IF YOU ARE OVER 60 DRINK UP FOR YOUR MEMORY

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, University of Kentucky, and University of Maryland found that for people 60 and older who do not have dementia, light alcohol consumption during late life is associated with higher episodic memory -- the ability to recall memories of events.

Moderate alcohol consumption was also linked with a larger volume in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for episodic memory. The relationship between light alcohol consumption and episodic memory goes away if hippocampal volume is factored in, providing new evidence that hippocampal functioning is the critical factor in these improvements. These findings were detailed in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.

This study used data from more than 660 patients in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. These patients completed surveys on their alcohol consumption and demographics, a battery of neuropsychological assessments, the presence or absence of the genetic Alzheimer's disease risk factor APOE e4 and MRIs of their brains. The researchers found that light and moderate alcohol consumption in older people is associated with higher episodic memory and is linked with larger hippocampal brain volume. Amount of alcohol consumption had no impact on executive function or overall mental ability.

Findings from animal studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may contribute to preserved hippocampal volume by promoting generation of new nerve cells in the hippocampus. In addition, exposing the brain to moderate amounts of alcohol may increase the release of brain chemicals involved with cognitive, or information processing, functions.

"There were no significant differences in cognitive functioning and regional brain volumes during late life according to reported midlife alcohol consumption status," said lead author Brian Downer, UTMB Sealy Center on Aging postdoctoral fellow. "This may be due to the fact that adults who are able to continue consuming alcohol into old age are healthier, and therefore have higher cognition and larger regional brain volumes, than people who had to decrease their alcohol consumption due to unfavorable health outcomes."

Although the potential benefits of light to moderate alcohol consumption to cognitive learning and memory later in life have been consistently reported, extended periods of abusing alcohol, often defined as having five or more alcoholic beverages during a single drinking occasion is known to be harmful to the brain.

How To Help Problems With Standing If You Have Neuropathy

Today's short post from paincommunity.org (see link below) gives some practical tips for people who find standing for long periods of time both uncomfortable and painful (almost all neuropathy sufferers). In this case the advice applies to the kitchen. Worth a quick read.

TPC Comfort Cookin’ – Stand Your Ground: Comfortably
Posted by Janice Reynolds | February 11, 2014

Do you find that standing for any length of time can be difficult? Does that keep you from spending time in the kitchen cooking your favorite meals? I find that when your feet or hands hurt, your overall pain may worsen.

Tip #1: Look at what is under your feet.
One thing that can help is strategically placing a thick area rug in the kitchen. I highly recommend that it has a no skid backing and that the edges that do not roll up (which I have in my work area) or better yet–a gel mat. These can be found in stores or online by names such as “comfort “mat, “anti-fatigue” mat and “wellness” mats. They are widely available, in a variety of sizes as well as price ranges from low-cost to expensive. User reviews indicate that they have been helpful for back pain, a variety of foot problems, joint problems, and fatigue. I know when my rug has been taken up for cleaning that I notice the difference immediately.
Tip #2: Look at what is under your bum.
For those longer periods of time (like doing prep work) when it is really difficult to stand, a bar chair/stool (preferably with a study back) is wonderful. Just be sure, for you, it is easy to sit on, easy to get up on or down from and if it swivels that it does not move too freely that you miss your mark and down on the floor you go

http://paincommunity.org/tpc-comfort-cookin-stand-ground-comfortably/

Ten More Things To Consider If You Have Nerve Pain

Today's post from dailyhealthrecords.com (see link below) is yet another list of learning experiences from someone living with chronic pain. People love making lists and judging by their popularity on the internet, people love reading them too. There's nothing wrong with that and nothing wrong with sharing tips based on your own experiences, so long as you don't descend into cliché and so long as you keep it practical and realistic. Having said all that, with it's implied criticism of new age wisdoms, if you skim through the 10 headings and don't want to read it after that, then this article is not for you. Personally, I agree with everything she says!

10 Things I’ve Learned About Living With Chronic Pain
December 26, 2015 lussy

I was first diagnosed with chronic pain when I was 7 years old. I just turned 21. For the past 14 years, I have told as few people as possible about my illness. I have my reasons for this. It’s not a very glamorous topic, and I would like for most people to assume I’m a normal 21 year old.

Recently, my condition seems to be changing, deteriorating more rapidly than doctors can, or want to, deal with. These past few months have been full of exercises in looking for silver linings, but there are times I’ve had to be honest with myself about my disease and my pain. Learning how to cope with pain is a process, and I had to start writing down things I needed to remind myself: don’t take your pain out on other people, try to remember that people won’t understand when or how much pain you’re in, don’t defend yourself for making your health a priority. They were hard truths to deal with, but they have helped me.

I wake up in pain, and I go to sleep in pain. I can not explain the kind of toll this takes on you mentally, physically, and emotionally. These coping mechanisms worked for me, and I can only reference my own pain, hence the following truths are my stories, but I do believe that other pain patients experience many of the same frustrations I do. I can’t talk about what living in pain is like for everyone. What I can do is talk about my pain, something I largely avoid for several reasons — the chronically ill and in pain are meant to be brave and handle their suffering in inspiring ways, talking about it with the wrong people can make it worse, and trying to keep up a positive front all being important ones.

These are some things I’ve learned about how to be chronically ill, and how to manage living with chronic pain, and still try to remain as sane as possible. I hope that should other chronic pain patients read this, that they will find some comfort in knowing they are not alone in their pain.

1. People can’t understand.

Unless you live in chronic pain, or with a chronic illness, you cannot possibly imagine it. For months, my health has been rapidly deteriorating, and I realized quickly most people either don’t understand, or don’t care.

The hardest part of dealing with chronic illness/pain for me has been cutting people out of my life who make it harder to deal with. This wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. I couldn’t take any extra negativity, I couldn’t handle defending my situation time and time again to people who were supposed to be my friends. I guess I understand, it’s hard for them to deal with, maybe. Unlike me, they don’t have to deal with it. It is also important to remember that when people can’t see your suffering, when they can’t see outwardly that you are in pain, they can’t be expected to understand.

The reason for the archaic pain scale with the faces slowly becoming more warped in pain with a scale of 1-10 is because there is no test for pain, no base line, there is just pain. I’m lucky to have a few friends who — while they don’t pretend to understand — still put up with me and do their best to help me be comfortable and get out of the house. Find your people and keep them by your side, you’re going to need them. Get anyone out of your life who is making your journey more difficult, you don’t need that kind of negativity.

2. Some medical professionals suck at their job.

First, all hail good nurses. Good nurses have done more for me than any doctor I’ve seen so far. That said, for every one good nurse there seem to be two bad ones. The ratio changes for doctors. By my experience, almost all doctors suck at managing chronic illness and pain. They want you in and out of their office, and they don’t want to deal with you on a weekly, or even more frequent basis. Yes, most people I have gone to asking for help — be it an ER doctor, an internist, or one of the dozens of specialists I’ve seen — have shrugged, decided they don’t want to deal with this and washed their hands of me. Not all doctors are created equal. I have had exactly one good doctor so far, and I’ve seen dozens.

I’m not saying good doctors don’t exist, I’m saying that, as in any profession, some people excel far above others. Keep searching for the right doctor for you, it’s going to be miserable and time consuming and frustrating, but despite all the bad doctors I’ve met, I believe there is one out there that can help me. I’ve just got to find them.

3. You get to feel however you want.

People won’t understand what it’s like to try to get through a day, and you don’t have to explain why you feel how you do today. I found myself frustrated whenever someone asked “How are you feeling?” If my answer was “good,” then I found they were less likely to be understanding if I needed a break, or if I couldn’t keep up with the group. Wasn’t I feeling good today? It’s all relative.

For me, a good day is one where I do not reach a 9 on that pain scale. If I told someone I was feeling bad, or having a bad pain day, I would quickly be reminded there are worse conditions than mine, that I could be dead already, that there are people starving all over the world. These are all true things, but do not negate my right to have a bad day.

Staying positive is an important part of managing life with chronic pain, but bad days still happen. To lie and say that even when you’re in pain every day has to be bright and sunshine-y is not mental health, it’s crap. You get to feel however you want and you don’t have to explain why you are having a bad day. You also don’t have to defend why your health takes priority over everything else. If people around you don’t understand that, you might want to re-consider who you are keeping in your inner circle. While you have the right to feel however you want, be careful not to let your pain cause you to lash out at people. It is hard to be patient when you are hurting, but you can’t get let your frustrations out on people. You have the right to be in pain, but pain does not give you a free pass to become cruel.

I have also noticed that people seem to think that chronic illness somehow instills some sort of super human strength inside the person suffering. As if all sick people experience pain but survive solely by persevering with integrity and grace. I have to side with Julius Caesar who said, “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” Make no mistake, I do not wish for my life to end. But there are days where the pain has been so great that I would have been very happy to die. That’s the side of chronic pain the universe doesn’t see — how much you keep wrapped up to try to put on a façade of a “normal” person.

I’ve had many days where I found myself losing track of the conversations happening around me, enveloped in pain and trying to hold back tears or outward manifestations of the pain. I know many other chronic pain patients who try to stay quiet about their illness, and it is brave and wonderful and inspiring and all those words often used to describe those of us living in the genre of sick personhood. You still are allowed to have bad days, even if the world could be a worse place, and you don’t always have to pretend the bad days aren’t bad days.

4. Be honest.
 
I’ve learned you must be honest with people when you are sick, and when you need them to understand. My teachers, coaches, and friends I’ve trusted with the details of my illness/treatment are all people I need to be up front with when I need extra time for an assignment, or I can’t go to practice, or I’m not feeling up to going out. However, it’s also very important to state that you don’t have to disclose any of your medical history to people you are not comfortable discussing it with. It’s your choice to decide how, when, and in what detail you would like to discuss your illness with someone, so never feel bad about keeping details to yourself if you are uncomfortable discussing them. Your body, your rules.

Also, be honest with your doctors. This can be difficult because I feel that, culturally, I have been raised to think that doctors had the answer and that I didn’t need a second opinion. If you don’t think they’re listening, if you don’t think the current treatment is working, if you think more tests need to be run — demand it. I’ve learned that playing nice while trying to get treatment just doesn’t work. I don’t seem to get any attention until I start advocating for myself. I’ve also learned to be honest when evaluating doctors. Before I tried to always be kind. Maybe that doctor had a bad day, maybe their head is somewhere else, perhaps they’re exhausted. These are all things that are understandable- but if you are not receiving the care you deserve it’s time to start making calls. I’ve realized that the only way to get better treatment is to make them give it to you. You deserve the best quality of life possible.

5. Listen to your body.

When you’re a professional sick person, you have to learn to listen to your body. Stay in if you need to stay in. I was a 20 year old student-athlete who was active on my university’s campus when my illness quickly took a turn for the worse. Giving up my sport was heart breaking, but physically I couldn’t do it anymore. I pushed myself long and hard before I listened to what my body was telling me: slow down, you can’t do this. I needed to take a step back from all the things I was participating in and try to get my health back. I still find myself frustrated when I have to cancel plans with friends, I even had to cancel my 21st birthday celebrations because I just wasn’t feeling up to it. I could have pushed it, but I knew how I felt, and I knew that if I went out and forced myself to stay out all night that I would pay for it later. It is hard to give up things you want to do just because your organs suck at being organs, and it is disappointing to be stuck in a body you particularly care for. I do believe that I have more good days when I slow down, and don’t push myself harder than my body can handle. Learn to listen to your body’s limits, and it can help increase your overall wellness.

6. Go out when you feel up to it.

When you’re in constant pain, or you just don’t ever seem to feel good, it can be easy to become a homebody. Maintaining your quality of life as much as possible is essential to coping with chronic illness. I know — I just said you should stay in if you need to, but if you are feeling up to going out by all means do so! Staying in sick all day every day can quickly lead to depression and anxiety. Even small things like going out to a movie seem to do wonders to cheer me up if I’ve been stuck home sick for a few days. If I find myself having a good day and I didn’t have plans, I try to take advantage of healthy moments, even if that just means a walk around the block with a friend. It can be tricky to find where the line between going out and having fun and going out and wearing yourself out so that you’re even sicker after is, but searching for that area is well worth the effort it requires.

7. Accept your body, even when you hate it.

Having my body shut down on me so painfully and rapidly was hard for me to accept, I was so active before and my illness was very manageable. While I have every intention to stay involved with my case, to find relief and answers, I had to accept that — for right now — this is the one body and one life I have. I’ve had to sit back and watch my athleticism slowly disappear, the dark circles develop under my eyes from sickness and exhaustion, and watched the color drain from my lips. It is beyond frustrating to watch my body waste away and have no say in it, no way to stop it. I am not particularly fond of my current situation. But when I accepted it, when I stopped trying to act as if I wasn’t sick, and started to listen to my body I found myself having more less bad days, which for chronic pain patients are synonymous with good days.

8. Seek out anything that will keep you smiling.

Every chronic pain patient I have met has also struggled with depression, some mild some as debilitating as the pain that caused it. Find anything you can to keep your spirits up: good books, movies, a special tea to drink, a place in the park that you like to visit — do whatever you can to keep smiling. It sucks to be sick and in pain, and unfortunately for chronic pain patients the elimination of pain is a fantasy. So we must deal with the pain while trying not to let it change who you are. Pain can change you, quickly. It makes you angry, depressed, frustrated, exhausted, scared, and other unpleasant adjectives. If you can find one song, one poem, one comedy sketch that can get you to smile hold onto it, and refer back to them often. Try to find whatever you can to get you through the next second, hour, or day.

9. You are allowed to ignore people who think they know what’s best.

For some reason if you are chronically ill, people in your life from family members to random hospital personnel will start to fancy themselves physicians. They might recommend a new diet, snorting some homeopathic remedy, covering yourself in some sort of home made salve, or some other ridiculous thing they once read on the internet. These people mean well. They hope that their insight will bring you relief. You are allowed to ignored these good intentioned people, specifically the ones who have no knowledge of your illness or medicine. I’ve taken to smiling, saying “I’ll look into that,” and then politely excusing myself from the conversation.

10. Advocate for yourself.
This is the single most important thing I’ve learned as a professional sick person: you must advocate for your own health. Doctors see many patients every day, nurses are busy, and none of them know what it’s like to live in your body. Take action, get involved in your case, start doing research. Go into appointments with documentation, ideas, second opinions, anything you can get to push your treatment forward. Medical professionals may not understand the urgency of your case, or the severity of your pain, so make it clear. Write down everything you need to talk about before your visit, and make sure you get every question you have answered. If your doctor can’t answer them, get a referral or find another opinion. Nothing is more important than your health and trying to maintain the best quality of life possible.

http://dailyhealthrecords.com/10-things-ive-learned-about-living-with-chronic-pain-2/

The Right To Do Less If You Have Chronic Pain

Today's post from health.com (see link below) is a short article intended to make people feel less guilty about being able to do less than others with chronic pain. It quite rightly says that the psychological effects of living with chronic pain can have a severe effect on a person's mental health. They feel constantly guilty that they're not contributing as much as they should and are becoming a burden. The fact is, you can do more than you think you can but you should never do more than your body tells you is healthy. Being at peace with your limitations will help you bear them so much better.

When You're in Pain, You Have a Right to Do Less
Lead writer: Suzanne Levy Last Updated: May 08, 2008

Ironically, letting go can sometimes help you keep control of the pain.
(SUNNY S. UNAL/CORBIS) The American Chronic Pain Association has issued a list of the basic rights of a chronic pain sufferer. Perhaps one of the most important of them is the right to "do less than you are humanly capable of doing."

In a culture that celebrates efficiency, maximum productivity, and pushing limits, doing less is a radical concept. But Penney Cowan, executive director of the association, believes it is crucial.

Real Life Strategies for Coping with Chronic Pain

Patients and experts share surprising ways you can bring the joy back and lessen the pain Read more

More about coping with chronic pain
Keeping Your Marriage Healthy When You're in Pain
4 Ways to Keep Chronic Pain From Straining Your Friendships

 "People with pain tend to be overachievers who don't listen to what their body is telling them when the pain starts," says Cowan. "They push themselves until the pain is screaming, instead of stopping when the pain is whimpering."

For many, stopping an activity before it's done may result in a complete reappraisal of how they see themselves.

Andrea Kramer, a back-pain and fibromyalgia sufferer from Montgomery Village, Md., describes herself as "a doer, a pusher, a runner." But as the reality of her condition set in, she had to adjust to the fact that she "couldn't do laundry, dishes, lifting, washing a car—it depended upon the level of pain," says Kramer.

The lurking tendency to overdo it
 
One problem is that even if pain temporarily sidelines the superachiever, that person's underlying mindset doesn't disappear. It just lays low until pain takes a brief vacation.

Then on a good day the go-getter wants to do as much as possible. "You push, you don't pace, you overexert," says Cowan.

Dan Clauw, MD, director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan, sees this ebb-and-flow pattern all the time and says it's not good for pain management.

"I would suggest that people do the same amount of activity every day so they can even out their peaks and valleys," says Dr. Clauw.
Too many bad days in a row can leave a lot undone, making a pain sufferer feel overwhelmed and melancholy. Cowan says chronic pain demands a clear eye for priorities, which is why she suggests that the pain patient make lists. "Set realistic goals for yourself," she says, "and narrow them down to a point where you're not going to set yourself up for failure."

Accepting your limits is critical
 
Judy, 49, who runs a headache support group in Nashua, N.H., has taken the "right to do less" mantra to heart. But it's not easy if the price is a less tidy home.

"I've lessened expectations on myself over the years," she explains. "If things don't get done, they don't get done. I just can't get down on myself about them, because it's a choice between trying to feel well and saying my house has to look absolutely perfect."

Amanda, 39, a migraine sufferer who attends Judy's support group, has also learned to pace herself. For example, she cleans early and often, little bits at a time. "My parents are coming in a few weeks, and I've already started cleaning because I have no idea how I'm going to feel. So I do things slowly or piecemeal here and there. I've learned to work around it."

http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189766,00.html

How Do You Know If You Have Neuropathy

Today's post from neuropathytreatment.co (see link below) is another one providing basic information for people experiencing nerve problems for the first time. It's short and to the point but sums up the symptoms and problems very well. Useful also for friends or relatives who may not understand what's happening to you.

Tingling, Burning, Numbness in Your Feet, Could It Be Peripheral Neuropathy?
MAY 1, 2013 BY WESLEY MILNE

Recognizing your symptoms

For those who are undergoing the perpetual trauma of feeling tingling, burning, and numbness in the feet must realize that this condition is not a disease but the symptoms of a very vexing and prevalent condition known as peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage or after a subsequent period. Majority of peripheral neuropathy sufferers spend years searching for the most superlative treatment plan and seeking the best diagnostics. But most of the doctors order a list of tests with various treatment plans only to have their patient seek elsewhere for better pain relief methods. Peripheral neuropathy is not just a disease. It is a chronic nerve disorder which is extremely challenging to combat and to live life with. The feeling of pins and needles while walking and the creepy numbness that seems to crawl up your limbs and render your legs devoid of sensations is an unpleasant reality. Even the most advanced techniques and treatment plans are accepting defeat to this notorious monster.

What exactly is peripheral neuropathy?

Our body’s mechanism relies on two main important systems: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system houses the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system consists of the peripheral nerves interlining the entire body. The peripheral nervous system again branches into two main functional classifications: somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system consists of the sensory nerves which send signals to the brain and the spinal cord and the motor nerves which send signals to the muscle nerve fibers. The autonomic nervous system is taxed with the function of sending signals to the muscles of the organs and glands, and controlling our involuntary but most prominent body functions such as digestion, breathing, circulation, excretion, sexual function, etc.

Individuals who are at risk of peripheral neuropathy are:

Cancer patients and those who are undergoing chemotherapy
People who are exposed to toxins and metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic
People who are suffering from malnutrition or nutritional disorders
HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C sufferers
Diabetics
Alcoholics
Autoimmune disease patients
People with inherited neuropathy like Charcot-Marie tooth disease
People who have had shingles
Patients with tumors are also likely to suffer from peripheral neuropathy

What are the main symptoms of peripheral neuropathy?

Apart from burning, tingling, and numbness in the feet and hands, peripheral neuropathy adversely affects other functions too. Mild to moderate and excruciating pain is experienced in the hands and feet depending on the amount of nerve damage. Some people even suffer from sharp pins and needles like sensations which can make walking impossible.

Loss of sensitivity is also quite common in peripheral neuropathy. Increased sensitivity is also a highlighting symptom that can cause discomfort and irritation from someone’s touch, sharp objects, and even the clothes on the body can feel like parched paper. Uneasiness can cause sleeplessness at night and increased fatigue and depression.

If the autonomic nerves have received damage, the patient will feel a general anxiety and serious symptoms will follow such as constipation, diarrhea, urinary incontinence, sexual disorders, high blood pressure, extreme panting even with light exercise, high blood pressure even while at rest, etc.

If the motor nerves are the ones that have received injury, then the patient will be suffering from muscle cramps and weakness, have trouble keeping a firm grasp on things, and have decreased flexibility and coordination.

How do the peripheral nerves receive damage or injury?

Growing scientific research has shed some light in to the growing concern of nerve damage. One contemplated research brought forth the theory of anoxia. Anoxia means oxygen deprivation. When the nerve cells are deprived of their required levels of oxygen, they contract in order to consume less oxygen. This increases the gap between the cells (the cells are naturally a little distance apart from each other) and when nerve impulses or signals are passing through, they cannot cross the bigger void and the nerve messages are lost. This causes nerve malfunction and ultimately leads to peripheral neuropathy.

During an infection, disease or over exposure to dangerous chemicals, the body is consumed with free radicals. These free radicals tend to take up all the oxygen, thus depriving the nerve cells of their nutrition.

Why is peripheral neuropathy pain untreatable?

Peripheral neuropathy can be considerably treated with over the counter and prescription medications, but the pain cannot be treated permanently. The nature of the neuropathy pain renders it as an untreatable disease. There has not been ample research guided in this field which despairs the sufferers of neuropathy. Though the pain can be relieved temporarily with lidocaine patch and opioids, much advancement needs to be made to conquer the peripheral neuropathy pain and restore life and happiness back in to the lives of the neuropathy sufferers.

http://neuropathytreatment.co/tingling-burning-numbness-in-your-feet-could-it-be-peripheral-neuropathy/

Tips For If Your Sleep Is Disturbed By Neuropathy

Today's post from neuropathydr.com (see link below) looks at a problem that is all too common for people suffering from neuropathy - sleep deprivation. It's not only the pain that can keep you awake, or wake you up but sleep apnoea is also a frequent problem for neuropathy patients (some suspect that apnoea is one of the causes of neuropathy). There are some handy tips here and  it's worthwhile taking a series of measures to make your nights a more relaxing experience but there's no doubt, the problem can have a knock-on effect throughout the day and reduce the quality of life.

Is Peripheral Neuropathy Interrupting Your Sleep? 
Posted by Editor on November 27, 2014
 
For Peripheral Neuropathy Sufferers, Here’s Why Insomnia is a Serious Symptom that Can’t Be Ignored

Did you know that more than 70 percent of people with neuropathy also struggle with insomnia? When chronic pain and tingling in feet or hands is keeping you awake at night, it’s a good bet that you’re not getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep that you need for good overall health.

There are mixed reasons why neuropathic pain is tied to sleep problems. Pain associated with peripheral neuropathy has a tendency to feel more intense at night, when you’re tired and when there are fewer distractions available to break your focus on the pain.

What’s more, there may be another strong tie between insomnia and neuropathy. Sleep apnea is a very common cause of sleep disorders, and research has indicated that untreated sleep apnea can actually lead to peripheral neuropathy symptoms. And if you’re diabetic and resistant to insulin, sleep apnea may be even more likely to affect your neuropathy.

Of course, it stands to reason that lack of adequate sleep can make your peripheral neuropathy symptoms seem even worse than before. It’s a fact that lack of sleep tends to lower one’s pain threshold significantly.

Here are some of our guidelines for improving sleep when dealing with peripheral neuropathy. 
 
Limit your caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and evening.
Institute a sleep routine that helps you wind down at night and go to sleep at about the same time every evening.
Don’t eat a large or heavy meal late in the evening. If your body is hard at work on digestion, it’s not resting.
Make any needed changes to your bedroom to induce restful sleep, including temperature, darkness, and noise.
Limit electronics at night, including television, computers, and any handheld devices. These have a stimulating effect on your brain. If you need an activity to help you sleep, try reading an actual book!

These are simple guidelines that can help you institute lasting positive change in your sleep patterns, hopefully leading to reduced peripheral neuropathy discomfort.

http://neuropathydr.com/peripheral-neuropathy-and-sleep/