The causal relationship between sleep characteristics and multi-site pain perception: a two-sample Mendelian...

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Pain Research
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Sleep disturbances are prevalent and impact overall health.
• Understanding the causal links between sleep and pain is crucial for effective management.
• Previous studies suggest associations, but causal evidence is often limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal relationships between four sleep traits and pain in 10 distinct body sites using a Mendelian Randomization approach.
• To differentiate the effects of insomnia, daytime napping, sleep chronotype, and sleep duration on pain perception.
• To provide robust genetic evidence for sleep-pain associations.

Main Methods:

• Mendelian Randomization (MR) study design.
• Utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for exposure (sleep traits) and outcome (pain).
• Employed Inverse Variance Weighting (IVW) for primary estimates, with sensitivity analyses including Cochran Q, MR-Egger, Egger-intercept, and F-statistics.

Main Results:

• Genetically predicted insomnia causally increases the risk of unspecified, chest, gum, upper abdominal, and lower abdominal pain.
• Daytime napping is linked to reduced joint pain but increased chest, upper abdominal, and generalized abdominal pain.
• No significant causal links were found between sleep chronotype or sleep duration and pain perception.

Conclusions:

• Insomnia and sleep deficiency are significant contributors to pain in multiple body regions.
• The causal impact of insomnia on pain is more pronounced than that of other sleep traits.
• Adequate sleep shows a less significant association with the likelihood of somatic pain.