Over the course of an 18-year study, researchers observed that participants who developed problems with initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, early awakening, and non-restorative sleep had about double the risk for developing chronic widespread pain. Past research has uncovered a two-way relationship between poor sleep and musculoskeletal pain, underscoring the importance of seeking care to manage conditions like neck pain and back pain as soon as possible—rather than delaying treatment—in order to reduce the risk of disturbed sleep and subsequent chronic widespread pain in the future.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, November 2018