Comparison of Nocturnal Restlessness in Patients with Low Back Pain and Age- and Gender-Matched Healthy Controls

Introduction: Sleep disturbances are common in individuals with chronic pain conditions such as low back pain (LBP). This cross-sectional observational study aimed to compare nocturnal restlessness, measured through various sleep parameters, between LBP patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Materials and Methods: A convenient sampling method was employed to recruit 55 LBP patients and 56 healthy controls from a community setting. Participants wore activity trackers ActiGraph for two consecutive nights to measure sleep parameters, including duration of sleep, restlessness during sleep, average nocturnal activity levels, sleep fragmentation index, sleep latency, and sleep efficiency. Sociodemographic data, including age, gender, and body mass index, were also collected. Results: LBP patients exhibited significantly higher average nocturnal activity levels (93.6 +/- 16.9 vs. 35.1 +/- 11.2, P = 0.045) and longer sleep latency (22.5 +/- 3.7 vs. 10.2 +/- 4.2 min, P = 0.036) compared to controls. However, there were no significant differences in the duration of sleep (435.8 +/- 16.5 vs. 416.1 +/- 12.3 min, P = 0.48), sleep fragmentation index (14.4 +/- 1.7 vs. 12.2 +/- 1.5, P = 0.16), and sleep efficiency (80.6 +/- 2.7 vs. 86.4 +/- 1.6, P = 0.071) between the two groups. Conclusion: The findings suggest that LBP is associated with increased restlessness during sleep and prolonged sleep latency. Addressing sleep disturbances in LBP patients may have positive implications for pain management and overall well-being. Objective measurements using activity trackers offer valuable insights into sleep quality and may aid in identifying individuals at risk of sleep disturbances. Further research is needed to explore the complex relationship between LBP and sleep disturbances and identify interventions to improve sleep quality in this population.