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Sick and Tired: Understanding and Managing Sleep Difficulties in ...

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Figure 4. Conceptual model of the development of sleep difficulties <strong>in</strong> chronic pa<strong>in</strong><br />

(Currie et al., 2000)<br />

Chronic pa<strong>in</strong><br />

Insomnia secondary to<br />

chronic pa<strong>in</strong><br />

Pre-Chronic pa<strong>in</strong><br />

No <strong>in</strong>somnia<br />

Acute pa<strong>in</strong><br />

Acute <strong>in</strong>somnia<br />

Masi et al (2002) have criticised this model by highlight<strong>in</strong>g that other factors have been<br />

found to affect sleep quality, such as anxiety <strong>and</strong> depression, are not <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong>to<br />

the conceptual model. However, the model has been effectively used to <strong>in</strong>form<br />

treatment of <strong>in</strong>somnia for people with chronic pa<strong>in</strong>, based on cognitive behavioural<br />

techniques which support the use of adaptive cop<strong>in</strong>g strategies <strong>in</strong> response to pa<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

sleep difficulties (Currie et al., 2000).<br />

Chronic pa<strong>in</strong><br />

Cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g sleep<br />

problems<br />

Attempts to cope with sleep<strong>in</strong>g<br />

problems<br />

-excessive time <strong>in</strong> bed<br />

-irregular sleep rout<strong>in</strong>e<br />

-napp<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> low activity<br />

-worry<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> bed<br />

-pa<strong>in</strong> <strong>and</strong> sleep medication<br />

Onset of pa<strong>in</strong><br />

- trauma from <strong>in</strong>jury or<br />

illness<br />

More than 6 months <strong>in</strong><br />

pa<strong>in</strong><br />

-emotional distress<br />

-functional impairment<br />

-reduced activity<br />

-medication reliance<br />

Despite the wealth of evidence suggest<strong>in</strong>g a bi-directional relationship between sleep<br />

<strong>and</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>, there is little research explor<strong>in</strong>g the potential physiological mechanisms<br />

underly<strong>in</strong>g the l<strong>in</strong>k. In a review of the sleep <strong>and</strong> chronic pa<strong>in</strong> literature, Smith <strong>and</strong><br />

Haythornthwaite (2004) highlighted that areas of the bra<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> the onset <strong>and</strong><br />

ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of sleep (such as the mesencephalic periaqueductal gray <strong>and</strong> the thalamus),<br />

are also <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> the modulation of pa<strong>in</strong>. Neurotransmitters such as acetylchol<strong>in</strong>e are<br />

also <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> both sleep <strong>and</strong> pa<strong>in</strong> regulation, suggest<strong>in</strong>g that a neurological<br />

dysfunction may underlie both chronic pa<strong>in</strong> severity <strong>and</strong> sleep disturbance<br />

(Lautenbacher et al., 2006). Incorporat<strong>in</strong>g theses physiological processes <strong>in</strong> their<br />

conceptual framework of sleep <strong>and</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>, Call-Schmidt <strong>and</strong> Richardson (2003) propose<br />

34

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