Waking up from a restless night’s sleep filled with tossing and turning, the “pins and needles” of limbs falling asleep, muscles that won’t stop twitching, staring as the second-hand spins round and round and round, is worse than that nightmare of a never-ending fall through black, void space. It’s probably worse than actually falling through an endless pit.
As a chiropractor for neuropathy in Springfield, IL, one of the primary complaints of patients living with neuropathy pain is how with the setting of the sun comes heightened nerve pain. Not only do restless nights lead to the worst kinds of days they also increase nerve pain from neuropathy overall. It’s a never-ending loop of torture.
Except this merry-go-round is in a funhouse of horrors. Struggling through the day with pain, only to have it flare up at night, would drive even the most rational person mad.
So Why Is Neuropathy Worse At Night?
One of the reasons is that there are fewer distractions. It’s just us and our thoughts.
As we try to calm ourselves down from the day, our body begins to take stock of its situation. Our adrenaline, hopefully, begins to subside so that our body can enter a resting state. We begin to feel the aches and pains from the day, and noticing that we’re in pain only forces us to concentrate on it. The brain can’t slip into sleep and begin to heal and restore the body and prepare it to fight another day.
Sometimes even our beautiful percale cotton sheets from that trendy bedding store we heard commercials for on our favorite podcast feel like they’re in on it, too, stabbing and scratching at our legs.
The emotional and physical stress we absorb during the day can also cause pain. Sleep is when our body recovers from those stressors. Without sleep, that pain can’t be abated, and there is little to no relief.
The cooler air at night can also be a problem. Whether it’s the actual temperature dropping or the temperature-controlled sleep sanctuary we spent five trips to Home Depot perfecting, cooler temperatures shift our perception of pain.
Cooler temperatures slow down our heart, decreasing blood flow.
Our peripheral nerves are tasked with informing the brain about our interactions with temperatures. They let the brain know if we’re in too hot or cold a situation so the brain can send pain signals to warn us.
When these nerves are damaged, the brain can’t translate these signals correctly, and the temperature change may result in tingling, sharp, or burning pain.
This is an endless cycle of sleep deprivation and a pain threshold even my 4-year-old niece would question.
How to Stop Neuropathy And Get Some Sleep
This must be stopped. We’re not in college anymore; we can’t pull all-nighters and expect to pop out of bed the next morning like a toaster strudel. That type of invincibility is wasted on the youth.
I rest my case.
Our bodies crave rest, and nothing is more true for someone living with chronic pain. Consistency is key. Setting our internal clock to wake up and fall asleep at the same time every night will give neuropathy fewer chances to interfere. We can start by tracking our neuropathy symptoms and sleep habits so we can make healthy changes to our daytime habits and nighttime routine.
- Maintain a regular sleep/wake schedule
- Create a bedtime ritual – light reading, meditation, or a warm bath
- Limit caffeine during the day, with a hard cut off four to six hours before bed
- Avoid smoking (I mean, let’s be real, you should quit smoking, but don’t do it close to bedtime or if woken in the middle of the night, and definitely don’t do it in bed)
- Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before bed
- Digital sunset – no TV, smartphones, or computers at least 45 minutes before bedtime
A younger version of me would say that this sounds predictable and boring. To that naive child, I say there is nothing less predictable than neuropathy pain and nothing more boring than suffering through nerve pain and being unable to spend time with friends and family doing the things that give life meaning.
Creating the sleep sanctuary is also a great way to induce sleep and may get the attention of those room porn snobs at Architectural Digest. A dark, quiet room is ideal (duh), but it may be time to invest in comfortable pillows, a mattress, and bedding that won’t trigger any abnormal sensations.
Yes, bedding can be expensive. But we spend a third of our lives in bed, and there is no price for how much of a better person we are when we actually get some shut-eye. Just imagine the productivity levels that could come from being rested, rejuvenated, and ready to take on the world.
We also should feel like we’re above relaxation techniques to help induce sleep. Meditation and deep breathing exercises might feel like something reserved for those in Berkeley or Lamaze, but we don’t get picky and choosy when we’re on hour 63 with no sleep. It gives us extra time before bed just to relax and unwind. We can use it to write down our worries or the tasks we need to complete the following day to ease our racing minds.
These are great at-home remedies for neuropathy, but I’m no dummy. The ultimate solution is to get rid of neuropathy altogether. The nervous system controls every single aspect of our body, so a healthy nervous system is the key to a healthy life. Subluxations in the spine and nervous system interference are the bread and butter of chiropractic care.
Subluxations – misalignments in the spine – impact how well our nerves can relay information to and from the brain. The care a chiropractor can provide will help flood the brain with nerve signals that can help to dilute pain and other neuropathy symptoms and give people suffering from neuropathy their days and nights back.
Call us or schedule a time to meet with one of our amazing doctors. Nerve damage doesn’t have to hold us hostage. We can take back control and become healthier and happier in the process.