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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Sleep Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1485822
This article is part of the Research Topic Beyond Rest: Exploring the Bidirectional Relationship and Intersecting Pathways of Sleep and Physical Health View all 5 articles

Bidirectional Relationship Between Pain and Sleep Disturbance in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Provisionally accepted
Duan Yi Duan Yi 1Mingyuan Yang Mingyuan Yang 2Qipeng Luo Qipeng Luo 1Hong Li Hong Li 2Liang Kong Liang Kong 2Qinghao Cheng Qinghao Cheng 2*
  • 1 Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 2 Meitan General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Pain is one of the most prevalent symptoms that disrupt daily functioning and has been increasing in prevalence. Sleep disturbances frequently occur in individuals with pain, making it difficult to initiate and maintain sleep. This study aims to examine the bidirectional correlation between pain and sleep quality/duration among middle-aged and older Chinese adults Participants and Setting: This study analyzed data from individuals aged 45 years and above who participated in both the 2018 and 2020 baseline surveys of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Methods: The bidirectional association between pain and sleep disturbance was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models, adjusting for various covariates. Results: Among individuals without pain, those with unsatisfactory sleep quality were more likely to experience future pain, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.74 (95% CI: 1.57 -1.92). Conversely, among individuals with satisfactory sleep quality, those with pain were more likely to develop unsatisfactory sleep quality in the future, with an adjusted OR of 1.87 (95% CI: 1.69 -2.07). Additionally, shorter sleep duration (<6 hours) was significantly associated with pain status (OR=1.39; 95% CI: 1.28 -1.50). The incidence of developing short sleep duration in individuals with pain was also higher (OR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.38 -1.61). Conclusions: This research revealed a bidirectional relationship between pain and sleep disturbance in middle-aged and older Chinese adults, where each condition exacerbated the other. Recognizing and addressing this interconnected relationship was essential for effective management of both pain and sleep quality in this population.

    Keywords: Pain, sleep quality, sleep duration, China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, Bidirectional Correlation

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 28 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yi, Yang, Luo, Li, Kong and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Qinghao Cheng, Meitan General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.