PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The relationship between sleep and pain is often described as a vicious cycle, such that poor sleep health and
pain cause and exacerbate one another. There is evidence that sleep and pain share the same underlying
mechanisms involving serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine pathways. While most research to date has
focused on the individual effects of sleep or pain on health, the current study proposes to shift this paradigm to
study the joint effects of poor sleep and pain among an at-risk group, healthcare workers (HCWs). HCWs are
uniquely suited as the focus of this research question because apart from clinical populations (e.g., those with
chronic pain or insomnia), HCWs are at greater risk of poorer sleep and pain compared to the general population.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated HCWs' feelings of burden and burnout, as well as brought more
attention to these timely issues of the health and well-being among HCWs. Earlier work has found that HCWs
experience shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality, work-related pain, and the spontaneous onset of pain.
There is evidence that sleep and pain have a bidirectional relationship. In Aim 1, the proposed study will examine
the joint effects of poor sleep health and pain, and how this negative synergy affects physical, mental, and
cognitive health and well-being. Given the ample research studying the moderating effects of work
characteristics, Aim 2 will investigate whether job demands and resources moderate the relationship between
the joint effects of sleep and pain on health outcomes. These aims will be examined cross-sectionally and over
time using survey and micro-longitudinal data (collected daily over 8 days), respectively. In total, data from three
separate datasets will be used (n=2,154 HCWs; 5,892 non-HCWs). The central hypothesis is that the joint effects
of sleep and pain will be more prevalent among HCWs compared to non-HCWs, and that the joint effects will
account for more variance than the single individual effects of sleep and pain. Greater pain reactivity to poor
sleep will be associated with more chronic conditions, more negative affect and less positive affect, more
depressive symptoms, and lower cognitive functioning. The second hypothesis is that greater job demands and
fewer job resources will exacerbate the joint effects of poor sleep and pain. Findings may help inform future
workplace interventions and policies to mitigate the harmful effects of poor sleep and pain among HCWs. The
proposed training site and team are well equipped to provide the necessary resources to address these aims.
Upon completing this project, the PI will acquire the theoretical and statistical knowledge to study the joint effects
of sleep and pain among other at-risk groups like older adults. The study team will disseminate their findings by
publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts, presenting at conferences, and contributing to the development of pilot
interventions to mitigate the joint effects of sleep and pain for all.
