why is the pain so much worse at night?

Sandra,
I think it is because everything is so quiet.....we are trying to relax and sleep....and there is nothing to distract us from what we are feeling. During the day, there is so much more going on. Kids coming in and out (if you have them), pets that need taking out or letting in (if you have any), spouses coming in and out to work (again, if you have one)....and other things going on like the phone ringing, cars going up and down the street, birds singing, dogs barking; all of the normal day time noise and activity.

But at night....everything is so much more quiet. Even if a person lives alone, it is more quiet during the night, and there are less distractions because all of the day time activities have stopped. Phones don’t ring (of it then do, we have a heart attack because that means something is wrong somewhere), kids aren’t playing, dogs aren’t barking, & people aren’t out and about doing their stuff that causes noise and distraction. TV’s are even usually off, because we are trying to get to sleep, and even if they are on....all that is on are stupid shows or re-runs we have seen a zillion and one times, or infomercials. Nothing that it takes half a brain to watch...nothing that is really very distracting and that is usually pretty boring.

Then there is also the problem at this time of year, with the temperature dropping at night. Cold sucks....and it gets colder at night now. Cold that hurts, and nothing to distract us from it....and it makes for a long night.

, because I so totally understand where you are coming from. I hope that the night(s) gets better for you.

Love and
Jose

YEAH, what Jose said. LOL That girl has it down pat.

I can't sleep tonight due to my stress which I think comes from the RSD. I think it does something to the part of the body that causes stress. I am guessing that would be some part of the brain, don't know but it sure does effect the brain too.

She sure got it right about TV. When I lost Bill 11 months ago, I sat up all night watching reruns. I didn't like being in a quiet house even at night. Now I have seen every rerun of Scrubs, Fresh Prince, Full House, Bonanza, Gunsmoke and finally fell asleep and slept through some. LOL I think this is absolutely the worst year of new shows and the reruns are coming 3 weeks into a new season of a show. I believe everyone in the tv industry is in a burnout mode and don't want to work. LOL At least if there were decent shows on to keep a person occupied it might help us a little to keep our mind off of the pain, stress and boredom.

Nights are always my worse. I do deal with major depression and stress gets to me a lot.

The weather sats me off with pain so bad I go into a can't and don't want to keep living mode. Even with extra pills in me so weather is definately a factor at night or even in the day when it's changing.

I don't know if you use lidoderm patches but I have noticed if I throw a few of them on the areas that hurt worse at night they help some and even help make me sleep some. I up my Methadone also at the worst times. I have noticed though that if I am in extremely bad pain, nothing helps. I don't think the whole bottle would help with the pain then.

I hope things do start calming down for you. Something else is to get you some heating pads to help at night in the worst areas. I have 3 of them and I have used 2 at a time before.

With RSD it's a trial and error thing at all times it seems.

Thanks again for all of the great websites you bring up for us. They are so helpful as are you.

Ada

Hi Sandel
I too suffer from lack of sleep, it is driving me crazy, I only get to sleep about 3/4 hours per night - which isn't any good for me at my age. It is worse now because of the fireworks.
I am starting school tomorrow, so I really hope I can get a good nights sleep.
PAIN FREE HUGS
ALISON

Hi Sandra! Mabe lack of "circulation".. Just lying there? trying to get comfortable? too much caffeine? hmmmm... this is what happend to me. I just turned the t.v. on real low, or put a cd in of soothing water waves. Hope you get a better night's sleep!! ~Love, Desi

because crps extremities light up like fireworks non stop all the time, simply by changing the environment and telling yourself it should be bed time, none of our nervous system has figured out how to slow down. some use meds for anticuvulscant and medication for sleep but until you find meds that work it will continue to rushed and uncomfortable.
for some people some meds work for a while and then things change and they have to keep going back but at least it will calm down your extremities so sleep is at least a posobility.

There's another thing about night time; you can't get ahold of your doctor.

All there is to do is try to make it till morning when the sun comes up and warms us again. The darkness compounds the fear and reminds us of our disabilities.

Friday afternoons start the same process. Try to have a good night. Use bright lights and heat as needed. Have plans for something to do. Summer comes again as surely as the morning and the doc can't hide forever.

Concentrate on what you can do and try to forget the pain.

Well... ...it's easy to say.

I think sometimes we try to use our injured parts too...typing at work etc.
Maybe accidentally resting it in an odd way. Circulation etc. If it's your foot, maybe twisting it under a chair etc.

I know after I get out of Orthopedic Therapy later that night I'm on fire or I feel my arm is even heavier and more difficult to get comfortable.

Although I'm not sure, no one has diagnosed me with RSD. I'm just swollen and in pain with no answers darnit!

I went to CVS and purchased a moist heat pack, it seems to help when things get chilly and messaging the area after I apply it seems to help a little bit. Perhaps it's worth a try for you?

Hi everyone,

Ya know, for me, it's no so much as sleep. I get home from work, exhausted. I have dinner and then go downstairs and "assume the position." The problem that I have is between 6:00p.m. and 9:30 p.m. when I'm watching tv. I am in such pain. My doctor will only give me tramadol for my pain. It doesn't help. It's like I'm in pain if I move and I'm in pain if I don't move.

I just saw my doctor yesterday about this. He really didn't have any answers. There isn't documentation supporting why post-activity pain is so horrible. He mentioned fibromyalgia. That just seems like a "blanket" diagnosis. Yep, I hurt and he doesn't know why. I really like my doctor, but there just isn't enough information and medications that have proven to help. It's like you have neurontin, cymbalta and lyrica - these are the three meds that are in the main circle of meds to help (according to him). Then, outside that circle are many more meds that are a "try it - they may help" category. Well, with working FT, I don't have that luxury.

I will get another heating pad. I do think that will help. The one that I had doesn't work anymore. Does anyone know of a large (body size) heating pad? Either that or I may need to get a heating blanket instead.

I wonder if constant moving will help? Like doing leg lifts while sitting there?

I have no idea. What does everyone else do for the "post-activity" pain?

I'm on baclofen (muscle relaxer)
med for inflammation
I just stopped amitriptyline
Started Neurontin today - I was on it about 8 months ago, but thought that cymbalta or lyrica would help more. Cymbalta caused my eyes to permanently dialate and lyrica caused violent myoclonic seizures...

Hi thanks for all the great replys, DWT I find my pain levels start to rise around 3 or 4pm.. all the time.. I to have had fibro added to the DX but I don't hurt any where near as much in the AM.. it's my best time pain wise and worse AM pain is a fibro Symptom.. and it's not so much because of what I've done during the day cause some days I just spend in bed it dosnt matter I still get an escalation of pain in the evenings. *shrug* oww..

Sleep for me is not as bad as it could be I get at least 5 hours most nights lately.. thanks to trazadone (similar to amitriptyline) and baclofen.. ohh and I take flexeral when the ache gets bad in the early PM.. helps relax and destress me some too, but it gives me a little hangover in the AM.

I use a heated matress pad on my bed it has duo controlls for each side and 20 heat settings it looks kile a thicker quilted version of a fitted matress sheet... and it is my little chunk of heaven.. my pain levels get bad if I get cold so I try very hard not to.

I do distract myself with my laptop and working on my WCB nightmare.. and I do love to loose my self in soothing music.. I go places in my mind as I breath in through my nose and out my mouth in big slow breaths.. relax myself realy well then while still doing the breathing I take myself places soothing and relaxing.. Presently me and some other RSD friends are on an island somewhere warm and painless.. We are having a blast (natural hot springs and hammocs whatever we desire) and it is good for me to practice my breathing, it lowers my pain levels and it lasts for a bit, I recomend it strongly, sometimes it is hard to get relaxed cause there is too much pain.

Mabie this winter I will rewrite my SRT pages.. I can't find them on line any more, I used to have some web pages up on diffrent SRT's self relaxation techniques involving deep breathing that some felt was quite helpful. I am too buried in apeals right now to do it.. but later I will.

Ali you are right 3/4 hrs sleep is not good for us.. expecialy young en's, make sure that you tell your doctor ok? mabie he has some sugestions and I will look for some other web pages that might have some breathing exercises for us all to try.

Desi Hi.. I try to avoid cafine even normal tea has alot of cafine.. I drink white tea and rooibos tea, the rooibos is naturaly decafinated and decaf white.. both are high in antioxadents rooibos higher than green and white tea. I realy notice a big difrence in my pain levels after having anything with cafine it's much worse.

Ada I have never tried lypoderm patches but I will look into trying it.. don't take a bath with those patches on it is very dangerous to get them wet ok, I sure know what you mean by worse in winter.. big hugs hon you are a survivor and I admire you alot for what you have had to deal with and you and some others here are a real inspiration to me.. I can deal with this it could be much worse.

MMoran hi.. I know what you mean by heavy my limbs get very heavy seeming and full.. I think yr doc is going by the 8 signs assesment and thats hard to get all 8 at a time, some folks never get some of the signs at all.. I know how frustrating it can be to wait for diagnosis, hugz new bud.

WakeGirl Hi you always make so much sence, I know my bodys in flight mode usualy though I try to keep things around me as stress free as possible. Imahotep good idea! I think I'll get one of those natural sun lights (light bulbs thingys) this year to mabie try help my depresion.. it does get alot worse in the winter, for alot of us.

I think this quote from Josilita kinda says it well here too:

"Then there is also the problem at this time of year, with the temperature dropping at night. Cold sucks....and it gets colder at night now. Cold that hurts, and nothing to distract us from it....and it makes for a long night."

I think it is the cold and weather changes as day turnes to dusk then night and it gets colder.. I have a friend that works difrent shifts and she said that her pain is worse at night no mater the shift she is on. She lives in the artic regions

Anyhow I wanted to thank you's for your kind words and good ideas.. My temperature is kept to the same level of warmth in my room though.. I would like to hibernate all winter or better yeat.. go tropical.. see you later guys I am off to my island * she sigh's as she sips a margurita while laying painlessly in her hammoc*

hugz ya'all thanks,
Sandra