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Better Sleep, Better Pain

Good quality sleep is an important part of coping with cancer, and an important part of coping with cancer pain.

Did you know that even one night of poor sleep can make your pain feel more intense the next day? And sleeping poorly on a regular basis not only makes pain worse, but it also makes it harder to cope with it. This whole sleep-pain connection also works in the opposite direction, making the problem a vicious cycle. Having pain can make it hard to fall asleep, it can wake you up at night, and it can prevent you from getting the good quality sleep you need to feel refreshed and cope with the day ahead.

Pain
More sleep problems
Sleep problems
Worsened pain

The good news is that changing some basic sleep habits can go a long way to improving your sleep quality and improving your pain.  It can take time to make these changes and to notice a difference, and researchers have shown that they work.

Sleep techniques
Better 
sleep
problems
Better pain
Sleep problems
Improved 
worsened
pain
  • All or Nothing Thinking
    Am I too extreme in my thinking? Are there other ways of looking at it?
  • Should Statements
    Is this a rule that applies to everyone else? If not, maybe this is a preference rather than a rule.
  • Extreme Negative Thinking
    Am I 100% sure of these awful consequences? Am I jumping to conclusions too quickly? Do I know for certain that this will happen? What other possible outcomes are there? What is the most realistic outcome? What is the likelihood that _______ will happen? What is the worst that could happen? How bad is that and could I cope with that?
  • Overgeneralization
    Does ___ have to equal or lead to________ ? Have I ever had situations in my life when___ did not lead to____? Am I being too extreme in my thinking? Am I jumping to conclusions too quickly?
  • Jumping to Conclusions
    Do I know for certain what the other person is thinking? Do I have telepathic powers? Even if s/he were to think this about me, does __________ 's opinion reflect everyone else's?
  • Emotional Reasoning
    Is my emotional experience necessarily reflective of the situation? Am I reading too much into my emotions? What do I know to be true? Has my emotional interpretation ever led me to the wrong conclusion? Could my emotions or how my body feels be coloring my appraisal of the situation? Will I come up with the same conclusion if I wait 30 minutes?
  • Forgetting the Positive
    Am I being too critical of myself? Am I being fair to myself? Would I believe this person if s/he were to tell me something bad?
  • Mental Filter
    Am I being partial to what I pay attention to? Am I disqualifying the positive? Am I looking at the whole picture? Am I focusing on a negative detail? Would I be this tough on a friend?
  • Fortune-telling
    Do I know for certain that this will happen? Do I have a crystal ball? Could there be any other explanation? Do I have special powers to look into the future? Have I ever been wrong? How accurate have I been when I have foretold the future?
  • Magnification/Minimization
    Am I being too hard on myself? Would I be this tough on my friend? Am I being fair to myself?
  • Labeling/Mislabeling
    What is the definition of ________? Am I being fair to myself by labeling myself? How useful is it to be labeling myself? Is this the only thing that defines me? What more is there about me?
  • Personalization
    Am I reading too much into this? Am I really that powerful? Are there any other reasons unrelated to me why things turned out this way? Could something else be going on?

What can I do to sleep better?

Summary

Sleep is a very important part of managing pain and living a better life. Try a few of these tips (1-2 at a time) for a week or two and see if you notice a difference in how you’re sleeping Remember, it takes time! If you need more help with your sleep, consider talking to your doctor about your troubles.

1

Keep a regular bedtime schedule and routine

2

Avoid things that keep you awake or disrupt your sleep cycle

3

Exercise during the daytime, if possible

Want to learn more?
Check out these articles:

© Desiree R. Azizoddin, Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma, 2022.

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