title: Impact of insomnia on pain in postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sleep disturbances and pain are assumed to be reciprocally linked. Insomnia and pain are central symptoms of the postmenopausal period and are closely related. Insomnia affects quality of life, increases pain sensitivity, the risk of pain-related disability, and other health problems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether insomnia influences aspects of pain (pain intensity and the effect of pain on daily function) in postmenopausal women, and to evaluate the objective sleep pattern of insomniacs with pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-seven women completed questionnaires about insomnia, climacteric symptoms, and pain. Polysomnography data were collected as well as their medical history. Patients were allocated into three groups: control, subthreshold insomnia, and insomnia. Pain intensity, climacteric symptoms and objective sleep pattern were compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postmenopausal women with insomnia had statistically significant higher pain interference in their activities (e.g. relationships with other people, enjoyment of life and sleep) than controls, and had more severe climacteric symptoms. There were no statistically significant differences in pain intensity and objective sleep pattern between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Insomnia status affected climacteric symptoms and pain interference, but not pain intensity in postmenopausal women. Women with insomnia had higher rates of climacteric symptoms than those without insomnia or those with subthreshold insomnia. No changes in objective sleep pattern were found.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychobiology , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frange
authors.affiliation: b Department of Nutrition , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: M Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Naufel
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychobiology , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: M Levy
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: b Department of Nutrition , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: E Beraldi
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: c Department of Gynecology , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: M J B Castelo
authors.initials: MJBC
authors.lastname: Girão
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychobiology , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychobiology , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.|c Department of Gynecology , Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hachul
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Sleep; climacteric symptoms; insomnia; pain; postmenopause