Night Joint Pain
Have you ever wondered why your joints feel fine at 2:00 p.m. but then throb at 2:00 a.m.
when you’re trying to sleep? There are biological reasons why pain gets loud the second you try to fall asleep.
I’m going to tell you what those four reasons are as well as show you a quick 60-second reset you can do right before bed to help break the cycle of high levels of pain and poor sleep.
Reason 1: The Sponge Effect
If you think about the cartilage, the cushioning between your joints as a sponge, when you’re moving around throughout the day,
you’re constantly squeezing that sponge, allowing the fluid inside of your joint to move around and do its job.
When you find yourself sitting down in the evening time, winding down before bed, and then going right to bed, there’s not a lot of movement happening.
This does not allow that sponge to squeeze and instead it just soaks up all that liquid inside of your joint.
It can become puffy. And when that happens, it can increase the pressure inside of your joint, leading to increased sensitivity and pain.
Reason 2: Overnight Construction
Your body runs on a 24-hour schedule. It ramps up inflammation at night to help your immune system do its repair work.
Just like a construction crew that works on a busy street at night. For a lot of people, this goes unnoticed.
But, if you already have arthritis and irritation, that construction crew can cause a lot of disruption and can actually increase pain at night.
Reason 3: Silencing the Noise
During the day, your brain is busy. You’re walking, talking, doing all sorts of activities, keeping your brain distracted.
But at night, when things slow down, there’s not as many distractions.
So, pain signals start to fill the void, leading to feelings of increased pain and increased sensitivity.
It can also amp up anxiety and worry, which can further ramp up the pain.
This 60-second reset acts as a way to change the channel, to give your brain something else to tune into.
Reason 4: The Sleep-Pain Cycle
When pain keeps you awake at night, you don’t typically get good sleep.
And when you don’t get good sleep, your overall pain system in your body is heightened.
Like someone turned the volume dial all the way up.
This can turn into a cycle where bad sleep continues to feed into more pain, making it impossible to get good sleep.
One way you can break this cycle is with a consistent nighttime routine, a routine that helps to quiet the joints and start to turn that volume dial down.
⏱️ 60-Second Reset Before Bed
This 60-second reset consists of three movements, each done for roughly 20 seconds.
🦶 Movement 1
Start seated at the edge of the bed. Keep your feet on the floor and alternate lifting your heels and lifting your toes.
Another option is simply alternating kicks out front.
Both of these movements are activating that sponge, getting the fluid moving throughout the joint, helping your joints feel better before you go to bed and helping to decrease overall pain.
Aim for about 10 to 20 alternating repetitions.
🛏️ Movement 2
This movement can be done lying down. Bend your knees up.
Keeping your lower back pressed into the bed, let your knees drop side to side.
This gentle rhythmic movement can give your brain something to tune into, giving a distraction from the pain.
If this movement does not feel particularly good, you can instead do a simple knee lift.
Aim for 10 to 20 rocks side to side or 10 to 20 alternating knee lifts.
🌬️ Movement 3
Lie down with your head supported. You can bend your knees up or allow your legs to be straight.
Take a deep inhale and scrunch your shoulders up towards your ears. You can even bend your elbows.
As you exhale, let everything go and melt into the bed.
You’re letting go of the stress of the day, the tension you might be holding onto, preparing your body for sleep and relaxation, helping calm down your nervous system.
Typically, three to seven repetitions is a sweet spot here.
🌿 Consistent Nighttime Routine
This 60-second reset isn’t just about tonight. You’re also helping to turn down the pain dial for tomorrow.
A consistent nighttime routine is one of the best ways to influence pain at night, especially using gentle movements just like this.
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