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2nd February 2020
06:07am GMT
In a bid to understand the link between caffeine and chronic pain management, researchers found that sleep deprivation can lead to increased pain sensitivity.
Lead researcher and sleep psychologist Chloe Alexandre said:
"We developed a protocol to chronically sleep-deprive mice in a non-stressful manner, by providing them with toys and activities at the time they were supposed to go to sleep, thereby extending the wake period. This is similar to what most of us do when we stay awake a little bit too much watching late-night TV each weekday."The findings showed:
"Five consecutive days of moderate sleep deprivation can significantly exacerbate pain sensitivity over time in otherwise healthy mice".Researchers then found that the mice were sleep-deprived and more sensitive to pain, as a result. However, painkillers, including morphine and ibuprofen, weren't successful and instead, caffeine relieved pain. Kiran Maski, MD and specialist in sleep disorders at Boston Children's Hospital, had this to say about the research results.
"This study suggests a novel approach to pain management that would be relatively easy to implement in clinical care. Clinical research is needed to understand what sleep duration is required and to test the efficacy of wake-promoting medications in chronic pain patients."Grab yourself a cup, girl. You deserve it.
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