Several causes can disturb our sleep cycle, and chronic pain is among the most disruptive factors. Pain can take a toll on our mental, emotional, and physical health. During the day, you can rest to reduce the pain. However, getting sound sleep while in pain is difficult, especially if you have arthritis or backache. You can include certain changes in your lifestyle to sleep better. A few sleeping tips for chronic pain include:

1. Walk or exercise
Going through simple exercises at home or simply keeping your body active throughout the day can be beneficial. Moving helps fight stress, reduce physical pain, decrease anxiety and depression, and improves sleep. If you can only get minimal exercise, work in an office, or suffer from lower back pain, it might be hard to fall asleep at night. Since you cannot exercise regularly, go for walks in the evening to relieve some of the pain. Walking also helps battle anxiety and better your sleep cycle. It can also impact your chronic back pain in a good way. This is because walking can strengthen your abdominal muscles and back, furthermore increasing the lower back’s flexibility.

2. Create a bedtime routine
Another important sleeping tip for chronic pain is setting certain habits before bedtime and keeping an alarm for bed. This way, you build a routine before bed. If you are on sleep or pain medication, you can have them during this routine. After following these habits for a few days, your body will get used to sleeping at the same time every night as per the schedule. Make sure to switch off stimulating electronics and instead opt to listen to a podcast or read an e-book.

3. Practice yoga
Your sleep can improve, and back pain can ease by doing yoga regularly. Yoga is a practice that connects your body and mind, consisting of meditation, rhythmic breathing, and physical poses. Practice yoga under the guidance of a licensed instructor who can help you with poses that match your tolerance level and the corresponding cause of your pain. After learning the right poses from the instructor, ensure to practice them at home regularly. However, if you feel discomfort or pain while doing the activity, get in touch with your yoga instructor.

4. Avoid naps
Taking short naps during the day might be a regular habit, but it can severely affect your sleep schedule at night. If you avoid taking naps, you can get the full night’s sleep that you need.

5. Avoid stimulants
Certain dietary restrictions can help improve your sleep cycle. Foods like sodas, teas, and chocolate bars contain caffeine, which builds up in your body. So, the caffeine from your coffee in the morning can still affect your sleep at night. Hence, avoid such stimulants by reducing their intake. Make sure to read over the labels of the drinks and foods you buy to check out their caffeine content. Other than caffeine, nicotine should also be avoided as it is another stimulant that can hinder your sleep.