At some point in our lives, many of us have experienced episodes of increased physical pain can certainly be disruptive to our sleep. But can our sleep habits affect our existing or future pain?
Current research is indicating that the relationship between pain and sleep disturbance may be bi-directional, in that one can affect the other1. However, it is believed that sleep impairments may be a stronger predictor of experiencing pain 2. The two significant factors contributing to this prediction is the duration and the quality of our sleep.
Reduced sleep duration is considered to be less than 6 hours of sleep, however, this number can vary between individuals. The average adult requires 7-9 hours of sleep for optimal function. Sleep quality is dependent on the number of instances where are sleep is disrupted, usually as spontaneous moments of waking. Normal adult sleep involves waking on average between 3-6 times a night.
Several studies have shown that our probability of experiencing pain is increased with a loss of total sleep time, with higher rates of spontaneous pain reported the following day in health individuals2. Similar results have also been shown in individual’s who get a sufficient total time of sleep but wake more frequently than average during the night. It is believed that reduced sleep time and interrupted sleep leads to the lowering of our pain threshold, increasing our overall pain sensitivity3.
Unfortunately, the combination of poor sleep and increased pain levels, often leads to a vicious cycle of deteriorating health. Poor sleep quality long term is associated with cases of chronic pain, as well as poor mental health. Sleep complaints are present in 67-88% of Australians with chronic pain disorders2. Studies of extended sleep deprivation showed increased self-reports of increased pain, fatigue, depression and anxiety.
The good news is, there are some simple lifestyle factors that we can do to improve our sleep quality and quantity, to improve our overall health. Improving sleep quality and/or quantity has shown to reduce long-term pain sensitivity in those suffering with chronic pain3.
Keep an eye out for Callum’s blog and Maddy’s video on sleep hygiene tips on our social media pages! If you have any questions, please contact us on 9439 6776.
This blog is written by Jessie Williams, Physiotherapist at Back In Motion Eltham.
References:
- Haack, M., Simpson, N., Sethna, N., Kaur, S., & Mullington, J. (2020). Sleep deficiency and chronic pain: potential underlying mechanisms and clinical implications. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(1), 205–216. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0439-z
- Finan, P. H., Goodin, B. R., & Smith, M. T. (2013). The association of sleep and pain: an update and a path forward. The journal of pain, 14(12), 1539–1552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2013.08.007
- Simpson, N. S., Scott-Sutherland, J., Gautam, S., Sethna, N., & Haack, M. (2018). Chronic exposure to insufficient sleep alters processes of pain habituation and sensitization. Pain, 159(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001053