Getting a good night's sleep hints and tips

A good pillow to support my head and neck (Dunlopillo Serenity works for me). I also find that using a pillow or maternity pillow between my knees and to rest my arm on is a great help!

Sally

Warm wheat bags draped over sore joints really help me get comfortable in bed. I find them better than hot water bottles. I also find it helpful to have my medication and painkillers on my bedside table when I wake up, so I can take them straight away.

Claire - 2018

Take meds in time to be working for bedtime. Bath and into bed with hot water bottle and wheat bags. Wheat bags are more comfortable, but a hot water bottle keeps the heat for longer. Sleep oils help. Finally, hope young children aren't up in the night!

Sarah Jane - 2018

I have a hot shower, take painkillers about an hour before bed, and make my bed cosy. I have a machine that plays different sounds, a like a rainforest, ocean or babbling brook. It runs on batteries and you can have it on a timer. I find all this is very helpful.

伊莱恩- 2018

Having a relaxing bath or shower, putting aromatherapy cream on wrists and writing a diary helps shut your mind down with any worries.

Allie - 2018

I take all my night-time meds about one hour before bedtime, apply lavender gel to my temples and listen to music on the Spotify App through headphones.

Alan - 2018

I haveosteoarthritis of the knees, which can be painful. To help, I put a small, soft pillow between my knees in bed. Some lavender oil on the temples helps me sleep too – you can buy it in a roller ball dispenser from somewhere like Neal's Yard.

Gilly - 2018

I thought I’d share my own experiences of doing literally anything to sleep better:

• Make time to unwind. Turn everything off an hour before sleep and read a book or try some mindfulness techniques from a free app.
• Warm yourself up. Before bed I drink either a camomile or vanilla chai tea and then use a fleece throw and electric back heat pack to warm up in bed before nodding off.
• Get out and about every day. I can wake up in pain and discomfort every one to two hours, but after a day out in the Peak District with friends I can sleep up to four hours without a break. It really helps for me to get out of the house every day, if only for half an hour.

Simon

I have a heated waterbed. It’s firm, warm and moulds to my shape, so it’s very supportive. I also have a Kindle with a backlight. Reading is great when I can't sleep, as it stops me focusing on pain or frustration. It’s just a distraction technique, but it helps me.

Jacqui - 2018

Invest in a good mattress. Although expensive, I bought aTempur Cloudmattress and pillow, which is like nothing I’ve tried before. The mattress moulds to my body and doesn’t have any pressure points. For the first time in years, I can sleep on one pillow comfortably and that also helps my posture!

Simon

Orthopaedic mattress, electric blanket, hot-water bottle, painkillers and luck!

Lauren

I've had arthritis for years and had both hips replaced. Over the Christmas period, I slept in a bed with a mattress topper and my body stopped hurting in the morning. I came home and ordered one exactly the same – which is now on my bed with equal success. I was amazed at the difference it made to my life.

卡罗,赫里福郡- 2009

I bought a goose down/feather mattress topper and this has proved very comfortable for my husband, who hasosteoarthritisof the spine. He uses it on top of a Tempur mattress and he says that it's greatly helped his pain and discomfort.

Mrs H Smith, Devon