Sex and Sleep Quality Effects on the Relationship Between Sleep Disruption and Pain Sensitivity

Chronic pain affects around 20% of the global population and is influenced by various factors, including sleep quality. Studies indicate that sleep disruption can enhance pain sensitivity; however, it is unclear how sex and baseline sleep quality impact these findings. This study examines how sex and baseline sleep quality impact the effects of three nights of sleep disruption on pain sensitivity in healthy individuals.

Fifty-nine participants (30 females) underwent two laboratory sessions, separated by three nights of sleep disruption. Pain sensitivity was measured using cuff and handheld algometry, and participants completed a battery of questionnaires on sleep quality, positive and negative affect, and pain catastrophising. Sleep patterns were collected through wrist actigraphy and self-reported sleep diaries.

Temporal summation of pain was significantly facilitated in males (p < 0.01), and pain during suprathreshold stimulation was increased for females (p < 0.01) after the experimental sleep disruption. No differences in any QST parameters were found when comparing participants with good or poor sleep at baseline, but those with good baseline sleep rated the suprathreshold stimulation as more painful (p < 0.05) after the experimental sleep disruption. Finally, having good or poor sleep quality at baseline was associated with a significant reduction in self-reported sleep quality and level of rest after the experimental sleep disruption (p < 0.05).

This study indicates that sleep disruption might impact sexes differently and indicates that prior sleep quality is less likely to impact this.

Sleep disruption protocols can mimic the sleep problems experienced by patients with chronic pain. The current study explains how different sexes respond to a 3-night sleep disruption protocol and explains how sleep quality at baseline might impact these results.