What are your best tips to get sleep with RA?
Getting quality sleep with RA can be challenging. In your experience, what tips have worked for you?
I am typing this on my IPad in bed. Today was a beautiful Spring day in GA. So why do all my joints hurt so much today? A random bone in my foot is throbbing. It feels like a stone bruise. My bad knee hurts even after Meloxicam, Tylenol. I have 2 king size down pillows as lateral support. My bad leg is elevated on a pillow, no relief. The ball of my foot on the pillow hurts. I can not seem to find a pillow that feels right for my head and let me tell you, I have tried many! My reading glasses are lightweight titanium and the nose piece hurts my nose; it feels to heavy, multiple adjustments and still no relief. My husband has been asleep 1 1/2 hrs and I squirm because I canât get comfortable! No wonder I live exhausted!
This is the life! Anyone got any suggestions? I am desperate for peaceful slumber.WOW I don't think of streching before bed, but now Im going to try it. 
I know it has been a while since you posted this, but have you found some comfortable ways to sleep?
It is crazy how the forum discusses things I'm currently thinking about. I finally started tracking my sleep with my fitbit, since my fatigue is getting the better of me. After tracking my dismal results for 20 days I've decided to sleep in a different room then my husband. He watches TV at night that I fall asleep to, then so does he, but it stays on for hours. I eventually awaken and turn it off but those hours before hand were only light sleep. Also, he snores and I find it incredibly difficult to fall back asleep once awakened. I have a big sectional in the living room that I bought a mattress pad for, Im heading out there for awhile. He will probably be happier too, he wont have to deal with my late night screaming session as some joint pain shocks me awake. đ
Hi
. At the time I wrote the information on Kelly's AutoPAP I didn't realize that her Apple watch monitors her sleep much in the way you describe. Also, much like you, it has told her that she has really been lacking in the deep sleep department. Have you found anything that has helped? Kelly has recently been working with her doctors on hormone levels and thinks the changes they have made may be helping, but it is too early to tell. Best, Richard (Team Member) hi thanks for your reply. I found a sleep âpotionâ that really helps. Itâs called Cytonight by Cytoplan a Nutritionist led supplement company. It has Magnesium, wild cherry extract, hops and glycine. You make a small drink with it to have one hour before bedtime😀
However, as is often the way the Pain Management team consultant decided to change dosages on my pain relief patch in order to prescribe something else and this decline in dosage, as well as triggering a resurgence of pain in areas like my neck and hands that had been under control has caused dreadful insomnia- so Iâm only getting between 1.5 and 4 hours sleep at night at the moment. Itâs like the steroid induced insomnia in that it causes a âpingâ into being totally awake with no remaining sleepiness. Iâm just having to tough it out at present until they come up with a proper plan!
But the Cytonight is the absolutely best thing that Iâve found so far😀 Go Well, Cece x
Richard, yes my fit bit tracks the sleep at 4 levels, awake, rem, light, and deep. When the TV is on I never reach deep sleep, it's mostly light sleep. It also tracks my blood oxygen saturation, thankfully that is normal for me. The data is tracked on a time line. I've always had the capability to track it but never have so I have no baseline before RA.
thanks so much for sharing the specifics about your fitbit. (I'm tagging here so that we make sure he sees your response also.) It's so interesting and amazing all the things technology can do for us. There are plenty of not-so-great to terrible things technology does for us, that it's nice to have this reminder of some of the positive things it can give us as well. Also, I just wanted to check in, I realize it's only been one day since your original comment but have you had a night in a different area than your spouse (and the tv)? I'm curious if you noticed a difference in your sleep? Sending you gentle hugs and hopes for some restful sleep! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
It's been two nights since my experiment. The first night I reached my fist "good" score, 81. The second night was satisfactory, 78 but I went to sleep late so I suspect it would have been in the 80s again if I went to bed ontime. So far, so good though two nights is definitely not enough data to say for sure.
Just wanted to check in and see if you're still seeing progress since it's been a while since you started your experiment. We'd love to hear more about it! Kindly, Latoya (Team Member) also your subconscious is always listening so itâs not a good idea to have a tv on or music playing in the background at night. It prevents deep, restorative sleep. Your husband could use a timer plug so that the tv shuts down after his shows, allowing 30 minutes extra for any scheduling delays😀
