I wrote a book review for Pain Matters magazine, published by Pain Concern:
Sleeping with Pain
Strategies for a restful night from pain-management expert
By Dr Sue Peacock. Ann Jaloba Publishing, 136pp, £7.99
ISBN 9780995459922
Published 2016
Sue Peacock is a Consultant Health Psychologist and has a PhD in pain psychology.
Sue is also a hypnotherapist and an Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) practitioner and has diplomas in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and life coaching.
Not sleeping well is a pain. Dr Sue Peacock has written a very practical, easy to read guide on improving your sleep if you have chronic pain. The first section covers understanding pain and understanding your sleep patterns. Sue points out the importance of staying active, reasonably relaxed and pacing activities in managing chronic pain. The sleep process is made up of a number of types which are organised through cycles through the night and it is important to get enough sunlight through the day for the biological clock to function well for sleeping.
The second section of the book considers strategies to improve your sleeping. Firstly, the importance of good sleep hygiene, with a comfortable sleeping environment and not using the bed for watching TV or working. This section also includes a number of useful case studies which illustrate the changes people have made to improve their sleeping.
Sue utilises her knowledge of hypnotherapy and NLP in presenting the importance of goal setting, changing your thoughts about sleeping, and programming your sleep patterns. Stress management is also covered with a quick relaxation technique and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercises also outlined. Self-hypnosis scripts for sleep and for pain are also provided to improve your confidence in controlling your situation.
Strategies for a restful night from pain-management is a great read for anyone wanting to gain a greater understanding of how chronic pain affects sleeping and how a number of strategies can help people with chronic pain manage their sleep better. Not only is the book an informative read, but also provides a range of very useful tips and resources.
