Why Actually Insomnia Can Easily Cause Chronic Knee Pain?
Chronic knee pain can obviously interfere with your sleep, but does the opposite also hold true? Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham are planning to find out. Experts believe there is “reason to believe” that the cascade of physiological problems caused by poor sleep may cause or contribute to pain. For instance, lack of sleep is pro-inflammatory, meaning it triggers inflammatory processes in your body that may certainly contribute to joint pain. Further, it’s been suggested that the disruption to your body’s circadian rhythm (or sleep/wake cycle) caused by lack of sleep may also contribute to aches and pains, possibly due to hormonal fluctuations. According to one of the study’s researchers: ” … there is growing evidence that poor sleep can itself lead to an increase in pain.” Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee will take part in the study, which will involve sleep testing two nights a week to identify any links between sleep trouble and knee pain.