5 Sleep Tips to Feel Good in Your Body Every Day
Sleep & Rise Routine This sounds so simple but for me this was so hard. I hate routines (peep my routine post!) but this absolutely changed my pain management. I was SO resistance to trying this, but once my body knew when it would sleep and rise, my pain significantly decreased. Personally, I bought the Hatch Alarm Clock to support me in getting into a bedtime routine. With fibromyalgia, I have learned your body feels better when it knows what to expect, this is a small change that can help you feel better pretty quickly.
Keep the Late Nights Early This was hard for me in my early 20s. All my closest friends were going hard, hitting the club twice a week and partying until 4 AM. I tried to keep up and it never ended well. It usually ended with me crying myself to sleep, throwing up, and feeling like a truck hit me for a week. Trust me, it is not worth it! If you have a late night, make sure to end your night at least 2 hours earlier than you would normally plan to leave. This is hard because your FOMO will be real, but you will thank yourself the next day, when you body is easily managed with a hot shower.
Invest in a Heatpad Applying heat to the body helps ease fibromyalgia pain, it also helps your body relax and get ready for sleep. This was the best investment I ever made. I use a heat pad on my trigger points every night (for me my shoulders and neck!) and it eases me into sleep. I also am not ashamed to bring this on every overnight trip, bachelorette party, and pretty much every where I go. My body now knows what it feels the heat to relax, and release tension.
Accept that you NEED more Sleep than the Average Person With fibromyalgia, you lose REM sleep that the average person easily falls into. Because of this, sleeping 8 hours may feel like you slept 5-6 hours. What your body needs to reduce pain is to sleep as much as possible. If you get your body into a routine (see tip #1!), I have found you don't need to increase your sleep. But if I stray from my routine, I often find myself needing naps throughout the day, or sometimes I just need to sleep 10 to 12 hours instead of 8. It's okay to sleep, if you feel like you need it, you do.
Create a Sleep System with your Partner Your partner also needs to accept that you need sleep. If you have a loud sleeper next to you (like your husband), you must communicate and discuss a sleep system. It may feel selfish, but you in pain from interrupted sleep also effects your partner. You want to show up your best and fullest self everey day and that means getting a well-rested sleep. The system can be as simple as investing in products that reduces snoring or other interruptions such as light and sound. It is important, and your partner needs to understand that as well!
If you are struggling with fibromyalgia and how to manage it, I would love to coach you through it, give you a reiki session or a mix of both! Just know your pain is real, you need sleep, and you will figure out how to manage your body and take back control!
Katie Kircheim The Watered Soul
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