Tag Archives: NSAIDS

Chronic Pain and Insomnia

Chronic Pain and Insomnia- Here’s Why You’re Tossing and Turning

If you have problems with chronic pain and insomnia, don’t lose hope. There are ways to improve your chances of getting a good night’s rest.

Tammy Applegate dreams of sleep – when she dreams, that is. Most nights, she can’t sleep soundly; pain rousts her four or five times. She turns over, repositions the pillow under one shoulder – the only position that offers some relief – and waits for slumber to overpower her discomfort. “Sometimes it takes me so long to get comfortable that I stay awake anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours,” says the Fort Worth, Tex., mother of four, who has mixed connective tissue disease and requires sleep treatments to resolve her issues with pain and sleep.

She’s got plenty of company. Insomnia – broadly defined as having trouble falling or staying sleep – affects anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of American adults, at least intermittently, according to population studies. It’s estimated that some 10 to 15 percent have long-term sleep problems (lasting more than a month).

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Safe Sun Protection Autoimmune Disorders

Autoimmune Disorders and the Importance of Safe Sun Protection

By now, most people know it’s a bad idea to head out in the sun for hours of sunbathing to earn a golden tan. But there’s more to sun protection than just dabbing on any old sunblock. And, particularly for people with specific autoimmune disorders, protection from the sun should be a serious perennial consideration.

“Everyone should get into habit of wearing sunblock year round, but people with autoimmune issues need to be much more vigilant about covering up their skin,” says dermatologist Jeannette Graf, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

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