What aggravates chronic pain? Lack of sleep and aging contributors?

[saltystick]

I'm not sure if fibromyalgia is real but I seem to be symptomatic except some days the symptoms are much less.
Here are some unproven theories that may contribute to muscle pain and spasm.
1. Sleep is essential
  Without at least six hours of toss-free sleep, the body's immune system is compromised. Those of  us with chronic bursitis, arthritis, nerve impingement pain (spinal cord, sciatica, etc.), muscle spasm that doesn't respond well to meds and a bunch of other causes, plainly just lose sleep on a daily basis. We'll never know how viruses enter into it, but when I have a fever, my body's  irritability index is high.

2. One vicious circle
  Lack of sleep contributes to the body being run down along with age affecting muscle tone and you have a recipe for recurring pain symptoms - much of the time traveling from bone joint to muscle to even the bladder. But one thing I found that started the whole circle of pain was buying a bad mattress. Spinal alignment is key when we sleep. Without it all hell breaks loose with less deep sleep being replaced by a light REM sleep - unrestful to say the least. My symptoms started getting worse years ago after I bought a crap mattress and persists to this day.

3. Certain physical activity for those over 60 can aggravate symptoms
    Many of us don't exercise and maintain muscle tone - the muscles that keep us tight so that ligament and tendon damage is lessened if not prevented. I can't throw a football without my shoulder bursitis taking its revenge. I have to mow 2 acres with my riding mower and seeing as how the soil is dry and hard packed, the jostling of my body on uneven surfaces adds to the pain index at night - even while sitting watching TV in a recliner in the evening. There goes another night of sleep and then more muscle spasms await me.

You can think of a lot of physical activities that you rarely do that initiate or aggravate the pains an aging body insures will happen. Here are a few: using a hand saw to saw wood for a few hours; bending over to loosen something at an odd angle to the body; heavy lifting that was fine forty years ago but now a hazard to you health; playing sports of any kind, changing a tire (lug nuts stuck and worse, a truck tire to the bolts); using a chainsaw for hours on end higher than the shoulder and then hauling the debris away; jogging on an uneven surface for the first time in many months.

These are activities that spell chronic pain for the foreseeable future - at least in my case and as stated, pain kills sleep, lack of sleep aggravates pain and around and around it goes.

Sometimes OTC drugs help in the middle of the night when getting up is the only relief though temporary. I try to stay away from taking heavier meds, but sometimes they're the only way to prevent walking around like a zombie the next day. And guess what, my short term memory is like that of a zombie and I lose things more often ( a cup of coffee, a shopping cart left to find something in a different aisle, something I planned on doing in the next five minutes, etc, etc.) Worse than that is forgetting what not to do that will worsen the pain.

3. Getting chilled adds to my muscle and joint pains
  I was fishing a few days ago with only a light shirt on, but with the air temperature and a constant wind, the wind chill factor was in the mid 60's; yesterday I mowed and did outside work in the same chilly wind with no sweat shirt on. The combination of the two days made even sitting a pain - no pun intended. Forget a good night of sleep! Today I'm paying the price no matter that I want to go fishing but won't enjoy it being in a daze.

I feel your pain - literally!

[Wizard]

One OIC that definitely helps is Glucosamine/Chondroitin. 1500 mgrs for G and 1200 mgs, for C. They are combined in one tablet you take twice a day. All my doctors recommend it. It helps with pain because it reduces inflammation. I also take an old time NSAID named Lodine. It is an anti inflammatory.
I'm researching a product named Serenity Hemp. Legal in all states. It is an on-line product for neuro and pain problems.  A friend had MS. He got to the point where he shook so much he couldn't walk. His doctors said he wouldn't live much longer. He tried the product and got better.I saw him a month ago and he no longer shakes, walks very well and looks year younger. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't believe it.

Wizard

[Oldfart9999]

Some of it is just plain aging, things like arthritis and bursitis never get better. Weather, especially fronts can aggravate chronic ailments. Exercise helps the severity of the problem, muscle strength helps stabilize joints, it doesn't take much, just moving and stretching the joints. I can't talk to fibromyalgia and frankly I hope I never can!!! Glucosamine didn't help me but I know folks it does, do what works for you!!!
Rodney   

[saltystick]

Never thought a severe weather front (warm or cold) could be predicted by my joints! Man do I ache! - especially in my thumb and hip joints. Motrin helps at least for awhile and helps be get back to sleep, otherwise hydrocodone is necessary. I hate taking the heavy duty med that can be addictive and rarely use any pain killers during the day. Bad thing is pain that lasts for a few months and then slowly goes away like a SI joint ache that prevents me from being comfortable watching TV in the evening.(SI = sacroiliac joint on either side of the sacrum connected to the pelvis.) But taking too much of any pain killer is a concern for liver damage and function. Good thing I don't drink! (much)

My wife has MS pain and takes Aleve when needed which allows here to function and sleep.

[coldfront]

always figure the first step is figuring out what the root cause is.

stenosis?  spondy?  disks?  once those are identified (and that can be dang hard to get corrrect from the physicians at times) then whatever steps are taken at least have a higher liklihood of positive impact.

know for me, one key was to move to a harder, firmer mattress.  use inversion therapy.  lift weights.
mobility and activity, hard as they can be, are for me key to improvement.  or at least slowing down the negative progressions.   

[D.W. Verts]

This is really great stuff guys. Keep it coming!

[Deadeye]

I have the 2-day effect. That is 2 Days AFTER I do soon will feel it and pay for it.

I can move and look like I'm still 10-20 years younger, then 2-Days later look like I'm 10-20 years older.

Fronts are getting worse. Feel them a couple of days before they hit.

Movement does seem to be the key, as my PT described it to me "we have to teach your body that it's ok to move". It was a big help and took water exercise to allow it to happen. Now I just keep going.

[Kris]

I used to take glucosomine/condroiton every day in the morning. Once through that I was ok because I was usually on my butt in front of this computer. Since the additional stomach and pancreas problem I have not been taking it. There are other things like low-dose aspirin, vitamin E and a multi-vitamin that I don't take now. Once we get these new problems under control I will go back to taking them.
My biggest problem with not taking them is my right leg with arthritis in the hip, knee and ankle. I was taking VA prescribed ibuprofen with no buffers. It actually worked pretty well but is known for causing stomach problems and possible ulcers. I thought that might be what happened to me but now we know it isn't.
The cause is age Gentlemen. Senior Citizen/Veteran/First Responder is not for the faint of heart.