Can Chronic Pain Interfere with Sleep?

Chronic pain can interfere with work, exercise, activities, and general daily life.  So, At the end of the day, after suffering through pain to complete necessary daily tasks; A good night’s sleep sounds like the perfect cure.  However, for the majority of chronic pain sufferers, laying down for a solid eight hours is unfortunately not that simple.

Stats on Chronic Pain and Sleep

An estimated 90% of chronic pain patients treated at a pain management clinic describe sleep issues, and 53% of these patients are diagnosed with moderate to severe insomnia. The correlation between pain and sleep trouble can become a vicious cycle.  Being in pain can prevent sleep, and lack of sleep can increase perception of pain, making it even harder to sleep, and so on.  Pain can either make it difficult to fall asleep, or cause frequent nightly wake ups. Chronic pain can be debilitating enough, that a patient cannot work or exercise, and is therefore not capable of using energy stores during the day to be tired enough to sleep.  Additionally, day time activities can keep the mind off of pain, but once the TV is off, the bedroom is dark and quiet, more focus can go on the pain, and making falling asleep more difficult. It is also common for pain to wake a patient up several times a night, due to a change in positions, or having to maintain the same position for too long.  Additionally, if the pain is treated with opioid medication, this too can potentially lead to insomnia, since these medications are known to interfere with the REM sleep, and can lead to respiratory issues while sleeping.

Are There Tricks That Help Chronic Pain Interfering With  Sleep?

Unfortunately typical tricks to help with sleep troubles may not be as helpful when the insomnia is secondary to pain.  Increasing mobility during the day can be a difficult, if not impossible feat. Some of the medications used to treat insomnia are dangerous to take with opioids, medications like Ambien and Xanax, and therefore patients are frequently left to choose between pain medication or sleep medication.

There are, however, therapies that can help with sleep, which include both non-medication and medication based solutions.  First, it is recommended to make sure to practice good sleep hygiene. This includes a consistent bedtime, avoid caffeine in the afternoons, no strenuous activity four hours prior to sleep, and avoid naps.  If this does not improve sleep issues, psychotherapy can be beneficial. This can include deep breathing exercises, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other therapeutic techniques. If these don’t work, there are medications that can help which are safer to take with opioid medications, such as melatonin, benadryl, or prescription medications.  Additionally, acupuncture is a useful tool that can help with both the pain and the insomnia.

Chronic pain can lead to difficult days, but unfortunately it frequently also leads to difficult nights.   Insomnia can be equally debilitating. If pain and insomnia are something you are suffering from, you can discuss options with your PCP or your pain management specialist, and they would be happy to help find the right resources to improve your daily, as well as nightly life.

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