Pre-bedtime steps to ease JOINT PAIN

Arthritis can affect any joint but most commonly those bearing weight, such as your knees, hips and spine. It’s common for symptoms to be worse at night when you’re set in one position, not moving, and medication may have worn off throughout the day, leading to disrupted sleep and increased pain.

Also, it’s thought that increases in arthritis pain at night may be linked to our circadian rhythms, when our body releases less of the anti-inflammatory chemical known as cortisol, leading to increased inflammatory related pain.

But there are ways you can help to ease the pain.

Try to practise improved sleep hygiene: these nightly habits can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer.

✢ Go to bed at the same time every night.

✢ Avoid exercising four hours before bedtime.

✢ Avoid using phones, tablets or laptops a few hours before you go to bed.

✢ Avoid daytime naps if possible.

✢ Check your mattress – having a supportive one can make a big difference to comfort levels. But make sure it isn’t too firm and is adding contact pressure on your joints.

✢ Using pillows as support can aid a comfortable night’s sleep. And not just for your neck and head – if you have arthritis of the hip, then placing a pillow in between the knees when sleeping on your side can help ease the pressure on your hips.

✢ Talk to your doctor. Your GP can help you develop a plan for managing pain in the night, and suggest useful medication.

✢ Bethany Elliott-Hutton is an osteopath at

London’s Bodytonic Clinic; bodytonicclinic.co.uk