Improving Sleep Before AND After Knee Replacement
Research says that it takes 3-6 months to return to your usual sleep or quality sleep. Yikes! That sounds brutal. There are some basic sleep positioning techniques that are all over the web but if someone tells me that I’m going to have to sleep on my back or wait weeks to sleep on my side, I’d be beside myself and grumpy in addition to being in pain from my knee.
I suggest we think of wellness techniques to improve sleep and have better surgical success. These can include common sense and simple ideas in addition to complex ones. And we only need to implement them for a few weeks before and after surgery, at which point we can return to our bad habits.
First, basics:
Take a multivitamin.
Take a supplement such as Surgery Ready to enhance healing.
Eat well, avoid processed foods or those w/ added sugar, and drink lots of water.
Stop caffeine after 12pm.
Stop alcohol.
Make yourself a bedtime. Yes, get into the habit of a bedtime.
Stop watching tv and using screens within 60 minutes of that bedtime. It might be boring, but that’s good in this case.
Have a written out schedule of when you will take your pain medicine and set an alarm to take medicines in the middle of the night so you don’t get behind the eight ball of pain.
Have ice in a cooler by your bedside, the couch, or the chair, wherever you are sleeping.
Avoid drinking a lot of liquids before you go to bed so you don’t have to get up so many times at night.
Take 1-2 short, less than 20 minute naps during the day. This will help you get rest which will help pain and recovery and stress etc, but don’t allow this to affect your sleep wake cycle of 8 hours per night.
Second, wellness ideas:
Take melatonin to help fall asleep. This won’t keep you asleep the entire night, but it will help you get to sleep AND it is an anti-inflammatory supplement.
Try a few ways to relax starting 60 minute before bedtime. A warm bath (can have your affected knee w/ incision hanging out of the tub or wrap w/ saran wrap,) guided sleep/pain/anxiety meditations.
Restart your social and daily activities as soon as you can, even if it is with some help. This will help your spirits.
Have some serious self-compassion and go online for help doing this. There are lots of great easy ideas out there.
And remember, THIS ISN’T FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF.
Third, ideas specific to knee replacement:
Arrange for lymph massage and learn how to do it on your own. Do this several times per day.
Arrange for a massage of the other leg, your hips, and lower back. You don’t have to rest on your belly to get your lower back massaged. Because you are “nursing” that painful leg, the other side of your body is taking on more work and needs some attention.
Arrange for acupuncture for pain, swelling, stress, and sleep.
Check out www.integrativesurgicalcare.com to learn more about surgical success
