Getting a Good Night's Sleep During Your Periods

Period pains and sleep affect each other

Many women find that painful periods disrupt their sleep at times. One of the reasons for this, is that hormonal changes during a woman's menstrual cycle can affect her body clock, influencing her sleep patterns and also her body temperature. Unfortunately, sleep and pain affect each other. Period pain can disrupt sleep and in turn disrupted sleep can make period pains feel worse. These can both affect your mood, as well as how alert you are and your ability to function during the day. If your period pains are affecting your sleep, breaking this sleep-pain cycle could be important for your long-term health.

Back pain and periods

There may be a relationship between back pain and painful periods. A study suggests that period pain and/or the swollen uterus during their period may result in changes in posture causing some women to flatten their lower back, leading to lower back pain. Correcting back posture may help periods feel less painful. Exercises like yoga that can improve back posture, may help to reduce back pain.

How to Sleep with Painful Periods

The position you sleep in at night, may also affect your sleep and may make back pain worse. Sleeping in a body position that is less likely to cause back pain, is one of several strategies you can try to help to alleviate back discomfort during your periods.

Sleeping positions

The position that is best for sleeping is one where your spine is aligned from you head to your hips. To achieve a correct, neutral spine posture, you need to have the right support from your mattress and your pillow. Here are some tips on sleeping positions, that may help posture and comfort while sleeping:

Sleeping on your side

• Sleeping on your side is healthiest for your spine especially when supported by pillows. Choose a pillow that supports your head and keeps it aligned with your spine - it should be the same thickness as the distance between your neck and shoulder.
• Sleeping on your side may also reduce the chances of waking with back pain, if you sleep with a thin pillow or blanket between your knees to even out your hips. You can also put pillows on either side of your body to keep yourself in place.
• Sleeping on your left-hand side is best as it puts less pressure on your organs than sleeping on your right-hand side.
• Sleeping on your side can lead to sore shoulders if your pillow and mattress are not supportive. Your mattress should have enough "give" to allow your hips and shoulders to sink deeper than your middle spine.

Sleeping on your back

• Sleeping on your back is a neutral position that keeps the spine aligned, evenly distributes your body weight and reduces pressure on your bones and ligaments, which may be helpful for lower back pain.
• The disadvantage of lying on your back is that you may have breathing problems that could cause snoring or sleep apnoea (breathing stops temporarily).
• Some people may find that sleeping on their back increases their back pain. If you prefer to sleep on your back, it may help to put a thin pillow under your lower back, to prevent a gap forming between your mattress and lower back. Or you can place a thin pillow under your knees instead.

Sleeping on your stomach

• Sleeping on your stomach has the least support for your back and puts pressure on your spine, which may lead to back pain when you wake up.
• If you prefer to sleep on your stomach, try to sleep with a thin, or no pillow and put a thin pillow under your hips to even out your spine and relieve pressure. A firm mattress can also help to reduce spinal misalignment when lying on your stomach.

Other strategies for a better night’s sleep

You can adopt other pain-relieving strategies to make it easier to fall asleep. Try a mix of ideas to help you find comfort and sleep better at night.

Strategies to try, include:

• Doing things that help you relax before bedtime such as reading a book, meditation, listening to soft music, a podcast or ambient sounds like rainfall.
• Taking a warm bath before bed or applying a hot water bottle to your lower abdomen to help reduce cramps.
• Gently massaging your lower abdomen to see if it brings you pain relief prior to bed.
• Taking an over the counter (OTC) painkiller such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or paracetamol to ease pain.
• Maintaining a healthy balanced diet and exercising regularly can help both with period pain and with sleep.