A sheet metal worker named Ronnie woke up 12 times a night. Not to use the bathroom. To roll over.
“Every time I shifted position, my hip or my shoulder would scream,” he said. “So I’d wake up, find a new position, fall back asleep. Repeat all night.”
He was getting maybe 4 hours of actual sleep. The rest was just lying in bed, suffering.
Here’s what was happening—and what finally helped.
The pain-sleep cycle
Pain and sleep have a vicious relationship.
Pain makes it hard to sleep. Poor sleep makes pain worse. Worse pain makes it even harder to sleep.
Ronnie had been in this cycle for three years. Every month, he felt worse than the month before.
Why lying down makes joint pain worse
During the day, your joints are compressed by gravity and movement. Blood flows. Things stay loose.
At night, you’re horizontal. The compression changes. Fluid accumulates in joints. Stiffness sets in.
For Ronnie’s hip (bone-on-bone arthritis), lying on his side put direct pressure on the joint. His shoulder (rotator cuff tendinopathy) couldn’t handle being laid on.
Every position had a problem.
Position modifications that helped
Ronnie couldn’t fix his joints. But he could change how he slept.
For hip pain:
- Pillow between the knees (keeps hips aligned)
- Side sleeping on the GOOD hip, not the bad one
- Occasionally back sleeping with a pillow under the knees
For shoulder pain:
- Never sleep on the affected shoulder (obvious but he’d been doing it)
- Hugging a pillow prevents the shoulder from rolling forward
- Back sleeping with arms at sides, not overhead
For general body aches:
- Memory foam topper on the mattress (pressure distribution)
- Not too soft, not too firm—he needed support with some give
The timing of pain meds
Ronnie used to take ibuprofen in the morning. That helped during the day but wore off by bedtime.
The new strategy:
- One dose of anti-inflammatory at dinner (not bedtime—food helps absorption)
- Topical anti-inflammatory cream applied to problem areas before bed
- Ice for 10 minutes on the worst joint before sleep (reduces inflammation)
The ibuprofen isn’t a long-term solution—too hard on the stomach. But it bought him enough sleep to function while he worked on other solutions.
Supplements that actually helped
Ronnie was skeptical. Tried everything. Here’s what made a difference:
Turmeric/curcumin. Took 6 weeks to notice, but morning stiffness improved. Not a painkiller, but reduced inflammation.
Magnesium glycinate. Helped his muscles relax. Also improved sleep quality separate from the pain effect.
Fish oil. Anti-inflammatory from the inside. Subtle but cumulative.
He takes a combination formula now—brands like Built Daily Supply make these specifically for working bodies dealing with chronic inflammation.
The pre-sleep routine
Ronnie’s 30-minute routine before bed:
10 minutes: Gentle movement—not stretching, just moving joints through range of motion. Keeps things from locking up.
10 minutes: Heat (heating pad on the worst area). Increases blood flow, relaxes muscles.
10 minutes: Calm down. No screens, no stress. Box breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
The uncomfortable truth
Some pain can’t be eliminated. Ronnie’s hip is deteriorating. Surgery is in his future.
But pain can be managed enough to sleep. He’s getting 6 hours now instead of 4. It’s not perfect. It’s enough to function.
The bottom line
Body aches at night are manageable. Position right, time your anti-inflammatories, support your body with the right supplements.
Ronnie still wakes up sore. But he’s sleeping through most of the night now. That’s the difference between surviving and thriving.