Consistent with previous reports, poor sleep quality was linked with joint pain in a recent study of the general population, but it found no association between obstructive sleep apnea and pain or daytime sleepiness. This lack of association in the Arthritis Care & Research study between pain and sleep apnea is surprising given the established link between pain and poor sleep quality.
Additional studies are needed to determine whether the relationship between pain and sleep apnea is different depending on the cause of sleep apnea. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind the different relationship between pain and sleep apnea compared with that of pain and sleep quality remain unclear and should be investigated.
