Sheep knitting a comfort blanket while a sulky gremlin representing discomfort sits beside it in bed, symbolising how you can learn to sleep with pain.

Nine Small Changes That Can Help You Sleep With Pain

March 11, 2026

Takeaways

• Pain can make it difficult to sleep, but small changes can help your body settle at night.
• Shifting your language from pain to comfort levels can sometimes help the body relax.
• Gentle movement, calming routines and short rest breaks can help you feel more comfortable .
• Self-hypnosis and relaxation can help the nervous system settle when discomfort is present.
• Moments of humour and lightness can ease tension and make it easier to fall asleep.

Sheep knitting a comfort blanket while a sulky gremlin representing discomfort sits beside it in bed — Image Caption – Comfort growing while discomfort sits sulkily nearby

Introduction

Many people who struggle to sleep with pain find that night-time becomes the hardest part of the day. You may lie down feeling tired, only to find that discomfort keeps drawing your attention back to your body.

Turning over, adjusting pillows, or searching for a comfortable position can become a nightly routine.

While medical advice and treatment are important, many people discover that small everyday changes can help the body settle more easily at night. When the nervous system relaxes, it becomes easier to sleep better even when discomfort is present.

Here are nine gentle changes that may help.

The language we use about pain and sleep can influence how the body responds.

Many people describe their day as fighting pain, battling through, or struggling to cope. While this is completely understandable, the body often reacts to this language by becoming more tense and alert.

You might like to experiment with a small shift in language.

Instead of focusing on pain, try noticing your comfort levels.

For example:

“I am in pain” becomes
“I could do with a little more comfort here.”

You can also notice how language shapes the pictures in your mind.

Imagine a Pain Clinic. What comes to mind?

Many people picture something cold and clinical — metal chairs, harsh lighting, serious faces.

Now imagine a Comfort Clinic.

People often picture something quite different — a welcoming space with softer colours, comfortable chairs and a calmer atmosphere.

Most people notice that the two images feel very different.

This small shift in language can soften how the mind and body respond to sensations. From this point onward, it can be helpful to think about increasing comfort rather than fighting pain.

I often share a recording called Comfort Clinic.

2. Comfort Can Return

Comfort can sometimes return more quickly than people expect.

For some people the change happens quite soon. For others it unfolds more gradually as the body and mind begin to relax and settle.

Here is a lovely testimonial I received from a client who had lived with back discomfort for many years. She sent it after spending a whole day walking around Amsterdam – in comfort. This was after five sessions with me.

3. Keep a Simple Diary

Many people find it helpful to keep a simple journal or sleep diary for a few weeks.

You might note things such as:

your comfort during the day
what went well today — we often focus only on what went wrong
stressful events or worries
activity and movement
food and drink
your evening routine
how well you slept the previous night

A diary can help your sleep in several ways.

Firstly, sleep problems rarely begin only at bedtime. What is happening during the day can influence both your comfort and your sleep at night.

It can also be useful to jot down the stresses and successes of the day. Sometimes we focus so much on what went wrong that we forget to notice what went well — even something small, like getting a seat on your commute.

What we focus on tends to grow.

I have noticed myself how easy it is to focus on problems. At the moment I could spend a lot of time focusing on the side effects of my chemotherapy. Writing this article instead has got my creative juices flowing and actually made me feel much better.

Another benefit of keeping a diary is that patterns often begin to appear. You may notice that certain activities help you feel more comfortable, while other things increase tension or make sleep more difficult.

And don’t worry — this is not about writing pages every day. A diary does not need to be perfect or detailed. A few short notes are enough.

Over time those notes can help you understand what supports both comfort and better sleep.

Finally, use the diary to get you to answer the question – “What helped me feel a little more comfortable today?” And notice the patterns that emerge.

4. Keep the Body Gently Moving

When discomfort is present it can feel natural to avoid movement, but gentle activity often helps the body relax more easily at night.

Walking, stretching, swimming, yoga or qigong can help reduce tension and support better sleep.

Gentle movement also helps regulate the nervous system, which plays an important role in sleep.

If that feels like too much at the moment, even something very small can help. There is a lovely Standing Still Qigong exercise on YouTube that focuses on posture and relaxed breathing. It takes only a few minutes and can become a simple daily practice.

Here is one I like – https://www.youtube.com/@StandStillBeFit

5. Create a Calm Evening Routine

A simple wind-down routine tells the nervous system that the day is ending.

Helpful habits might include:

reading before bed
calming relaxing music
turning off screens 30–45 minutes before bed
gentle stretches
breathing slowly through your nose
sitting quietly for a few minutes

These small rituals help the body prepare for sleep and can make it easier to sleep with pain.

These small rituals help the body prepare for sleep and can make it easier to sleep better with pain.

Slow nasal breathing helps calm the nervous system and signals to the body that it is safe to relax. Many people find that simply breathing slowly and quietly through the nose for a few minutes before sleep helps the body settle.

You can also experiment with techniques such as alternate nostril breathing, or breathing gently through the left nostril, which some people find particularly calming before sleep.

Do you have a big woollen blanket to wrap yourself in?
Wool has some amazing properties. I find wool very soothing, and it helps me relax.

My dogs certainly agree — they always make straight for a sheepskin to lie on.

I talk more about the benefits of natural bedding in my short video How Your Choice of Bedding Can Improve Your Sleep and my forthcoming article on Wool and Sleep.

6. Allow Yourself Short Rest Breaks

Short daytime rests can help people living with ongoing discomfort.

You do not need to fall asleep. Simply lying down and resting for 15–20 minutes can allow the body to relax and recover.

Many people find early afternoon works best.

If you don’t have 15–20 minutes, even taking five minutes for some time out can help. This article on naps explains how to use them for best effect.

Are Naps Good for You?

7. Try Simple Self-Hypnosis

Self-hypnosis is simply a way of guiding your mind and body into a deeply relaxed state.

You can try a simple version at night:

• close your eyes
• breathe slowly through your nose
• imagine warmth or comfort spreading through the body

Some people imagine gently turning down the intensity of uncomfortable sensations, or allowing areas of the body to become softer and more comfortable.

Helping the nervous system relax in this way can make it easier to sleep with chronic pain and increase your comfort levels

If you work with me, I have a range of recordings to help you learn self hypnosis and improve your sleep and comfort levels.

8. Bring in Relaxation and Lightness

Living with ongoing discomfort can make everything feel serious and heavy.

Sometimes bringing a little lightness into the evening can help release tension built up during the day. Music, gentle conversation, a favourite television programme or a funny book can help the body relax.

The journalist Norman Cousins famously explored the effect of laughter on his own illness. He discovered that periods of genuine laughter helped him feel more comfortable and sometimes allowed him to sleep.

As Charlie Chaplin once said: