Painsomnia: Understanding Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Understanding Painsomnia: Insomnia Due to Pain

Sleep plays a crucial role in our health and quality of life. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems, including heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Painsomnia is a term used to describe the lack of sleep due to pain. While not a medical term, it falls into the category of “insomnia due to a medical condition.” Understanding painsomnia can help you identify the condition and seek appropriate treatment.

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What is Painsomnia?

Painsomnia is insomnia caused by pain. People with chronic pain are at a higher risk of experiencing sleep problems. Around 20% of people with chronic pain report insomnia symptoms in the general community, compared to 7.4% without pain. Nine out of ten who seek treatment for their chronic pain conditions list sleep issues as a coexisting problem, and 65% identify as “poor sleepers.”

Can Insomnia Cause Chronic Pain?

While pain can cause insomnia, lack of sleep can be a risk factor for developing chronic pain. A 2016 longitudinal study demonstrated that insomnia and short sleep duration could cause a person to develop chronic pain in their joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons. Scientists report that untreated insomnia could aggravate pain perception. People with insomnia symptoms are at least three times more likely to have a chronic pain condition. This two-way relationship between pain and insomnia can lead to a vicious cycle that significantly affects your quality of life. If you have insomnia symptoms, speak to your doctor.

Symptoms of Painsomnia

The main symptom of painsomnia is the inability to fall asleep due to pain and discomfort. When you experience pain, your nerves are stimulated, which keeps you awake. Additionally, your muscles can’t relax enough for you to fall asleep. With time, pain could disrupt your circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle) and contribute to chronic sleep problems. Depending on the underlying condition, pain contributing to insomnia can include aches, burning, and tingling. The levels of discomfort can vary.

Causes of Painsomnia

The leading cause of painsomnia is pain. Aches, tingling, burning, and other pain variants can disrupt your sleep in different ways. To get sufficient sleep, you need to go through dozing, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement). If pain wakes you up during the night, it disturbs your cycle. This interferes with sleep quality or your ability to fall back asleep.

How to Treat Painsomnia

While you are addressing the underlying health issues, your doctor may suggest several techniques to improve your sleep quality. Sleep hygiene is a set of habits that contribute to getting a good night’s sleep. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for people with insomnia. Pain medication can also help alleviate your symptoms and help you sleep at night. If you think you have painsomnia, contact your doctor. They can create an effective course of treatment and improve your sleep quality.

The Lowdown

Painsomnia is insomnia caused by pain. If you have a medical condition that causes pain, you could face a lack of sleep at night. Treating painsomnia starts by identifying the underlying condition and addressing it. CBT-I, pain medication, and sleep hygiene can also help.