Impact of insomnia on pain in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbances and pain are assumed to be reciprocally linked. Insomnia and pain are central symptoms of the postmenopausal period and are closely related. Insomnia affects quality of life, increases pain sensitivity, the risk of pain-related disability, and other health problems.

Objective: To investigate whether insomnia influences aspects of pain (pain intensity and the effect of pain on daily function) in postmenopausal women, and to evaluate the objective sleep pattern of insomniacs with pain.

Methods: Fifty-seven women completed questionnaires about insomnia, climacteric symptoms, and pain. Polysomnography data were collected as well as their medical history. Patients were allocated into three groups: control, subthreshold insomnia, and insomnia. Pain intensity, climacteric symptoms and objective sleep pattern were compared between groups.

Results: Postmenopausal women with insomnia had statistically significant higher pain interference in their activities (e.g. relationships with other people, enjoyment of life and sleep) than controls, and had more severe climacteric symptoms. There were no statistically significant differences in pain intensity and objective sleep pattern between groups.

Conclusions: Insomnia status affected climacteric symptoms and pain interference, but not pain intensity in postmenopausal women. Women with insomnia had higher rates of climacteric symptoms than those without insomnia or those with subthreshold insomnia. No changes in objective sleep pattern were found.

Keywords:

• Sleep
• insomnia
• pain
• postmenopause
• climacteric symptoms

Acknowledgement

We are immensely grateful to Gianni Santos for her help with the statistics of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Source of funding

AFIP, FAPESP (#2014/18722-5 to C.F.) and CNPq (#158506/2014-6 to M.F.N.).