Temporal Daily Relationships Between Sleep and Pain in Adolescents With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of pain. This study aimed to describe the temporal daily relationships between sleep and pain in adolescents with SLE.

Method: Twenty-three adolescents with SLE recruited from a pediatric hospital wore actigraphy and completed diaries. Generalized estimating equation models were used.

Results: On average, evening pain negatively predicted subsequent sleep quality that night, and, on average, sleep quality negatively predicted morning pain. Shorter total sleep time significantly predicted higher morning pain (95% confidence intervals [CI], -0.38 to -0.03, p = .02), whereas sleep efficiency and sleep quality were not significantly associated with morning pain (95% CI, -0.03 to 0.03; 95% CI, -0.08 to 0.06, respectively). Subsequent evening pain did not predict daily nighttime sleep DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that sleep is a target for pain interventions to include among adolescents with SLE.

Keywords: Temporal relationship; pain; sleep; systemic lupus erythematosus; youth.