WHY SLEEP MATTERS

THIS week: How a lack of sleep makes pain worse

AN INTERRUPTED night’s sleep can make you more likely to feel pain the next day.

Scientists think a lack of sleep impairs the function of the body’s pain-inhibitory system, controlled by nerves in the spinal cord.

Researchers at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa studied 11 healthy women who endured two consecutive nights of fitful sleep, followed by one night of unbroken sleep. Each had their pain threshold tested by having their arms pricked with needles. The results, published in the Journal Of Pain last year, revealed their pain thresholds were significantly reduced after a restless night. ‘Sleep loss increases our perception of pain but a good night’s rest increases our pain threshold,’ says sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley.