Lack of Sleep Could Lead To Lower Back Pain and Vice Versa

By Eziokwu Fab-Emerenini MBBS | Published on December 26, 2022
Reviewed By Gilmore Health | On: December 26, 2022

Nearly 60–80% of people have low back pain (LBP) at some point in their lifetime, making it the fifth most frequent cause of doctor visits. According to some research, up to 23% of persons worldwide experience chronic low back discomfort. Injuries, persistent back problems, illnesses, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and other underlying physiological factors are occasionally linked to this pain. Sometimes it’s quite difficult to determine the origin despite its severity and intensity. Previous studies have linked lower back discomfort with several psychological and societal variables, such as gender, physical characteristics, smoking, and mental health issues. Most importantly, a relationship has been discovered between low back pain and insomnia.

Back Pain

Scientists identify a two-way causal connection

According to studies, back discomfort makes it difficult to get asleep and stay asleep throughout the night, while on the other hand, not receiving enough restorative sleep makes the pain worse.

A recent study conducted by scientists at Zhejiang University School of Medicine sought to elucidate the connection between sleep and lower back pain to further explore these recent discoveries. Their findings suggest. Their research suggests that lower back discomfort and insomnia may both be caused by one another in a bidirectional causal link. The genetic data of over 400,000 people were analyzed. They were of European ancestry and their genomes were acquired by the UK Biobank as a part of the genome-wide association study (GWAS). The mendelian randomization(MR) method was used. This is a relatively recent method that enables researchers to identify potential genetic and environmental risk factors that may contribute to poor health or specific illnesses by using measured genetic variants. The analyses conducted by the researchers concentrated on a number of variables related to poor sleep quality, such as insomnia, lengthy sleep duration, short sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness. Participants with genetic variations linked to various aspects of poor sleep were chosen after the GWAS data was processed.

Results showed a two-way causal connection between lower back pain and sleeplessness, demonstrating that both conditions are capable of causing the other. Additionally, they discovered that lower back pain could lead to daytime sleepiness but not the other way around.

Clinical significance

Future research on the connection between inadequate sleep and back pain may be motivated by these findings, and it may even include participants from other racial and genetic origins. In addition, this could encourage the investigation of treatment options for low back pain that include a focus on sleep disorders and insomnia.