Tossing & turning from stress or pain? My Tips for Better Sleep with Autoimmunity will help you fall asleep & stay asleep.
Going to bed stressed or with roaring inflammation unfortunately won’t help you fall asleep. If anything, being stressed and dealing with pain leads to insomnia and a terrible night’s rest. Doing what you can to reduce or eliminate stress and inflammation before bed (and regularly during the day) can make a big difference. Activities like journaling before bedtime and having a bedtime routine can help, but there are other ways to reduce your stressors so that you can sleep better too.
Read on so you can *finally* get some good quality shut-eye! Because life is rosier when you’re rested, even with AI.
My Top Tips for Better Sleep with Autoimmunity
Stress comes from every angle in life. Inflammation can be triggered by factors like stress, diet, and environmental triggers. From work woes, to family dysfunction, to over-exercising, to toxin exposure…they all add up and equal significant reasons for low quality sleep. Here are some tips that will help you:
Take Organized Action
A lot of stress comes from an inability to act on important issues, and even the guilt we tend to feel as a result. An autoimmune disease can hold us back from accomplishing all the tasks we need to get done before bedtime is nigh.
I’ve personally found that keeping a chart of the weekly tasks that need to get done helps me to stay organized, remember what duties are pending, and to prioritize as needed depending on my physical ability on a certain day. I love using Google Docs for this as it is free, it saves my work to the cloud so I know I won’t lose my work, and I can use it on my desktop or phone.
I create color-coded charts that help me delegate which tasks are most important or becoming due. Red being the most urgent, yellow signifying moderately urgent, and blue meaning “it can wait if needed.” I gray out an area on my chart when a task is complete, and boy does it reduce my stress when I mark things off or see a chart full or gray! I can even move tasks over to a new chart for the next week if I have to put off certain chores.
Learn to take action and mark things off your to-do list per your energy and pain level so that you can reduce the amount of stress in your life by having it all in front of you as a visual encouragement and reminder.
Let it Go
Disney hit a nerve with Autoimmune Warriors with their hit song “Let it Go.” We’re not always capable today of what we were capable of doing yesterday. Sometimes we are able to do more tomorrow than we can do today. And guess what? That’s perfectly OK.
Learning to let go of what you can’t control helps reduce stress and overthinking. This in turn helps reduce the chronic inflammation which can trigger an immune response and sleepless nights. Give up the need to control, stop the worrisome fretting over things you can’t “reign in”, and feel yourself get lighter when you release this smothering burden.
Sleep Better With These Mindfulness Tips!
Take It One Day at a Time
There’s only so much you can do in a day. When you end your day accept what you’ve accomplished and be proud. Set your worries aside knowing tomorrow will take care of itself. Learning to compartmentalize your fears, anxieties, and worries day by day can help you face each day as it comes and rest each night when the day is through.
You don’t have to be Superwoman / Superman or everything to everyone. Be there for yourself first, and then watch the magic happen in other areas of your life (like when your head hits the pillow).
Click here to Reduce Inflammatory Stress with Journaling!
Create a Bedroom Oasis
Your room should feel like a getaway from the world. Create an environment where you can’t help but feel relaxed and refreshed. Your bed should be comfortable, your bedding should feel luxurious, and the temperature should be ambient.
Some people enjoy sound when they sleep. White noise can help you achieve deeper sleep if you tend to be a light sleeper. Having a fan or white noise machine can help. There are also apps that can create ambient noises like the jungle, winter storms, or sounds of a coffee house to help lull you and keep you asleep.
People who suffer from pain and stress can find relief with weighted blankets. These blankets offer an in-home version of deep pressure therapy and offer relief and deeper sleep. Blankets come in a variety of sizes and weights and are great for both children and adults.
Bust out the lavender essential oil in your ultrasonic diffuser. Supplement with magnesium before bed (after talking to your doctor). Turn on the ceiling or box fan. Create an environment where you are comfortable and relaxed and you’ll fall asleep and stay asleep with ease.
Diet, Nutrition, Food…
My list of Tips for Better Sleep with Autoimmunity would not be complete without including nourishment. What we eat can directly affect our inflammation levels. If we are regularly ingesting foods which trigger an immune response and irritate our gut, it’s nearly impossible to keep inflammation down, and in turn difficult to get a good night’s rest.
Stick to grass-fed or wild-caught meats and seafood, nightshade-free produce, and go grain / egg / dairy free for a while to see how you feel. Look into the AIP elimination diet to narrow down your food triggers and support your gut health.
For a trove of healthy and anti-inflammatory recipes, check out my blog archives here!
Need a quick start on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol with a free meal plan? I’ve got you covered with this freebie right here.
Prefer a longer, more comprehensive plan? Check out my AIP Reset Meal Plan or my 4-Week AIP Meal Plan.
I hope you found these Tips for Better Sleep with Autoimmunity helpful!
Getting a great night’s rest is easier when you get a handle on inflammation and stress and create an environment conducive to sleep. Combat the stress mindset before going to bed, make sure your room is designed for optimal rest, and tackle inflammation during the day by enjoying an anti-inflammatory diet and staying organized. These tactics go hand in hand and can greatly improve your ability to sleep, as well as reduce your stress and pain due to living with an autoimmune disease.
