I too resist the temptation to induce sleep unnaturally. For the first time, my right thumb has been just unbearable today, it started about 3 p.m. and WOW ...
NOW I fully understand what some of these folks are talking about when they discuss their flares, SO, to pass the "little" hours of the morning, I work on my book or play chess with a young man in Hong Kong.
Peace
Bluedogs2

I resisted taking anything to help me sleep for a long time, but after giving in a few times I realized just how much better my days were when I rested well at night. So now, I take Ambien once or twice a week. It's not "ideal" but living with RA isn't ideal either.

Ugh I wish my dr would giv me ambien everyone I know sleeps well with that But she said she is afraid I would fall and be cuz I'm on prednisone I culd break bones. It wuld be better than pain pills I think.

I can relate! Haven't had a full night sleep in over 6 months. I keep hoping it will get better.

I told my rheumy that I had trouble sleeping because of the prednisone and she prescribed me Valium. I take it every night and I sleep 1000 times better.

When I can not sleep at night (which is now my new normal) it gives me a great opportunity to see all sorts of great infomercials, where I can learn so much.

My doctor(s) have never been concerned about me falling on ambien. Of course I take it and get in bed, I don't walk about the house or anything once I take it.

I'm lost without my Ambien and 5 extra pillows. If I sleep well I feel so much better the next day. The pain doesn't let us go into rem sleep which is bad over time. I toss and turn a lot at night because of pain but with an Ambien and a few strategically placed pillows I get a reasonable amount of good sleep. I would not hesitate to talk to your Dr about it.

I can relate to this lately. I seem to toss and turn, and change pillows about 3 times a night! It's ridiculous!

I'm so grateful for you all being willing to share these experiences. I HATE taking pain meds partially because as an ICU nurse, I have a skewed vision of narcotics in general. RA has taught me many lessons and the importance of pain control is just one of them. I too know that if I take pain meds about 30-45 minutes before I go to bed, I sleep better and the next day starts out the best it can be. Never to old to learn something

My sleep problems are almost always anxiety related. My psychologist says anxiety meds can cause more anxiety over time and doesn't want me to take them. There are relaxation techniques to deal with anxiety before bed. One of them has worked for pain for me. Basically you do a body scan thinking about each part of your body from head to toe. Then, you think about where your pain is and "get inside it". Picture yourself inside your joint or wherever. It's worked for me.