Eur J Pain. 2022 Mar 8. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1931. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that chronotype, the individual preference for 24-hour circadian rhythms, influences health. Sleep problems and mental distress are among the greatest risk factors for musculoskeletal (MS) pain. The aims of this study were first, to explore the associations between chronotypes and MS pain, with special reference to disabling MS pain, and second, to test whether mental distress and insomnia have a modifying role in the associations between chronotypes and MS pain.
METHODS: The dataset of 4,961 individuals was composed of Northern Finns surveyed on MS pain, chronotypes, and confounding factors (sex, insomnia, sleep duration, smoking, mental distress, occupational status, education level, and number of co-existing diseases) at 46 years. The relationships between chronotypes (evening [E], intermediate [I], and morning [M]) and MS pain were evaluated using multinomial logistic regression. To address the second aim, we included an interaction term (chronotype*mental distress, chronotype*insomnia) in the logistic model.
RESULTS: Compared to the M-types, both the E- and I-types had increased odds of suffering ‘disabling pain’ in the unadjusted model (odds ratio [OR] 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-2.33; OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.29-1.84, respectively). However, the association remained statistically significant only after adjusting for all covariates among the I-types (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.15-1.67). Neither mental distress nor insomnia was found to modify the chronotype-MS pain association.
CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of chronotypes for individuals’ MS health but suggest the presence of confounding factors in the interplay between these factors.
PMID:35258149 | DOI:10.1002/ejp.1931
