The other time to take pain medicine

I mentioned my first "exception" earlier: when you've had surgery or some other artificial procedure. So when's the other exception?

This is one that happens every day. Or rather, every night: you should take pain medicines before you sleep.

Let's say your leg hurts. Every time you move while you're asleep, your body will feel the pain. And if you don't wake up, you'll at the least feel the pain. Which means you won't get the rest you need.

So, for temporary pain, take a light dose of pain meds before going to bed. Nothing heavy, but you want to sleep. Don't combine it with sleep meds, even natural ones, unless someone is carefully monitoring your situation.