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Another benefit of CPAP: a reduction in pain?
I wrote recently about the relationship between sleep and fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, and the about important—and complicated—relationship between sleep and pain. Now there’s news that one of the most effective remedies for sleep apnea—CPAP therapy—may also have the benefit of reducing sensitivity to pain. A recent study found consistent use of the CPAP could reduce pain sensitivity in patients with severe OSA. The study tested 12 patients—7 men and 5 women—with severe obstructive sleep apnea. They found that six to eight weeks of regular CPAP use led to significantly reduced pain sensitivity and also to improved continuity of sleep.
The relationship between sleep and pain is one we don’t yet fully understand. What we do know—and what anyone who suffers from chronic pain can attest to—is that each can have a significant effect on the other. The presence of pain can make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep, and being sleep deprived can make a person feel more sensitive to aches and pains. Studies that have examined the relationship between sleep and pain found these links to be true—and also found that it doesn’t take a lot of lost or disrupted sleep to have an effect on how we experience pain:
- One study showed 12 women who were deprived of sleep for only 3 consecutive nights experienced increased sensitivity to pain. Pain sensitivity began to increase after a single night of disrupted sleep and grew worse each night.
- Another study tested healthy men for pain sensitivity after a short period of total sleep deprivation. Researchers found that total sleep deprivation dramatically decreased the men’s threshold for pain. A recovery sleep period after sleep deprivation restored the men’s pain threshold.
