The following is a summary of “Sex and Sleep Quality Effects on the Relationship Between Sleep Disruption and Pain Sensitivity,” published in the April 2025 issue of European Journal of Pain by Joensen et al. 

Chronic pain, affecting 20% globally, was influenced by sleep quality, though the effects of sex and baseline sleep quality on pain sensitivity remained unclear.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of sex and baseline sleep quality on pain sensitivity following 3 nights of sleep disruption in healthy individuals.  

They carried out 2 laboratory sessions with 59 participants (30 females), separated by 3 nights of sleep disruption. Pain sensitivity was assessed using a cuff and handheld algometry. Participants completed questionnaires on sleep quality, positive and negative affect, and pain catastrophizing. Sleep patterns were recorded through wrist actigraphy and self-reported sleep diaries.  

The results showed that temporal summation of pain significantly increased in males (P < 0.01), while females experienced greater pain during suprathreshold stimulation (P < 0.01) following sleep disruption. No significant differences in quantitative sensory testing (QST) parameters were observed between participants with good or poor baseline sleep. However, those with good baseline sleep rated suprathreshold stimulation as more painful (P < 0.05) after sleep disruption. Additionally, both groups experienced a significant decline in self-reported sleep quality and restfulness after sleep disruption (P < 0.05).  

Investigators concluded that sleep disruption might have different effects on sexes, and prior sleep quality appeared to have less influence on this impact. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.70023