A study in Sleep Medicine found that opioid use in patients with chronic pain may be associated with trouble getting to sleep.
Opioid use was associated with longer time in bed, independent of pain intensity, and with longer sleep onset latency in participants with mild pain intensity but not in those with moderate or severe levels of pain.
“Clinically, findings suggest that it may be important to advise patients reporting symptoms of insomnia about the risks of extending time in bed when providing them with opioid pain medication and that use of behavioral or cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia may be recommended,” the researchers wrote.
