Article

Individuals with chronic pain consider improved sleep to be one of
the most important outcomes of treatment. Physical activity has been shown to
have beneficial effects on sleep in the general population. Despite these
findings, the physical activity-sleep relationship has not been directly examined
in a sample of people with chronic pain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine
the association between objective daytime physical activity and subsequent
objective sleep for individuals with chronic pain while controlling for pain and
psychosocial variables. DESIGN: An observational, prospective, within-person
study design was used. METHODS: A clinical sample of 50 adults with chronic pain
was recruited. Participation involved completing a demographic questionnaire
followed by 5 days of data collection. Over this period, participants wore a
triaxial accelerometer to monitor their daytime activity and sleep. Participants
also carried a handheld computer that administered a questionnaire measuring
pain, mood, catastrophizing, and stress 6 times throughout the day. RESULTS: The
results demonstrated that higher fluctuations in daytime activity significantly
predicted shorter sleep duration. Furthermore, higher mean daytime activity
levels and a greater number of pain sites contributed significantly to the
prediction of longer periods of wakefulness at night. LIMITATIONS: The small
sample size used in this study limits the generalizability of the findings.
Missing data may have led to overestimations or underestimations of effect sizes,
and additional factors that may be associated with sleep (eg, medication usage,
environmental factors) were not measured. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study
suggest that engagement in high-intensity activity and high fluctuations in
activity are associated with poorer sleep at night; hence, activity modulation
may be a key treatment strategy to address sleep complaints in individuals with
chronic pain.

Langue : ANGLAIS