Increased Pain Sensitivity Seen In Insomniacs, Says New Study

People with insomnia are found to have increased sensitivity to pain, a new Norwegian study shows. The study found that those who have difficulty sleeping will consequently experience worsened chronic pain.

In the April 30 published study found in the journal Pain, researchers measured the pain sensitivity of 10,000 participants as part of the Tromsø Study, an ongoing Norwegian public health study that began in 1974.

The study involved asking participants certain questions about their sleep problems, such as how long it will take them to fall asleep and if other sleep issues are present. Live Science reports that patients were asked to rate their insomnia experiences with responses ranging from “never” to “once a week.”

Of all the study participants, 10.5 percent were found to have insomnia disorders, as researchers put it. Following the interview, researchers conducted a cold-pressor test. In this test, people subject their hands to cold water for a specific period of time. Those who take their hands out of the water quickly have low pain tolerance.

In the study, participants placed their hands in water with a measured temperature of 3-degree Celsius for 106 seconds. Forty-two percent of the participants who had insomnia removed their hands from the water before the set time was up. Only 31 percent was able to keep their hands in the water. Researchers found that low pain tolerance is greater in people with frequent insomnia.

The study shows that there is an increased sensitivity to pain in people suffering from insomnia compared with those who don’t have sleep disorders. More specifically, people who have chronic pain conditions and at the same time have insomnia have low pain tolerance.

Authors suggest that health care professionals should consider treating both sleep disorders and chronic pain as one condition in some patients. “The need to improve sleep among chronic pain patients, and vice versa, is evident,” said lead author Børge Sivertsen.

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