Data shows that more than one-third of adults do not get enough sleep. For people with arthritis or other musculoskeletal or rheumatic diseases, poor sleep is not only common, but can be a side effect that seriously affects quality of life. Joint pain and inflammation directly affect the ability to sleep quietly. This is a vicious circle: too little sleep can make the pain feel worse, and pain can have a negative impact on sleep.

https://bonedavid.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/woman-2197947_1280-1-113x75.jpg 113w, https://bonedavid.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/woman-2197947_1280-1.jpg 1280w" />
Deformation of joints (osteoarthritis) can cause poor sleep due to joint pain and inflexibility. Systemic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus or ankylosing spondylitis significantly affect sleep quality. If you are also accompanied by Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the situation will be even worse.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which repeated breathing stops during sleep, which occurs when the airway is blocked while sleeping. Most patients don't even know that this is happening. The main clue is the very loud snoring, although the patient thinks they have enough sleep time and feels tired after waking up. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and other serious complications.

Sleep disorders Although common in all types of arthritis and related diseases, disease performance may vary. For example, patients with rheumatoid arthritis often take longer to fall asleep during an episode. Patients with ankylosing spondylitis may wake up in the middle of the night because of pain and stiffness, and may even feel unable to lie, so they need to get up and walk around.

Improving sleep quality is critical to disease management and overall health. If you have arthritis or chronic pain, achieving so-called perfect sleep can be difficult, but there is always room for improvement and adjustment.

Here are the directions you can work on:

Don't eat too much food near bedtime, especially foods that are very hard to digest.
Don't drink alcohol or consume caffeine near bedtime.
Don't use electronics (TV, mobile, tablet) near bedtime.
Keep the bedroom dark and cool. And only use your bed to sleep and roll sheets with the other half. (Do not bring work or other things to the bed)
Patients who use steroids to control disease can take insomnia at night. Discuss with your doctor to see if you can adjust the dose or take the time.

Sports can improve quality of life and sleep quality. Exercise helps reduce the overall inflammatory response of the body and helps to improve sleep. But strenuous exercise a few hours before going to bed may have the opposite effect.

If you feel sad, desperate, or anxious, tell your doctor and ask him to assist you or refer to a suitable physician. Depression and anxiety are common in patients with chronic pain and can also affect sleep (and therefore more pain).

If you have any of the following conditions, please be sure to consult a sleep medicine specialist: It is loud and irregular at night, often wakes up for a long time, still very tired and feels tired (fatigue and pain, fatigue caused by inflammation) Should be different)
Author: National Cheng Kung University Hospital orthopedic department physicians to wear much

The author of this article is: Da Dawei, Department of Orthopaedics, Chengda Hospital (Orthopaedic specialist, bone Obsessive specialist, medical engineering doctor, expertise: degenerative arthritis, osteoporosis, minimally invasive artificial joint surgery. The relevant content is for reference only and does not constitute a therapeutic recommendation. Thanks to Dr. Yang Weijie, a specialist in sleep medicine, for more information on sleep. Please refer to the [白袍旅人] website for more information on sleep.