Abstract
This brief review is intended to provide an overview of the importance of disturbed or non-restorative sleep in patients with neuropathic pain. Disturbed sleep is common in neuropathic pain and along with co-morbid anxiety and depression can have profound effects on daytime functioning and quality of life of the patient. It is thus important that the treatment of neuropathic pain should also seek to diagnose and appropriately treat these co-morbidities in order to optimally improve the patient’s functioning.
Zusammenfassung
Diese kurze Übersichtsarbeit soll einen Überblick über die Bedeutung des gestörten oder nicht erholsamen Schlafs bei Patienten mit neuropathischen Schmerzen geben. Gestörter Schlaf tritt bei neuropathischen Schmerzen häufig auf und kann in Verbindung mit komorbider Angst und Depression zu tiefgreifenden Auswirkungen auf die Tagesfunktionalität und Lebensqualität des Patienten führen. Es ist daher wichtig, dass bei der Behandlung neuropathischer Schmerzen weitere Diagnostik angestrebt wird, um Komorbiditäten behandeln zu können – mit dem Ziel, die Patientenfunktionalität zu verbessern.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Argoff CE (2007) The coexistence of neuropathic pain, sleep, and psychiatric disorders: a novel treatment approach. Clin J Pain 23(1):15–22
Dimsdale JE, Norman D, Dejardin D, Wallace MS (2007) The effect of opioids on sleep architecture. J Clin Sleep Med 3:33–36
Drewes AM, Arendt-Nielsen L (2001) Pain and sleep in medical diseases: interactions and treatment possibilities (A review). Sleep Res Online 4(2):67–76
Foldvary-Schaefer N, De Leon Sanchez I, Karafa M et al (2002) Gabapentin increases slow-wave sleep in normal adults. Epilepsia 43(12):1493–1497
Goldman SM (2005) Nocturnal neuropathic pain in diabetic patients may be caused by spinal stenosis. Diabet Med 22:1763–1765
Gore M, Brandenburg MA, Dukes E et al (2005) Pain severity in diabetic peripheral neuropathy is associated with patient functioning, symptom levels of anxiety and depression, and sleep. J Pain Symptom Manage 30:374–385
Gustorff B, Dorner T, Likar R et al (2008) Prevalence of self-reported neuropathic pain and impact on quality of life: a prospective representative survey. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 52(1):132–136
Hindmarch I, Dawson J, Stanley N (2005) A double-blind study in healthy volunteers to assess the effects on sleep of pregabalin compared with alprazolam and placebo. Sleep 28(2):187–193
Hsu T, Roth T, LaMoreaux L et al (2004) Polysomnographic profile of patients with neuropathic pain and self-reported sleep disturbance. Sleep 7:743
McCarberg B, Billington R (2006) Consequences of neuropathic pain: quality-of-life issues and associated Costs. Am J Manag Care 12(Suppl 9):263–268
Menefee LA, Cohen MJ, Anderson WR et al (2000) Sleep disturbance and nonmalignant chronic pain: a comprehensive review of the literature. Pain Med 1:156–172
Meyer-Rosberg K, Kvarnström A, Kinnman E et al (2001) Peripheral neuropathic pain—a multidimensional burden for patients. Eur J Pain 5:379–389
Narita M, Niikura K, Nanjo-Niikura K et al (2011) Sleep disturbances in a neuropathic pain-like condition in the mouse are associated with altered GABAergic transmission in the cingulate cortex. Pain 152(6):1358–1372
Nicholson B, Verma S (2004) Comorbidities in chronic neuropathic pain. Pain Med 5(Suppl 1):9–27
Nikolaus T, Zeyfang A (2004) Pharmacological treatments for persistent non-malignant pain in older persons. Drugs Aging 21:19–41
Odrcich M, Bailey JM, Cahill CM, Gilron I (2006) Chronobiological characteristics of painful diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia: diurnal pain variation and effects of analgesic therapy. Pain 120:207–212
Onen SH, Alloui A, Gross A et al (2001) The effects of total sleep deprivation, selective sleep interruption and sleep recovery on pain tolerance thresholds in healthy subjects. J Sleep Res 10:35–42
Onen SH, Onen F, Courpron P, Dubray C (2005) How pain and analgesics disturb sleep. Clin J Pain 21(5):422–431
Roehrs T, Hyde M, Blaisdell B et al (2006) Sleep loss and REM sleep loss are hyperalgesic. Sleep 29:145–151
Roehrs T, Roth T (2005) Sleep and pain: interaction of two vital functions. Semin Neurol 25:106–116
Roth T, Hsu T, LaMoreaux L et al (2004) Disturbed sleep, insomnia, and neuropathic pain. Sleep 27:744
Shaw IR, Lavigne G, Mayer P, Choiniere M (2005) Acute intravenous administration of morphine perturbs sleep architecture in healthy pain-free young adults: a preliminary study. Sleep 28:677–682
Smith MT, Huang MI, Manber R (2005) Cognitive behavior therapy for chronic insomnia occurring within the context of medical and psychiatric disorders. Clin Psychol Rev 25:559–592
Smith MT, Haythornthwaite JA (2004) How do sleep disturbance and chronic pain inter-relate? Insights from the longitudinal and cognitive-behavioral clinical trials literature. Sleep Med Rev 8:119–132
Stiefel F, Stagno D (2004) Management of insomnia in patients with chronic pain conditions. CNS Drugs 18:285–296
Walder B, Tramer MR, Blois R (2001) The effects of two single doses of tramadol on sleep: a randomized, cross-over trial in healthy volunteers. Eur J Anaesthesiol 18:36–42
Zelman DC, Brandenburg NA, Gore M (2006) Sleep impairment in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Clin J Pain 22:681–685
Conflict of interest
The corresponding author states the following: I frequently lecture on the topic of pain and sleep; often the speaker fee for lectures is paid by Pfizer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stanley, N. Importance of sleep in neuropathic pain. Somnologie 16, 17–19 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-011-0542-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-011-0542-9