Sleep extension reduces pain sensitivity

Insufficient sleep increases pain sensitivity in healthy individuals. Additionally, extending sleep (e.g., increasing nocturnal sleep time or adding a mid-day nap) has been shown to restore pain sensitivity to baseline levels in sleep deprived/restricted individuals. Whether sleep extension can reduce pain sensitivity beyond baseline levels in non-sleep restricted/deprived individuals remains unknown. In a sample of 27 healthy, pain-free, normally-sleeping individuals (17 males, mean age ∼24 yrs), we examined the impact of five nights of sleep extension on pain sensitivity.
Source: Sleep Medicine - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research