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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Catching zzzs may help cancer patients manage their pain.
In a recent study, more than half of cancer patients reported difficulty sleeping, with 26 percent reporting moderate to severe sleep problems. These patients also suffered more fatigue, pain and a depressed mood. After analyzing their data, researchers concluded the trouble sleeping caused the pain, not the other way around.
"We believed we would find a bi-directional relationship between insomnia and pain, but instead found that trouble sleeping was more likely a cause, rather than a consequence, of pain in patients with cancer," lead author Edward J. Stepanski, M.D., chief operational officer at the Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network in Memphis, Tenn., was quoted as saying.
Dr. Stepanski went on to say previous studies showed cognitive behavioral therapy improved sleep disorders in cancer patients with insomnia, and he believes it may be an effective treatment for this kind of pain management.
SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2009
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