Having a spouse with chronic pain can cause one to suffer sleep disruptions.
Researchers observed 145 couples that had one partner with knee osteoarthritis, Healthday reported via U.S News and World report.
For 22 nights the study participants recorded how well they slept, and how refreshed they felt in the morning. The subjects with osteoarthritis also recorded their pain levels.
The research team found a correlation between pain and quality of sleep in the sufferer's partner. The patients' who reported the highest levels of pain before bed had the spouses' with the worst sleep quality. Some reported waking up during the night with feelings of depression.
"Sleep is a critical health behavior, and individuals whose sleep is affected by their partner's pain are at risk for physical and psychiatric problems," lead investigator Lynn Martire, of Penn State University, said in a news release, Healthday reported "Spouses whose sleep is compromised may also be less able to respond empathically to patients' symptoms and need for support."
The study also found the couple's with the strongest bonds had the largest correlation between pain in one partner, and a bad night's sleep in the other.
"Compromised sleep caused by exposure to a loved one's suffering may be one pathway to spousal caregivers' increased risk for health problems, including cardiovascular disease," Martire said.
A factor that could contribute to the finding is reselssness. When one partner is in pain they can stay awake tossing and turning, which could contribute to their spouse's poor sleep quality.
"Our findings suggest that assessing the extent to which partners are closely involved in each other's lives would help to identify spouses who are especially at risk for being affected by patient symptoms and in need of strategies for maintaining their own health and well-being," she said.
