How Sleep Loss May Lead to Heightened Pain Sensitivity

Lack of sleep is a global problem. Researchers estimate two-thirds of all adults occasionally experience insomnia symptoms, and between 50 to 70 million Americans have a recurring sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or insomnia.

Insufficient sleep has been linked to seven of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., such as cardiovascular disease, accidents, and diabetes.

Additionally, those who do not get enough sleep frequently experience headaches and/or migrainese, body aches, lower back pain, and even chronic pain that does not go away.

Why would insufficient sleep cause body pain? Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital believe it has to do with a specific neurotransmitter that decreases during insufficient sleep.

This study was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

Although common life experience and scientific research both suggest a tight link between pain and sleep loss, the mechanisms by which sleep loss promotes pain are not clear, said Dr. Shiqian Shen, associate professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School.

For this study, Dr. Shen and his team used a mouse model to try to find out why there is a correlation between sleep loss and pain.

Researchers found that lack of sleep causes low levels of a neurotransmitter called N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA) within an area of the brain called the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), resulting in heightened pain sensitivity, medically known as hyperalgesia.

“TRN is an important node to modulate information flowing between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex, both are brain regions of critical importance for the pain experience,” Dr. Shen said.

Sources:

Ding, W., Yang, L., Shi, E. et al. The endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyl dopamine is critical for hyperalgesia induced by chronic sleep disruption. Nat Commun 14, 6696 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42283-6 

Nature Communications (2023). How sleep loss may lead to heightened pain sensitivity. MedicalNewsToday. Retrieved November 2, 2023 from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-sleep-loss-may-lead-to-heightened-pain-sensitivity#Better-pain-treatments-that-arent-narcotics
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