ArticleSleep2021
Mendelian randomization highlights insomnia as a risk factor for pain diagnoses.
Article in Sleep, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies genetic risk loci for mono- and polyneuropathies in 983 477 individuals.Human molecular genetics · 2026Pooled it
- Associations between lifestyle-related risk factors and back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Biomarkers and Breakdowns: Neuroinflammatory Drivers Linking Sleep Disorders and Chronic Pain.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Self-reported pain is associated with a poorer long-term prognosis in patients with myocardial infarction: A SWEDEHEART study.International journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature · 2025Article
- Mendelian randomization studies on the causal relationship between insomnia and disease.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Genetics of sleep medication purchases suggests causality from sleep problems to psychiatric traits.Sleep · 2024Article
- Selection of genetic instruments in Mendelian randomisation studies of sleep traits.Sleep medicine · 2023Review
- Big data, big consortia, and pain: UK Biobank, PAINSTORM, and DOLORisk.Pain reports · 2023Article
- Exploring the bidirectional relationship between pain and mental disorders: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study.The journal of headache and pain · 2023Article
- Identifying the potential causal role of insomnia symptoms on 11,409 health-related outcomes: a phenome-wide Mendelian randomisation analysis in UK Biobank.BMC medicine · 2023Article
- Associations among acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain, sleep duration, and C-reactive protein (CRP): A cross-sectional study of the UK biobank dataset.Sleep medicine · 2023Article
- App-Delivered Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Among Patients with Comorbid Musculoskeletal Complaints and Insomnia Referred to 4-Week Inpatient Multimodal Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.Nature and science of sleep · 2023Article
- Association between dietary habits and the risk of migraine: a Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Article
- Leveraging genetic discoveries for sleep to determine causal relationships with common complex traits.Sleep · 2022Review
- Association of insomnia and daytime sleepiness with low back pain: A bidirectional mendelian randomization analysis.Frontiers in genetics · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
objectiveInsomnia has been linked to acute and chronic pain conditions; however, it is unclear whether such relationships are causal. Recently, a large number of genetic variants have been discovered for both insomnia and pain through genome-wide association studies (GWASs) providing a unique opportunity to examine the evidence for causal relationships through the use of the Mendelian randomization paradigm.
methodsTo elucidate the causality between insomnia and pain, we performed bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis in FinnGen, where clinically diagnosed ICD-10 categories of pain had been evaluated. In addition, we used measures of self-reported insomnia symptoms. We used endpoints for pain in the FinnGen Release 5 (R5) (N = 218,379), and a non-overlapping sample for insomnia (UK Biobank (UKBB) and 23andMe, N = 1,331,010 or UKBB alone N = 453,379). We assessed the robustness of results through conventional Mendelian randomization sensitivity analyses.
resultsGenetic liability to insomnia symptoms increased the odds of reporting pain (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.47 [1.38-1.58], p = 4.12 × 10-28). Manifested pain had a small effect on increased risk for insomnia (OR [95% CI] = 1.04 [1.01-1.07], p < 0.05). Results were consistent in sensitivity analyses.
conclusionsOur findings support a bidirectional causal relationship between insomnia and pain. These data support a further clinical investigation into the utility of insomnia treatment as a strategy for pain management and vice versa.
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