help you fall asleep by depressing your nervous system. However, it decreases REM sleep and causes awakenings and bad dreams. The quality of your sleep declines with alcohol intake. Not to mention, you may wake up to use to washroom as alcohol is a diuretic. In short, limit your alcohol intake. Especially, avoid drinking alcohol if you must be cognitive and alert the next day.

Bright screens

Screens are almost impossible to avoid these days. You’re using one right now! Phones, TVs, and tablets emit bright lights that signal to your circadian rhythm that it is daytime. This can be harmful to your sleep at night. It is likely that you will have trouble falling asleep if you’ve stared at your phone before bed.

It is best to avoid looking at bright screens a couple hours before bed. This allows your sleep drive to ramp up properly. However, if you must look at your phone, you can turn down the brightness. Some phones have a night mode that automatically lowers the brightness – some even apply a blue light filter!

Check out these resources for getting better sleep! 

Now that you better understand sleep and how it affects chronic pain, it may be helpful to set a SMART goal related to sleep. To help with this, we’ve created a SMART goal worksheet. You can write your goal and then mark which days you’ve met the goal. Then, you can reflect on what you did well and what you can improve on.

We’ve also included a sleep diary. This diary will help you keep track of several characteristics of your sleep, as well as sleep-related behaviors and how these affect your pain. You can reflect on any patterns you notice and how you can try to improve your sleep based on this information.

Reflect

Consider your lifestyle. Reflect on how these lifestyle changes could better support your sleep. Are there any lifestyle factors listed in this lesson that you think could be negatively impacting your sleep? Have you found that any of these lifestyle changes have helped improve your sleep before? Are there any changes you’re willing to try now?

Take the next quiz to move on to the course conclusion.

References

Breus, M. (2019, February 17). The Relationship Between Water and Sleep is a Two-Way Street: How to Avoid Dehydration. The Sleep Doctor. https://thesleepdoctor.com/2019/02/17/the-relationship-between-water-and-sleep-is-a-two-way-street-how-to-avoid-dehydration/?cn-reloaded=1

Bertisch, S. (2018, November 5). No more counting sheep: Proven behaviours to help you sleep. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/no-more-counting-sheep-proven-behaviors-to-help-you-sleep-2018110515313

Harvard Medical School. (n.d.). 3 simple ways to get more restful sleep. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/3-ways-to-get-more-restful-sleep

Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Exercising for Better Sleep. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercising-for-better-sleep

National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). How Exercise Impacts Sleep Quality. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-exercise-impacts-sleep-quality

National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Relaxation Exercises for Falling Asleep. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/shift-work-disorder/shift-work-you/relaxation-exercises-falling-asleep

National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). The Connection Between Hydration and Sleep. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/connection-between-hydration-and-sleep