Living with cancer brings about various challenges, and one often underestimated struggle is the impact on sleep. In this blog, we explore the reasons behind it, discuss effective management strategies, and emphasise the importance of seeking support during this challenging period.
Adults typically need around 7-9 hours of sleep, although individual preferences can differ. The goal is to wake up feeling rejuvenated and prepared for the day. However, when struggling to nod off, worrying about falling asleep can result in a vicious cycle. Sleep deprivation, whether occasional or chronic, can significantly impact your overall well-being, daily functioning, and quality of life.
Understanding the link:
Some sleep studies suggest cancer increases the risk of experiencing sleep disorders. Factors such as anxiety, pain, or treatment side effects are commonly associated with this connection, but it’s crucial to recognise that individual experiences can vary.
Potential Causes of Insomnia Related to Cancer:
Various factors can impact sleep and contribute to insomnia. Some affect everyone, like anxiety or worries, while others are more prevalent in individuals dealing with cancer.
Influencing factors may include:
- Treatment side effects, like fatigue, nausea, and pain as a result of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Various cancer treatments may impact your sleep quality. It’s essential to be aware of the potential sleep disturbances associated with specific treatments:
- Cancer Drugs: Some targeted cancer drugs such as steroids, anti sickness drugs and hormone treatment have been linked to insomnia. Consult your pharmacist or doctor to understand if your prescribed drug may affect your sleep.
- Emotional Impact: A cancer diagnosis brings feelings like anxiety and worry.
- Pain and discomfort: Cancer symptoms, like pain, can make finding a comfortable sleep position tough, affecting overall sleep quality.
- Room conditions: extreme temperatures, inadequate lighting, or excessive noise.
- Uncomfortable bedding: a mattress or pillows that don’t provide adequate comfort and support.
- Poor routine: having an irregular sleep schedule or excessive daytime napping can result in you feeling more tired.
- Lifestyle choices: smoking, alcohol consumption, or excessive caffeine intake.
- Lack of physical activity: insufficient exercise during the day.
Possible strategies:
Treating insomnia often involves adopting various strategies to improve sleep quality and duration.
Medical Guidance: If sleep difficulties arise as a result of cancer treatments, consult with your healthcare team. They can provide guidance on managing symptoms and may suggest additional treatments to improve your problems.
Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques:
- Breathing Exercises: Practice deep breathing or box breathing to calm the mind and relax the body.
- Meditation: Incorporate meditation exercises, such as body scans, to help relax and focus the mind.
- Hypnotherapy: Solution focused hypnotherapy can be beneficial for managing anxiety and fear related to cancer or other health conditions. It can also help improve sleep, making the client feel calmer and more in control, no matter the specific issues they are dealing with.
Sleep Apps and Tools: Explore mindfulness or meditation apps designed to guide you through relaxation techniques. Consider using apps which employs cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to improve sleep.
Sleep hygiene: This involves creating a comfortable sleep environment and developing good habits. Consider the following tips:
- Comfortable Bedding: Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillow.
- Temperature Control: Maintain a cool yet comfortable room temperature. We recommend keeping the room temperature between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (16 and 18 degrees Celsius).
- Light Management: Make the lights dim and steer clear of bright lights before bedtime. This helps with melatonin production, a hormone that supports sleep.
- Noise Reduction: Use earplugs or listen to relaxation audio to drown out noise.
- Calming Scents: Consider using light scents like lavender to create a peaceful atmosphere.
- Consistent Routine: Stick to a regular routine and adopt healthy daily habits.
- Winding Down: Spend 30 minutes doing calming activities like gentle music, light stretching, reading, or relaxation exercises. It is advisable to steer clear of activities that may increase your body temperature before bedtime, such as indulging in a hot shower or bath.
- Digital Detox: Avoid electronic devices, ideally 60 minutes before bedtime.
- Relaxation Techniques: Focus on relaxation rather than falling asleep; try meditation, mindfulness, breathing exercises, or other relaxation methods.
- Daylight Exposure: Ensure exposure to natural light during the day to promote quality sleep.
- Regular Exercise: Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine. Try not to exercise to close by bedtime to avoid sleep problems.
- Limit Nicotine: Avoid smoking, as nicotine can disrupt your sleep.
- Moderate Alcohol: While alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can disturb your sleep patterns later in the night.
- Caffeine Management: Reduce caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and evening, as it is a stimulant.
- Early Meals: Avoid late-night meals to allow proper digestion before bedtime.
- Enhance mental clarity: Keep a notepad near your bed to jot down any troubling thoughts.
- Limiting in-bed activities: Reduce screen time an hour before bed by avoiding TV or electronic devices, reinforcing the connection between your bed and sleep. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to prioritise what works best for your own needs.
Seeking Support:
Online Communities:
- Joining online communities, such as Macmillan’s Online Community, can provide a platform to connect with others facing similar challenges.
Professional Support:
- Consider counselling to help manage the emotional impact of cancer and improve overall well-being.
- Explore support groups, either in-person or online, for shared experiences and coping strategies.
In conclusion:
By understanding how cancer treatments, emotional distress, and lifestyle factors influence overall well-being, individuals can take steps to improve their rest quality. Prioritising the circadian rhythm and adopting holistic approaches can lead to better sleep outcomes and a greater sense of control over health and daily life.