[Sleep and pain: a bi-directional relation?]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Chronic Sleep Deprivation in Mouse Pups by Means of Gentle Handling
Published on: October 11, 2018
Christoph Pieh1, Roland Popp, Peter Geisler
1Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie der Universität Regensburg am Bezirksklinikum, Regensburg. christoph.pieh@medbo.de
Objective:
This review gives an overview about the consequences of sleep deprivation (SD) on pain perception and discusses the bi-directional relation between sleep and pain.
Methods:
A MEDLINE research (16.7.2010) for the terms "sleep" AND "pain" AND ("sleep deprivation" OR "sleep loss" OR "sleep restriction" OR "sleep interruption") showed 177 hits. Only studies with control group or cross-over design that investigated sleep deprivation (total or partial form) as independent and pain as dependent variable were included.
Results:
7 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. SD leads in 5 of 6 studies to an increase of bodily complaints measured by self rating tests and a decrease of pain inhibition. 3 of 5 studies show a decrease of mechanical or thermal pain threshold after SD.
Conclusions:
Not only can pain lead to sleep disruption, but SD can also reduce pain threshold. Sleep and pain might be mutually related, by shared neurotransmitter pathways. A further explanation is an influence of SD on opioid protein synthesis and / or opioid receptors. So when chronic pain and sleep disorder coexist, both conditions should be treated.
More Related Videos
09:03Optimizing Photoneuromodulation Techniques to Evaluate the Role of Green Light-Emitting Diodes in Pain Management
Published on: March 28, 2025
07:28Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity
Published on: January 21, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
Analgesia and Pain Management
Pain
Understanding Sleep
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Cause and Effect