Caffeine could help stop post-operation pain

THE TEAM FOCUSED ON CAFFEINE AS A POTENTIAL TREATMENT, WHICH MAY SEEM SURPRISING GIVEN THAT CAFFEINE IS A STIMULANT TO INCREASE ALERTNESS

An American research has found that for patients, who suffer from sleep deprivation before surgery, caffeine before an operation could be an alternative way to reduce post-operative pain. Previous research has shown that a lack of sleep both preand post-op can worsen the pain after surgery. This study by the Department of Anesthesiology at Michigan Medicine set out to see, if there were any interventions that could help minimise the effect of sleep loss and reduce the severity of pain.The team focused on caffeine as a potential treatment, which may seem surprising given that caffeine is a stimulant to increase alertness.

“Most people would be confused by the idea of using caffeine, while we insist on the dangers of not getting enough sleep,” said Dr Giancarlo Vanini.

However, as caffeine blocks actions of the sleep-inducing neurotransmitter adenosine, causing us to feel more awake, the team proposed that caffeine might counteract the negative impact of sleep deprivation on surgical pain.“Insufficient sleep enhances pain perception, so we reasoned that caffeine might also be useful for reversing the increase in pain caused by sleep loss,” Vanini said. The results showed that sleep deprivation before surgery did indeed increase postoperative pain, and also extended recovery time after surgery. The team now plans to carry out more research to better understand caffeine’s effect on reducing pain.