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Importance of sleep in neuropathic pain

Bedeutung des Schlafs bei neuropathischen Schmerzen

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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.

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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.

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Correspondence to N. Stanley PhD.

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Stanley, N. Importance of sleep in neuropathic pain. Somnologie 16, 17–19 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-011-0542-9

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