Struggling to get enough Zzzzz's ?

Many people mention that they struggle to get great (or even just okay) sleep with Lupus.

Why?

• Joint pain or soreness can keep you in light sleep or wake you frequently

• Restless legs

• Headaches or migraines

• Digestive issues or needing to get up to use the restroom often

• Anxiety or mental restlessness and more

  These are only some of the reasons people may struggle to sleep well with Lupus!

What does the research say?

Follow me through the mystery of the connection between Lupus and sleep!

Starting with healthy people, studies have shown that chronic sleep deprivation actually increases your risk of developing Lupus! They looked at relatives of people with Lupus and over years, the people that slept less than 7 hours per night on average were more likely to eventually be diagnosed with Lupus. Even after adjusting for medications, other conditions and medical history, the association between getting less sleep and higher risk for Lupus remained.

1. Less sleep increases risk for Lupus

What if you already have Lupus ... Let's keep looking at the research!!! ...

We have many studies confirming that chronic sleep deprivation can weaken our immune function and complicate disease management.

2. Less sleep weakens your immune system and makes it harder to manage your disease

If you already have Lupus, studies have found that many people diagnosed with Lupus have sleep difficulties. One study mentions that 66.7% of the people surveyed with Lupus reported poor sleep quality. The people that slept the worst also had higher disease activity, greater organ damage, and higher anxiety. But it's hard to tell what comes first, do you have lots of pain making it hard to sleep or sleep really poorly, making you feel exhausted and more pain?

3. Less sleep is associated with more disease activity, more organ damage and higher anxiety!

Another study has found that changes in our circadian rhythms are closely linked with Lupus flares. Do you notice you sleep poorly around a flare time?

4. Lupus flares cause worse sleep!

What we do know is that people with Lupus have fatigue and poor sleep is only making it worse!

What can we do about it?!?!?

What doesn't help?

1. Avoid alcohol - studies have shown alcohol to cause a increase in sleep disturbances

2. Skip the greasy, heavy or spicy meals too close to bedtime - this increases your risk for heartburn

3. Be careful with caffeine - you may need to quit the afternoon coffee or tea habit

What can we do for better sleep?

1. Set up a bedtime routine

   1. Minimize blue light right before bed as well - that means less TV, computer, and cell phone viewing in the 30-60 minutes before bed!

   2. Take a lukewarm bath or shower to help reduce your body temperature - can help you fall asleep faster

   3. Do something relaxing before bed - journaling, reading, a crossword puzzle

2. Set up your bedroom for success

   1. Set the thermostat cooler

   2. Darker the better if you can use light blocking curtains or an eye mask

   3. If sounds are a problem

If you're ready to get your sleep in a great place, contact me for more info!!!

If you want to join my 21-day Sleep Challenge, register below:

21-day Better Sleep Challenge

xoxoxo, The Lupus Dietitian - hope you get a great night's sleep this week!!!

Sources:

1. Sleep Quality, Prevalence & Clinical Associations

   1. Sleep Quality And Its Associated Factors In Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (2026) — PMID: 41768021, PMCID: PMC12937497

      Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12937497/

   2. A Survey on Sleep Disorders and Related Hormones in Patients with Newly Diagnosed SLE (2021) — PMID: 34447911, PMCID: PMC8369266

      Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8369266/

   3. A Nomogram for Predicting Poor Sleep Quality in Patients with SLE (2025) — PMID: 40470488, PMCID: PMC12135805

      Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12135805/

   4. Associations of Sleep Disturbances in SLE with Physical and Psychological Outcomes: a Cross-Sectional Latent Profile Analysis (2025) — PMID: 41169394, PMCID: PMC12568493

      Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12568493/

   5. Predictors of Poor Sleep Quality in Patients with SLE (2017) — PMID: 28138857

   6. The Prevalence and Associations of Sleep Disturbances in Patients with SLE (2009) — PMID: 19521744

   7. Sleep Disorders and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (literature review, 2014) — PMID: 24421291

   8. Poor Sleep Quality in SLE: Does It Depend on Depressive Symptoms? (2014) — PMID: 24944187

      
      

   Sleep as a Risk Factor / Mechanistic Links

   9. Less Than 7 Hours of Sleep per Night Is Associated with Transitioning to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (2018) — PMID: 29804502, PMCID: PMC6026567

      Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6026567/

   10. Exacerbating Effects of Circadian Rhythm Disruption on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (2023) — PMCID: PMC11015241

       Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11015241/

   11. Using Objective Measures of Physical Activity, Sleep, and Breathing for Disease Profiling of Patients with SLE and Sjögren's Disease (2026) — PMID: 42294055, PMCID: PMC13260165

       Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13260165/

   Fatigue, Depression & the Sleep Connection

   12. The Contributions of Disease Activity, Sleep Patterns, and Depression to Fatigue in SLE: A Proposed Model (McKinley et al., 1995) — PMID: 7779127 (foundational/classic paper; full text not free, but widely cited by all newer open-access papers above)

   13. Fatigue in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (review) — PMCID: PMC3380630

       Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3380630/

   14. Sleep Problems in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases: Prevalence, Treatment, and New Perspectives — A Narrative Review (2021, covers SLE among other conditions) — PMCID: PMC8745687

       Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8745687/

   
   

   Pediatric / Childhood-Onset Lupus

   15. Impact of Psychosocial Status on Sleep Quality in Adolescents with Childhood-Onset SLE (2026) — PMID: 42129864, PMCID: PMC13339384

       Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13339384/

   16. An Evaluation of Sleep Habits and Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (2022) — PMID: 35784289

   Melatonin / Treatment-Oriented

   17. Melatonin as a Potential Adjunct Therapy for Central Nervous System Lupus: Evidence from the MRL/lpr Mouse Model (2024) — PMID: 39430800, PMCID: PMC11487154

       Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11487154/