- About two-thirds of all adults occasionally experience insomnia symptoms.
- Those who do not get enough sleep also frequently experience body pain, such as headaches, migraines, lower back pain, and chronic pain.
- Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital say a specific neurotransmitter decreases during insufficient sleep, leaving the body more sensitized to pain.
Lack of sleep is a global problem. Researchers estimate two-thirds of all adults occasionally experience insomnia symptoms, and between 50 to 70 million Americans have a recurring sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or insomnia.
Insufficient sleep has been linked to
Additionally, those who do not get enough sleep frequently experience
Why would insufficient sleep cause body pain? Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital believe it has to do with a specific
This study was recently published in the journal
Although common life experience and scientific research both suggest a tight link between pain and sleep loss, the mechanisms by which sleep loss promotes pain are not clear, said Dr. Shiqian Shen, associate professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, clinical director of Mass General Research Institute’s Tele Pain Program, and co-senior author of this study.
For this study, Dr. Shen and his team used a mouse model to try to find out why there is a correlation between sleep loss and pain.
Researchers found that lack of sleep causes low levels of a neurotransmitter called
“TRN is an important node to modulate information…
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