Approximately 50-70% of patients with chronic pain, particularly fibromyalgia sufferers, report sleep difficulties. Because it is not possible to randomly induce chronic pain or chronic insomnia in otherwise healthy participants, the exact nature of the sleep/pain relationship is not well understood. Fortunately, established cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT) treatments for insomnia (CBT-I) and pain (CBT-P) offer an excellent opportunity to examine the causal links between these two disorders. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between chronic pain and sleep disturbance in fibromyalgia patients. CBT-I and CBT-P will be used to examine the causal links between sleep and pain.
Specific Aims 1 and 2 involve a randomized clinical trial (RCT) to evaluate the effects on sleep and pain of CBT-I and CBT-P against a waitlist control in fibromyalgia patients with insomnia. Sleep may play an etiological role in the chronicity of chronic pain conditions. Furthermore, the maintenance of chronic pain conditions can ultimately lead to a state of central sensitization (increased responsiveness of dorsal horn neurons, and perhaps other CNS structures to stimuli).
Specific Aim 3 investigates the effect of improved sleep on central sensitization of pain, and Specific Aim 4 investigates the indirect effects of pain reduction on improvements in sleep outcomes. We propose to test specific hypotheses inherent in the Cognitive Activation Theory of stress (CAT). Sustained arousal and lack of arousal resolution (i.e., through restful sleep) has been implicated in the development of central sensitization. Also consistent with the CAT model is the hypothesis that negative affect (e.g., depression, anxiety) leads to central sensitization.
Specific Aim 5 investigates multivariate models of the relationship of pain, sleep, negative affect, and central sensitization as a test of the Cognitive Activation Theory of stress in Fibromyalgia. Both of these hypotheses are consistent with preliminary data collected in our laboratory linking both chronic pain conditions, and negative affect to central sensitization of pain in fibromyalgia patients. Public Health Relevance Paragraph: Chronic insomnia in the context of chronic pain represents a major health threat for many Americans. This research addresses the public health need for information on the relationship between chronic insomnia and chronic pain and the effect of cognitive behavioral interventions that target insomnia (CBT-I) and pain (CBT-P) in this vulnerable population. The information to be gained has broad implications not only for other patient populations likely to suffer from insomnia and pain (i.e., cancer patients), but also for those suffering from other behavioral/heath concerns (i.e., weight management, depression).
