For all those suffering from chronic illnesses who are desperately looking for an effective treatment, here is a discovery that will perhaps bring some hope. Researchers from Boston (USA) conducted a study, published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine on Monday, May 8, 2017, with the aim of measuring the impact of lack of sleep on pain sensitivity and the effects of common analgesics (ibuprofen or morphine type) in this situation. And the conclusion of this study is rather interesting:chronic lack of sleep would increase sensitivity to pain, which would then not be worth treating with conventional painkillers.
The researchers thus noticed that the effects of ibuprofen or morphine, for example, would be reduced, or even completely blocked, by the sleep deficit of the patients. The experiment was carried out on laboratory mice that were stimulated to prevent them from sleeping and given analgesic drugs. Result:after five consecutive days without sleep, the pain sensitivity of the rodents had increased considerably and the painkillers had had no effect!
Scientists then looked into alternative solutions to combat the pain caused by increased lack of sleep. They discovered that caffeine and modafinil (a substance that exerts a stimulating action on the nervous system) would provide relief by blocking hypersensitivity to pain. More effective than traditional painkillers, these drugs, promoting awakening, therefore represent a hope for the development of new types of treatment. If we don't go to sleep, if a headache prevents us from working, we'll think about going for a coffee!
