Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Associations between prescription opioid use and sleep impairment among veterans with chronic pain.

Morasco BJ, O'Hearn D, Turk DC, Dobscha SK. Associations between prescription opioid use and sleep impairment among veterans with chronic pain. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.). 2014 Nov 1; 15(11):1902-10.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is associated with impairments in sleep; however, the relationship between prescription opioid status and sleep is unclear. The primary aim of this study was to examine differences in self-reported sleep quality between groups of patients who varied based on chronic pain and prescription opioid status. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study with retrospective review of patient medical records. SETTING: The study was performed in a single VA medical center located in the Pacific Northwest. SUBJECTS: Participants with chronic pain and a current prescription for opioid medications (N = 72), chronic pain and no opioid prescription (N = 104), or who did not report current chronic pain or opioid prescription (N = 91) were included. METHODS: All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing demographic characteristics, sleep parameters, pain-related variables, and psychiatric symptoms. Data on prescription opioid use were extracted from patients' medical records. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, patients with chronic pain who were prescribed opioids were more likely to have sleep apnea diagnoses in their medical record and reported more impairment on sleep global score and across four sleep parameter subscales (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbance, and use of sleeping medications). In linear regression analyses controlling for demographic and clinical covariates, prescription opioid status was associated with sleep latency, and opioid dose was significantly associated with sleep latency and sleep global score. CONCLUSIONS: Prescription opioid status and dose were associated with impairment in self-reported sleep. For patients with chronic pain, consideration should be given to use of nonpharmacological interventions to improve sleep.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.