A recent study has show Cognitive behavioral therapy to be effective in the treatment for insomnia in older people who suffer pain from osteoarthritis. 60 percent of people with the disease report pain during the night. As a sufferer of chronic pain syndrome, brought about by sleep deprivation during a time of chronic pain, I have sympathy with such persons so found the study interesting. I am also aware of Sleep Anxiety – where one becomes so desperate to get to sleep, that it makes falling asleep even more difficult
Pain perception may decrease when people sleep better. In turn, improved sleep leads to improvement in coexisting medical or psychiatric illnesses. Once an individual learns how to improve their sleep, the improvement persists for a year or more according to the researchers.
The study included 23 older patients with osteoarthritis who were assigned a stress management and wellness program. Those receiving the cognitive behavioral therapy reported improvements in sleep quality and pain relief measures before and after treatment, and a year later. Those that didn’t receive cognitive therapy showed no significant improvements in sleep quality or pain.
One aspect the study didn’t uncover was whether sleep disturbance preceded or follows pain onset, but researchers believe reciprocal effects are likely.
The study is published in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.