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Dr Laurent Grange (Rheumatologist)
A Chinese study published this month of December establishes a direct link between low back pain and insomnia, two very common disorders in the population. With a new conclusion: taking care of your sleep also relieves your back.
According to estimates by Public Health France, one in four French people suffers from poor sleep and 4 out of 5 French people suffer from low back pain during their lifetime… Suffice to say that for many of us, the two evils are not strangers. As such, the study of Hangzhou Medical University in China may well concern you. According to her, the causal relationship between sleep disorders and low back pain does exist (it was previously mentioned, but never confirmed) and the importance of improving sleep in the overall management of low back pain could be a global solution.
Genetic data crossed with sleep habits
The researchers thus examined the data of more than 400,000 people of European origin, collected by a British biobank. The latter had carried out genetic tests, then answered a questionnaire on their sleep habits (insomnia, sleep duration, short sleep duration, long sleep duration and daytime sleepiness). Based on all of this data, the researchers focused on different factors associated with poor sleep quality, including insomnia.
According to their results, a two-way causal relationship was observed between insomnia and low back pain, meaning that insomnia can cause low back pain and vice versa. They also discovered that lower back pain can cause daytime sleepiness. According to the conclusion of the researchers, there is indeed the same potential cause of insomnia of genetic origin and low back pain. “Improving sleep may be important in the overall management of low back pain” say the researchers.
Interesting leads for new treatments
For Laurent Grange, rheumatologist at the Grenoble University Hospital and member of the Doctissimo expert committee, this high-quality study now puts the finger on an obvious link that has long been suspected: “Bad sleep will promote back pain, but chronic pain itself leads to non-restorative sleep, it’s a problem we see every day” he confirms.
According to him, this study provides other valuable elements beyond the proof of this link:
“What is interesting are also the biological hypotheses evoked, which impact sleep like pain. Among them, oxidative stress, via nitric oxide called NO, which would be one of the markers of poor sleep; the affected cortisol level; prostaglandins which promote pain due to inflammation or melatonin. This gives so many therapeutic avenues for the future..
Thus, melatonin, useful in regulating sleep, would also reduce pain. “Perhaps if you sleep poorly and experience lower back pain, trying melatonin as a dietary supplement might be an interesting first option” asks our expert.