1 out of every 10 of us spend a day in pain during a month -- and 86 percent of us don't sleep because of it. Try these tips to prevent pain from disrupting your sleep.

By Ellen Michaud with Julie Bain

13 Sleep-Better Tips

Pain not only interferes with your ability to get a good night’s sleep, it actually disrupts the sleep you do get by encouraging your brain to wake you up throughout the night. That’s because pain and sleep share common biological pathways, says Julie K. Silver, M.D., an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. So even if your eyes remain shut most of the night, chances are your brain still isn’t getting the deep, restorative sleep it needs. As a result, you wake up in the morning feeling far from refreshed. Also, sleep deprivation actually increases your sensitivity to the pain. Yeah, you read that right. So pain = less sleep = more pain.

Want to escape from that nasty little loop and get some sleep? Here’s what Dr. Silver prescribes.

1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. When pain first raises the alarm that something’s wrong, pay attention. Precisely where is the pain? On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 indicating the worst possible pain imaginable, where is your pain? What makes your pain worse? Do any other symptoms accompany it?

2. TRACK YOUR PAIN. If the pain’s not severe—and remember, severe pain requires a doctor’s immediate intervention—keep a pain log and track the pain for a month, says Dr. Silver. Jot down when it occurs, its rank on a scale of 1 to 10, and what makes it better or worse.

3. MEDICATE. Whether it’s delivered as a pill, patch, cream, or injection, medication can be God’s gift to the hurting. Ranging from acetaminophen and lidocaine patches to low-dose antidepressants and muscle relaxants, the arsenal is awesome. But every one has side effects, and not every one works in every situation. Work with your doctor to find the best approach.

4. ENLIST YOUR DOCTOR'S HELP. There is no virtue in bearing pain. Its your body’s alarm system that something is wrong. So get to the person who can help you figure out what your body’s trying to say: your doctor.

5. DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID. While you’re waiting to see your doctor, don’t aggravate your pain. If you have hip pain every time you run, don’t run. Walk instead.

6. HEAT IT UP. Try applying a hot pack to the area in which the pain occurs for 20 minutes a day.

7. COOL IT DOWN. Try a cold pack for 20 minutes once a day. Wrap the area in a towel to make sure the outside of the pack doesn’t touch your skin. Cold packs reduce inflammation and provide a temporary numbing effect.

8. HAVE A MASSAGE. Schedule one session a week and see how you feel.

9. OR TRY ACUPUNCTURE. Just keep in mind that it takes six to eight sessions before you’ll notice any effect. This is not a quick fix.

10. MOVE. Have your doctor refer you to a physical therapist who can design a personal movement program that targets the area in pain. Also, work with your therapist to get an aerobic exercise program that works for you.

11. STAY ON TOP. Treat pain aggressively early in the day, says Dr. Silver, and you’ll be more likely to control it more effectively and with less medication throughout the day and evening. Play tough girl and let it remain at a low ebb all day and it’s sure to build. Then, when everything’s quiet and you’re lying in bed trying to sleep, it’ll get you but good.

12. PARY. A survey by researchers at Stanford University Medical Center found that 62 percent of women under 50 who had pain prayed for relief. Seventy-one percent of women over 50 prayed. The result? Prayer worked in half of those who tried it. Amazingly, it relieved pain just as well as prescription meds.

13. SEE THE PAIN DOCTOR. If you still can’t get on top of your pain, schedule an appointment with a doctor who specializes in treating pain.
在每個月的某一天，我們每十人中就會有一個遭受疼痛的折磨。這其中大約有86%的人因為疼痛而無法入眠。試試下面這些小竅門，他們能夠讓你免受因疼痛導致的失眠之苦。

13個讓你睡得更好的小竅門

疼痛不僅讓你無法好好睡一覺，實際上它可能讓你整夜無法入眠。哈佛醫學院身體醫學和復原專業的副教授Julie K. Silver解釋說，這是因為疼痛和睡眠共用的是同一條生物通道。因此，即使你整夜閉著眼睛，你的大腦很可能也無法進入它所需要的深層的，恢復精力的睡眠狀態。結果，你早上醒來，感覺精神一點都沒有得到恢復。不僅如此，由于睡得不好，你對疼痛會更加敏感。所以，現在你就明白了這樣一個道理：疼痛導致睡得少，睡得少導致疼痛加劇。

想逃出這個怪圈，讓自己睡得好些么？以下是Silver醫生開的處方：

1。聽從身體的感受

疼痛剛開始的時候就予以注意。是哪個部位疼？假如把痛程度分為0-10這11個級別，0代表著一點都不疼，10代表你能想到的最疼的程度，那么你的疼痛屬于哪個級別？那些東西或者行為會加劇疼痛？除了疼痛之外，有沒有其他癥狀？

2。把疼痛記錄下來

Silver醫生說，如果疼痛不是太嚴重（記住，嚴重的疼痛發生時，必須立刻尋求醫生的幫助）那么試著給建立一個記錄表，記下一個月內疼痛發生的時間，每次疼痛的劇烈程度（從1到10）以及會使疼痛加劇或者減輕的一些情況。

3。尋求藥物治療

無論是吃藥，貼劑，抹藥膏或者打針，藥物是上帝送給疼痛受害者的禮物。從撲熱息痛和賽羅卡因貼劑到低劑量的抗抑郁藥以及肌肉鎮靜劑，種類繁雜，舉不勝舉。但是，每種藥物都有副作用，而且也不是萬試萬靈。所以，要同你的醫生一起努力，找出適合你自己的最好的治療方案。

4。尋求醫生的幫助

一味地忍受疼痛是沒有必要的。疼痛是身體的警報，告訴你身體中的某個部位出現了異常。因此，到能夠破解警報真相的那個人，也就是醫生那里去尋求幫助。

5。別使疼痛加劇

在等待醫生診療的期間，可別因為某些行為使疼痛加劇。假使你每次跑動的時候，腰骨部位都會疼痛，那么千萬別跑動，老老實實的走。

6。試試熱敷

每隔20分鐘，試著用熱水袋對疼痛部位進行熱敷，也許會有幫助。

7。試試冷敷

每天一次，試著用冰袋對疼痛部位冷敷20分鐘。記得用毛巾在疼痛部位的四周圍個圈，這樣可以防止冰袋的觸及正常部位的皮膚。冰袋能夠減少疼痛部位的灼熱感，同時也起到暫時性的麻痹效果，減少疼痛。

8。做一做按摩

每周做一次按摩，看看情況是有所改善。

9。試一試針灸

記住，針灸可不是立竿見影的治療方法，大約在6-8次治療之后，才能感覺到效果。

10。讓身體動起來

讓醫生給你推薦一位物理治療師，請他給你設計一套專門針對疼痛部位的活動方案。同時，跟你的物理治療師一起設計一套適合你的有氧運動項目。

11。堅強地面對疼痛

Silver醫生說，盡早地，主動地治療疼痛，更有可能在一整天內少依賴藥物治療，同時更加有效地控制疼痛。堅強地面對疼痛，一整天內都別對疼痛太過在意，肯定能夠成功。然后，夜深人靜的時候，就躺在床上試著睡覺，你肯定能睡著而且睡得好。

12。祈禱

斯坦福大學醫學中心的研究人員開展的一項調查表明，50歲以下受疼痛折磨的女性中，有62%的人希望通過祈禱減輕她們的疼痛。而這個比例在50歲以上的女性中是71%。結果如何？幾乎半數以上祈禱的人真的不疼了。這的確令人驚奇，祈禱就像處方藥一樣解除了疼痛。

13。看疼痛科專家

如果試過以上方法仍舊不能戰勝疼痛，那就約見專治疼痛的專家，尋求他的幫助