4 Tips for Helping a Loved One with Arthritis Get Better Sleep

Elder Care in Wellesley, MA

During the day, your loved one’s arthritic joint pain may be fairly manageable. At night, that can be a different story. Some arthritis sufferers find that their pain can be so bad that they can’t even sleep. Here are a few tips that can help you to solve the problem.

Follow the Pain Management Plan

Hopefully your loved one and her doctor have already worked out a pain management plan for dealing with her arthritis. This can involve medication, dietary changes, and even an exercise plan. If she’s having pain at night that is interrupting her sleep or keeping her from sleeping, it’s possible that the pain management techniques aren’t working any longer. If your loved one isn’t following the plan, that could be part of the problem, too. Work with your loved one and any non-medical caregivers to help her get back onto the plan or to modify the plan to work better for her.

Develop a Relaxing Bedtime Routine

Humans are definitely creatures of habit and that quirk lasts all of our lives. One way to get better sleep is to develop a solid bedtime routine that is relaxing and that cues your brain that it’s time to wind down and go to sleep. Your loved one might benefit from a warm bath or shower before bed or even a period of meditation before it’s time for lights out. Figure out what is relaxing for her and start incorporating it into her routine.

Avoid Some Activities Too Close to Bedtime

Some activities are directly the opposite of what your loved one needs before bed. Alcohol and caffeine too close to bedtime can actually work to keep your loved one tossing and turning all night. Exercise earlier in the day can make sleep come easily but if your loved one exercises too late in the day, that can be something that keeps her awake. Try keeping an activity diary and see if you can track which habits might be causing trouble sleeping.

Talk to Your Loved One’s Doctor

If your loved one is still having too much joint pain to sleep and you’ve tried all of these tips, it’s time for a follow up visit to her doctor. He can take a look at the situation and see if your loved one’s arthritis has worsened or if there is possibly another cause for the pain and the trouble sleeping. From there, you can modify the pain management plan or even develop a new one altogether.

If your loved one is being kept awake at night due to joint pain, it’s not something that she has to just learn to live with.