Fast facts
- A bad night’s sleep can make your child or young person’s pelvic pain feel worse.
- Pelvic pain can make it harder for them to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Encouraging consistent sleep routines can help support their nervous system.
- Teenagers typically need between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night.
- Having a regular morning and evening routine can help prepare them for a good night’s sleep.
- If they’re still having trouble with their sleep, then it’s time to talk to their local doctor.
Why is sleep important?
Sleep is a really important part of having a healthy routine.
Your young person’s period can affect their sleep. This can also affect their body’s stress system, which can impact how they manage pelvic pain.
Their body’s internal day-and-night clock (known as the circadian rhythm) relies on routines to keep stress levels low.
Interrupted sleep, napping during the day or even oversleeping can all impact stress, inflammation, emotional wellbeing and pain.
On the other hand, if they’re in a lot of pain it can be harder for your young person to get to sleep and stay asleep, even when they’re tired or exhausted.
This creates a cycle where pain affects their sleep and then, poor sleep makes their pain worse.
Period cycles and sleep
In the days leading up to periods starting (often for three to six days), it can be harder to get to sleep and stay asleep. Your young person might find that their sleep is interrupted at other times of their cycle as well.
Encourage your young person to keep a three-month sleep diary to track their sleep. This is a good first step to seeing whether any sleep problems could be linked to their period.
It could include tracking:
- What time they went to bed
- What time they woke up
- Whether they woke up throughout the night
- Whether they were in pain, or any other symptoms they noticed.
Managing sleep and pelvic pain
Morning routine
Sleeping well starts in the morning. Things you can encourage your young person to do to set up their body clock include:
- Waking up at a regular time each morning
- Getting some daylight first thing in the morning (either through a window, or by heading outside)
- Moving in the morning by doing some gentle exercise or stretching
- Waking their brain up by reading or doing a word game, in a spot with natural light if possible.
Throughout the day
What happens during the day also influences how well your young person will sleep at night. Things you can encourage your young person to do that can help set them up for a better night’s sleep include:
- ‘Checking in’ on how they are feeling a few times during the day
- Finding a quiet spot to do something that relaxes and comforts them, if they feel stressed or anxious, such as:
- Listening to music
- Trying a butterfly hug
- Belly breathing
- Avoiding taking naps during the day
- Spending some time outside or in natural light, which helps keep their body’s clock working
- Eating regularly, aiming for three meals a day, plus snacks.
Evening routine
Regular sleep at night can help reduce pelvic pain but it also provides your young person with energy for other activities during the day.
Having a predictable routine of calming activities, which are generally in the same order every evening can help them sleep.
In the one to two hours before bed, encourage your young person to:
- Limit their screen time
- Do activities that calm the nervous system, like colouring, reading, listening to music and stories.
There are a range of other things that can help your young person calm their nervous system and relax before bed. Some of these include:
- Having a bath or shower in the evening
- Gentle backwards and forwards movement or rocking before getting into bed
- Stretches that focus on the opening of the hip and pelvis
- Different sleeping positions to help support their pelvis, for example:
- Side-sleeping: place a pillow between the knees to align the pelvis comfortably
- Back sleeping: place a pillow under the knees to reduce pelvic pressure
- Deep pressure through heavy blankets or a weighted blanket
- Placing a heat pack on the pelvic region for 15 to 20 minutes
- Calm, slow breathing with longer breaths out (in for four counts, out for six counts)
- Having a quiet room or low-level background sound
- Closing their curtains or blinds or trying wearing an eye mask, as a dark room supports good sleep.
When to get help
If your young person has tried the tips above and explored some of the other links and they are still having trouble with their sleep, then it’s time for them to have a chat with their local doctor (GP).
Support options
Your local doctor (GP) is a good place to start. They can provide a referral to a specialist like a psychologist, occupational therapist, a pain or sleep specialist, or a sleep disorder clinic.
Sleep information for young people with chronic pain
General sleep information for young people and families