What’s Painsomnia & Do You Have It?

I used to be a champion sleeper! My head hit the pillow and I was out until morning. But not anymore.

About five years ago, I started to find it impossible to fall back to sleep after waking (habitually) at 3:00 a.m. Over time, the problem was made worse by sciatica – nerve inflammation that sometimes wakes me with annoying pain in my low back, down into my butt, and sometimes my leg. 

To use the proper terminology: I suffer from painsomnia, an inability to sleep due to pain. And I’m not alone. Over 70% of people coping with chronic or occasional pain live with insomnia or other sleep problems. And 90% of people who seek treatment for pain list sleep issues as a coexisting problem.

In this post we’ll look at the reciprocal relationship between pain and insomnia. And I’ll offer a few tips for natural relief.

What are the signs of painsomnia?

The main symptom is an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep due to pain. When you’re in pain, your nerves get overstimulated, making it hard to relax enough to drift into sleep. This hyperactivity also stimulates your brain, keeping you that much more awake. The next day you feel tired and sometimes unable to concentrate. You also may experience stress, worry, and/or depression.

What comes first: the chicken or the egg?

Does pain cause insomnia? Or does insomnia create chronic pain? Even the experts aren’t sure. They do know there’s a reciprocal relationship happening. Pain can produce insomnia. And lack of sleep is a risk factor for developing chronic pain and other health problems.

Scientists also know that untreated insomnia can worsen pain perception. In other words, if you were well-rested you might rate your pain at 3 (on a scale of 1 to 10); but if you suffer from recurring sleeplessness, you’re more likely to feel it at 6 or 7.

Finally, to get sufficient sleep, you must travel a particular journey—from dozing to light sleep, then deep sleep, and finally REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. If pain wakes you up at night, it disrupts this cycle. That inhibits your ability to fall back to sleep and lowers the quality of your sleep.

How can you treat your painsomnia?

First, speak with your healthcare provider. Occasional painsomnia can be the result of simple overexertion. But if it’s chronic, you’ll want your practitioner to help you rule out any underlying cause (like fibromyalgia, arthritis, nerve damage, or shingles). If one of these health issues is the real culprit, your caregiver can help.

Are there any natural therapies for painsomnia?

Yes, so do your own research. But, just for starters…

Practice Good Sleep Hygiene. This set of habits can encourage good sleep.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
• Don’t turn on lights in your bedroom at night.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
• Set a cool bedroom temperature (experts recommend 65-67 degrees) and use comfortable bedding.
• Don’t use any electronic device starting 30 minutes before bed.
• No large meals, caffeine, or alcohol before bed.
• Exercise daily.
• Get up if you awaken and can’t fall back asleep within 20 minutes.

Join a Chronic Pain Support Group. Only 1 in 5 pain sufferers report participating in a support group. But over 90% of those who DO say that interacting with other painsomniacs helps them better understand, manage, and improve their sleep.

Natural remedies for pain and insomnia might help. If you’d like to try a supplement, melatonin may help. It’s a natural hormone produced by your brain in response to darkness, signaling to your body that it’s time to sleep. Doctors usually advise a 3 mg daily dose. However, your body naturally produces only about 0.1 to 0.3 mg at a time; so maybe start with a micro-dose (0.1 mg) and increase only if necessary. Herbal pain relievers can help, especially those made with menthol and peppermint. And various natural sleep aids are available in every holistic pharmacy.

Try a Simple Breathing Technique. I swear by this one! You take a very deep breath in and then try to inhale just a tiny bit more air. Next, make your lips into a small, round, closed circle and very, very slowly exhale until all the air is gone. (I try to make the exhale last for a slow count of 20.) Do this five times. It’s a simple rescue remedy that gets me back to sleep about 75% of the time.

Good luck and don’t let yourself worry.

Insomnia is awful. And when it’s accompanied by physical pain it can feel like torture. But you ARE going to sleep again. If not now, then tomorrow. I offer myself this reassurance when absolutely nothing sends me back to sleep. And the gentleness of being my own inner parent actually helps.

1 Pack Limit2 Full-Size Pain Spray & 1 Aromatherapy SLEEP

Kate Vozoff is CEO of Amazing-Solutions, a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, and writer with special interest in natural health.

Sources:

1. What Is Painsomnia? Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment.
   https://healthmatch.io/insomnia/what-is-painsomnia. Accessed June 3, 2026.
2. Insomnia Co-Occurring with Chronic Pain: Clinical Features, Interaction, Assessments and Possible Interventions.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26525182/. Accessed June 3, 2026.
3. Most Americans Losing Sleep Due to Pain
   https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2023/1/24/most-americans-losing-sleep-due-to-pain. Accessed June 3, 2026.
4. Emerging Research Trends on the Relationship Between Sleep and Pain
   https://www.iasp-pain.org/publications/relief-news/article/emerging-research-trends-on-the-relationship-between-sleep-and-pain/. Accessed June 3, 2026
5. Painsomnia & The Surprising Consequences of Long-Term Sleep Loss
   https://www.rsmedical.com/articles/painsomnia-long-term-sleep-loss-consequences. Accessed June 3, 2026.

6. What is the best temperature for sleep?
   https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a68130413/best-temperature-for-sleep-according-to-doctors/. Accessed June 4, 2026.