In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, severe pain and fatigue are related to insufficient sleep – and vice versa, according to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh (USA) followed 162 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, mostly women, which accounted for 76 percent of the population. The average age was 58,5 years, and the disease had lasted an average of 14 years.
The participants of the study completed several questionnaires, which allowed them to assess, among others, the quality of sleep, the level of depression, fatigue, problems with daily activities and the intensity of pain. Patients also provided sociodemographic data and information about the course of the disease.
It turned out that 61 percent. patients slept badly, and 33 percent. the pain prevented you from getting enough sleep three or more times a week.
The authors of the studies point out that pharmacological or behavioral treatment of sleep disorders can reduce the symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. It is known that lack of sleep lowers the pain threshold and, in turn, pain makes it difficult to fall asleep.