Our muscles and joints take plenty of wear and tear over the course of our lives, so it’s no wonder that the older a person gets, the more likely they are to experience pain in one or more of their body parts. When a condition sets in, this is categorized as newly-onset widespread pain, and it is common in older adults. While doctors say a balanced diet and regular exercise can help keep pain from spreading, the easiest way for a doctor to determine a person’s likelihood of developing widespread pain is to have a patient answer the following question:
“How much sleep do you get each night?”
According to doctors, nonrestorative sleep is the strongest predicator of newly-onset widespread pain in older adults. Although physical health, anxiety levels and psychological factors were taken into account, lack of sleep led to more reports of widespread pain.
The Study
For their study, researchers conducted a multivariate analysis of several factors commonly associated with widespread pain, including:
- Age
- Anxiety
- Physical health/Quality of life
- Cognitive complaints
- Nonrestorative sleep
Of all the variables, individuals who reported inadequate sleep were the most likely to experience newly-onset widespread pain.
“The clinical approach to managing widespread pain in older adults may need to move beyond focusing on treatment of [osteoarthritis] alone and consider combined interventions,” the authors wrote. “This study suggests that in addition to [osteoarthritis treatment], sleep, cognitive impairment, anxiety and physical health may be important treatment targets.”
Dr. Silverman comments
We’ve done numerous posts on why sleep is important, and this study just further emphasizes the point. Sleep is a restorative process for both your body and your mind, so it’s no wonder your physical and mental health suffer when you don’t get enough sleep.
As we said in this blog post on the dangers of sleep deprivation, lack of sleep can lead to heart issues, weight gain, depression and disease, so make sure you don’t skimp on sleep. This is true at any age, from toddler to senior.
If you want to treat your body right, eat healthy, exercise, and get some sleep.
Related source: Medscape