Insomnia is usually a symptom of stress, but it’s also a detrimental condition on its own. Today, we decided to discuss the relationship between insomnia and pain.

Insomnia is a serious condition which isn’t fatal. However, if a person is sleep deprived for a long time period it can be very hazardous. Laboratory animals which were tested to extreme sleep deprivation die of unknown reasons, as their temperature drops and they suffer rapid and widespread physiological failure. This means that sleep is very important, even essential.

Hence, sleep deprivation can be very dangerous. In fact, various researches have shown:

• Insomnia makes a person susceptible to infections, especially if a person suffers from insomnia for about two years;
• Insomnia triggers migraines, while sleep protects people from migraine attacks;
• A person can get sick in the long term due to insomnia. So, a person might develop insulin resistance, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease risk due to insomnia;
• A person can suffer from mood disorders due to insomnia;
• Chronic insomnia is a common cause of memory impairment, frequent accidents, depression, and absenteeism;

Sleep deprivation and insomnia can trigger some severe conditions. However, we mentioned that we will discuss the relationship between insomnia and pain, so let’s get down to it.

The link between sleep deprivation and chronic pain is still a mystery and there are only a small number of studies about this connection. However, in 2016 an experiment was conducted which included participants with knee arthritis. It compared the patients who slept well to the ones who didn’t. The results showed that sleep deprivation strongly affects pain. Thus, it was suggested that it’s crucial to treat sleep apnea in patients who experience chronic pain.

Moreover, another study showed that women who had insomnia were significantly more sensitive to pain. On the other hand, people with fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain condition, have been tested and the results showed that insomnia seems to be the aggravating factor. Hence, sleeplessness aggravates the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

According to another study, 53% of chronic low back pain patients had insomnia. This indicates that it’s highly possible that the pain keeps these people awake. However, the connection between insomnia and pain still needs to be studied so it can be determined the direction of cause and effect in this relationship.