If the truth hurts, it could be that it’s time we face up to the truth about our sleep. Why? Because, according to brand new research published by the Journal of Neuroscience there’s a prove-able link between our pain threshold and our sleep quality.
In January, The Journal of Neuroscience published The Pain of Sleep Loss: A Brain Characterization in Humans (featuring research by Adam J. Krause, Aric A. Prather, Tor D. Wager, Martin A. Lindquist and Matthew P. Walker) that discusses findings in research evidencing that sleep loss increases the experience of pain. Read this research in full at http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2019/01/25/JNEUROSCI.2408-18.2018
In itself, this is a fascinating revelation. However, as the article indicates, considering the rise in people reported to be suffering with chronic pain conditions in lock-step with the decline in sleep time in our modern world, these two trends may not simply be co-occurring but – according to the researchers’ data – are instead significantly inter-related.
Hopefully there’s lots that can be done with this data in terms of understanding and paving the way for new treatment for those suffering with chronic pain conditions – we’re by no means going to suggest that sleep is a one-stop-shop cure. However, what this research once again highlights is the fundamental role sleep plays in our lives and how, without enough sleep, things can quickly begin to unravel…