title: Importance of sleep in the management of pediatric pain.
abstract: This article outlines several aspects of sleep regulation relevant to pediatric pain management. A broad range of connections between sleep and pain are described: (1) pain can interfere with the quality and quantity of children's sleep; (2) insufficient sleep (quality or quantity) can cause daytime sequelae (behavioral and emotional changes) that interfere with the coping skills necessary for effective pain management; (3) fear and anxiety often have a negative impact on both pain and sleep; (4) feelings of safety and control frequently have a positive effect on both sleep and pain symptoms; (5) adequate sleep seems to promote both physiological (tissue repair) and psychological (transient cessation of the perception of pain signals) processes relevant to recovery from pain, injury, and illness; and (6) treatment approaches to pediatric sleep and pain problems show considerable overlap with respect to many pharmacological as well as cognitive-behavioral interventions. Given these multiple links, a better understanding of sleep--and its importance in physical and mental health--is likely to be of value to clinicians and researchers working in areas of pediatric pain management. One specific hypothesis to be addressed is the possible contribution of sleep disruption as a step in the progression to some chronic pain syndromes.
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lewin
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Dahl
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology*