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Akinnusi M, Martinson A, El-Solh AA. Treatment of insomnia associated with alcohol and opioid use: a narrative review. Sleep Biol Rhythms 2024; 22:429-445. [PMID: 39300991 PMCID: PMC11408456 DOI: 10.1007/s41105-024-00544-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with profound sleep disturbances, including insomnia, sleep fragmentation, and circadian rhythm dysfunction resulting in serious mental and physical consequences. This minireview presents an overview of the neurocircuitry underlying sleep disturbances in SUDs and elaborates on treatment options with emphasis on alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). A PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane, and Scopus search were conducted using sleep- and AUD/OUD related keywords from January 1st, 2000, to January 31st, 2023, with preferences for recent publications and randomized-controlled trials. A bidirectional relationship exists between insomnia and addiction with the status of each condition impacting the other in dictating clinical outcome. Existing evidence points to a resurgence of insomnia during detoxification, and unless treated satisfactorily, insomnia may lead to relapse. The discussion summarizes the strengths and limitations of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacological treatment for insomnia in SUDs covering evidence from both animal and clinical studies. The assumption of reestablishing normal sleep patterns by attaining and maintaining sobriety is misguided. Comorbid insomnia in patients with SUDs should be approached as an independent condition that requires its own treatment. Future clinical trials are needed with the aim of providing a resource for guiding clinical management of the many patients with insomnia and SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morohunfolu Akinnusi
- The Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System, 3495 Bailey Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14215 USA
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jacob School of Medicine, Buffalo, USA
| | - Amber Martinson
- Behavioral Health Service, George Wahlen VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Ali A El-Solh
- The Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System, 3495 Bailey Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14215 USA
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jacob School of Medicine, Buffalo, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY USA
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Ellis JD, Han D, Mayo J, Hobelmann JG, Finan PH, Huhn AS. The association of pain impact and sleep disruption with opioid withdrawal during opioid-use disorder treatment. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2024; 90:1408-1417. [PMID: 38417973 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.16022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS Persons with opioid-use disorder (OUD) often experience opioid withdrawal and opioid craving, which can drive continued opioid use and treatment discontinuation. In addition, hyperalgesia is common among persons with OUD, yet few studies have examined the role of pain impact during OUD treatment. The purpose of the present study was to test whether opioid withdrawal and craving were elevated in the context of greater pain impact (i.e. greater pain intensity and interference), and whether these associations changed throughout treatment. METHODS Participants in residential OUD treatment (n = 24) wore wrist actigraphy to measure sleep and completed daily measures of pain impact, opioid withdrawal and opioid craving for up to 28 days. Mixed effects models were used to examine whether daily elevations in pain impact and sleep continuity were associated with withdrawal severity and opioid craving. RESULTS Elevations in withdrawal, but not craving, occurred on days when individuals reported higher scores on the pain impact scale. Associations between pain impact and withdrawal were present throughout treatment, but stronger during early treatment. In contrast, both withdrawal and opioid craving were elevated following nights of greater wake after sleep onset and awakenings, but these findings were often more pronounced in early treatment. CONCLUSIONS Pain impact and sleep disturbance are 2 factors associated with opioid withdrawal and opioid craving. Novel pharmacotherapies and scalable adjunctive interventions targeting sleep and pain impact should be tested in future work to improve OUD treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Ellis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniel Han
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jami Mayo
- Ashley Addiction Treatment, Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA
| | - J Gregory Hobelmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Ashley Addiction Treatment, Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA
| | - Patrick H Finan
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Andrew S Huhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Ashley Addiction Treatment, Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA
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Abstract
Sleep health is an important factor across several physical and mental health disorders, and a growing scientific consensus has identified sleep as a critical component of opioid use disorder (OUD), both in the active disease state and during OUD recovery. The goal of this narrative review is to collate the literature on sleep, opioid use, and OUD as a means of identifying therapeutic targets to improve OUD treatment outcomes. Sleep disturbance is common and often severe in persons with OUD, especially during opioid withdrawal, but also in persons on opioid maintenance therapies. There is ample evidence that sleep disturbances including reduced total sleep time, disrupted sleep continuity, and poor sleep quality often accompany negative OUD treatment outcomes. Sleep disturbances are bidirectionally associated with several other factors related to negative treatment outcomes, including chronic stress, stress reactivity, low positive affect, high negative affect, chronic pain, and drug craving. This constellation of outcome variables represents a more comprehensive appraisal of the quality of life and quality of recovery than is typically assessed in OUD clinical trials. To date, there are very few clinical trials or experimental studies aimed at improving sleep health in OUD patients, either as a means of improving stress, affect, and craving outcomes, or as a potential mechanistic target to reduce opioid withdrawal and drug use behaviors. As such, the direct impact of sleep improvement in OUD patients is largely unknown, yet mechanistic and clinical research suggests that therapeutic interventions that target sleep are a promising avenue to improve OUD treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Lambert TP, Gazi AH, Harrison AB, Gharehbaghi S, Chan M, Obideen M, Alavi P, Murrah N, Shallenberger L, Driggers EG, Alvarado Ortega R, Washington B, Walton KM, Tang YL, Gupta R, Nye JA, Welsh JW, Vaccarino V, Shah AJ, Bremner JD, Inan OT. Leveraging Accelerometry as a Prognostic Indicator for Increase in Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:924. [PMID: 36354433 PMCID: PMC9688173 DOI: 10.3390/bios12110924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Treating opioid use disorder (OUD) is a significant healthcare challenge in the United States. Remaining abstinent from opioids is challenging for individuals with OUD due to withdrawal symptoms that include restlessness. However, to our knowledge, studies of acute withdrawal have not quantified restlessness using involuntary movements. We hypothesized that wearable accelerometry placed mid-sternum could be used to detect withdrawal-related restlessness in patients with OUD. To study this, 23 patients with OUD undergoing active withdrawal participated in a protocol involving wearable accelerometry, opioid cues to elicit craving, and non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation (nVNS) to dampen withdrawal symptoms. Using accelerometry signals, we analyzed how movements correlated with changes in acute withdrawal severity, measured by the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS). Our results revealed that patients demonstrating sinusoidal-i.e., predominantly single-frequency oscillation patterns in their motion almost exclusively demonstrated an increase in the COWS, and a strong relationship between the maximum power spectral density and increased withdrawal over time, measured by the COWS (R = 0.92, p = 0.029). Accelerometry may be used in an ambulatory setting to indicate the increased intensity of a patient's withdrawal symptoms, providing an objective, readily-measurable marker that may be captured ubiquitously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara P. Lambert
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Asim H. Gazi
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Anna B. Harrison
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Sevda Gharehbaghi
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Michael Chan
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Malik Obideen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Parvaneh Alavi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Nancy Murrah
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lucy Shallenberger
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Emily G. Driggers
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Rebeca Alvarado Ortega
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Brianna Washington
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Kevin M. Walton
- Clinical Research Grants Branch, Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD 20877, USA
| | - Yi-Lang Tang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
| | - Rahul Gupta
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
| | - Jonathon A. Nye
- Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Justine W. Welsh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Viola Vaccarino
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Amit J. Shah
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - J. Douglas Bremner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
- Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Omer T. Inan
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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Eckert DJ, Yaggi HK. Opioid Use Disorder, Sleep Deficiency, and Ventilatory Control: Bidirectional Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022; 206:937-949. [PMID: 35649170 PMCID: PMC9801989 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202108-2014ci] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid use continues to rise globally. So too do the associated adverse consequences. Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic and relapsing brain disease characterized by loss of control over opioid use and impairments in cognitive function, mood, pain perception, and autonomic activity. Sleep deficiency, a term that encompasses insufficient or disrupted sleep due to multiple potential causes, including sleep disorders, circadian disruption, and poor sleep quality or structure due to other medical conditions and pain, is present in 75% of patients with OUD. Sleep deficiency accompanies OUD across the spectrum of this addiction. The focus of this concise clinical review is to highlight the bidirectional mechanisms between OUD and sleep deficiency and the potential to target sleep deficiency with therapeutic interventions to promote long-term, healthy recovery among patients in OUD treatment. In addition, current knowledge on the effects of opioids on sleep quality, sleep architecture, sleep-disordered breathing, sleep apnea endotypes, ventilatory control, and implications for therapy and clinical practice are highlighted. Finally, an actionable research agenda is provided to evaluate the basic mechanisms of the relationship between sleep deficiency and OUD and the potential for behavioral, pharmacologic, and positive airway pressure treatments targeting sleep deficiency to improve OUD treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny J. Eckert
- Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - H. Klar Yaggi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; and
- Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Administration Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
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Objective sleep outcomes in randomized-controlled trials in persons with substance use disorders: A systematic review. Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 237:109509. [PMID: 35660222 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improving sleep health is an important target for substance use disorder (SUD) research. However, there is little guidance for SUD researchers regarding the use of technologies to objectively assess sleep outcomes in randomized-controlled trials (RCTs). This systematic review aimed to describe the use of technologies to objectively measure sleep outcomes in RCTs conducted in persons with SUDs, in order to inform future sleep intervention studies in SUD populations. METHODS This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on May 7th, 2020 (CRD42020182004). RCTs were reviewed here if they were peer-reviewed manuscripts that included objective measures of sleep in RCTs that sought to improve sleep in persons with SUDs. RESULTS The initial search yielded 13,403 potential articles, with 27 meeting a priori criteria to be included in this review. The most common SUD was alcohol use disorder (59%). The most common technology used to assess sleep was polysomnography (41%), followed by actigraphy (37%), ambulatory polysomnography or components of polysomnography (e.g., electroencephalography; 19%), and at-home sleep apnea testing (7%). The most common sleep outcome reported was total sleep time (96%). CONCLUSIONS There are a range of options to assess objective sleep outcomes. Polysomnography or ambulatory devices that directly measure brain activity are critical to advance medications through the regulatory process for the indication of improving sleep duration, continuity, and/or sleep onset latency outcomes. Actigraphy is also useful in preliminary investigations and in detecting the relationship between diurnal and SUD-related behaviors.
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Huhn AS, Ellis JD, Dunn KE, Sholler DJ, Tabaschek P, Burns R, Strain EC. Patient-reported sleep outcomes in randomized-controlled trials in persons with substance use disorders: A systematic review. Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 237:109508. [PMID: 35660223 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sleep disturbances and disorders are a common and sometimes recalcitrant problem in persons recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs). As such, several randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted to address sleep disturbances in a variety of SUD subpopulations and clinical scenarios. The goal of this systematic review was to collate patient-reported sleep outcomes used in past SUD-related RCTs to provide guidance for future sleep research in persons with SUDs. METHODS This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on May 7th, 2020 (CRD42020182004). Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed manuscripts describing RCTs in an SUD population. RESULTS The initial search yielded 13,403 candidate articles, and 76 met a priori criteria and were included in this review. Thirty-five (46.1%) assessed sleep as a primary outcome (i.e., sleep improvement was the primary goal of the research) and 41 (53.9%) assessed sleep as a secondary outcome (i.e., sleep improvement was an important outcome, but not the primary outcome). The most commonly used measures included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Insomnia Severity Index, and sleep diaries. However, multiple additional sleep assessments were also used, including visual analogue and Likert scales. CONCLUSIONS The field of addiction medicine would benefit from a streamlined approach in assessing patient-reported sleep in RCTs, including commonly used and validated assessments of sleep quality, inserting daily or repeated measures into RCTs, and including questionnaires that assess clinically relevant insomnia or other sleep disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Huhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
| | - Jennifer D Ellis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Kelly E Dunn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Dennis J Sholler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Paula Tabaschek
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Rachel Burns
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Eric C Strain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
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Tubbs AS, Ghani SB, Naps M, Grandner MA, Stein MD, Chakravorty S. Past-year use or misuse of an opioid is associated with use of a sedative-hypnotic medication: a US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) study. J Clin Sleep Med 2022; 18:809-816. [PMID: 34666879 PMCID: PMC8883103 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.9724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Prescription use and misuse of opioids are linked to greater sleep disturbance. However, there are limited data on the prevalence of sedative-hypnotic medication use among persons who use opioids. Therefore, this study examined whether past-year sedative-hypnotic use among persons who used/misused opioids was higher than among individuals who did not use opioids. METHODS Data were acquired from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2015-2018. Use of a sedative benzodiazepine (temazepam, flurazepam, triazolam) or a Z-drug (eszopiclone, zaleplon, zolpidem) was examined in relation to use/misuse of an opioid within the past year. Logistic regression models estimated the associations between opioids and sedative-hypnotics using inverse probability of treatment weighting. A secondary machine learning analysis tested 6 binary classifiers to predict sedative-hypnotic use based on opioid use/misuse and other covariates. RESULTS Of 171,766 respondents, 24% used a prescription opioid whereas 3.6% misused an opioid in the past year. Among those who used a prescription opioid, 1.9% received a sedative benzodiazepine and 9% received a Z-drug during the same time frame. Use of an opioid was associated with greater odds of sedative benzodiazepine use (odds ratio, 4.4; 95% confidence interval, 3.61-5.4) and Z-drug use (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 3.51-4.09), and stronger associations were noted for misuse of an opioid. Machine learning models accurately classified sedative-hypnotic medication use for > 70% of respondents based on opioid use/misuse. CONCLUSIONS Sedative-hypnotic use is common among persons who use opioids, which is of concern given the elevated mortality risk with concurrent use of these substances. CITATION Tubbs AS, Ghani SB, Naps M, Grandner MA, Stein MD, Chakravorty S. Past-year use or misuse of an opiod is associated with use of a sedative-hypnotic medication: a US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(3):809-816.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Tubbs
- Sleep and Health Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, Tucson, Arizona,Address correspondence to: Andrew S. Tubbs, BSc, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, P.O. Box 245002, Tucson, AZ 85724-5002; Tel: (661) 742-6123;
| | - Sadia B. Ghani
- Sleep and Health Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Michelle Naps
- School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael A. Grandner
- Sleep and Health Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Michael D. Stein
- Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts,Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research Unit, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Subhajit Chakravorty
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,Departments of Psychiatry and Research and Development, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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At the intersection of sleep deficiency and opioid use: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Transl Res 2021; 234:58-73. [PMID: 33711513 PMCID: PMC8217216 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2021.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Due to the ongoing opioid epidemic, innovative scientific perspectives and approaches are urgently needed to reduce the unprecedented personal and societal burdens of nonmedical and recreational opioid use. One promising opportunity is to focus on the relationship between sleep deficiency and opioid use. In this review, we examine empirical evidence: (1) at the interface of sleep deficiency and opioid use, including hypothesized bidirectional associations between sleep efficiency and opioid abstinence; (2) as to whether normalization of sleep deficiency might directly or indirectly improve opioid abstinence (and vice versa); and (3) regarding mechanisms that could link improvements in sleep to opioid abstinence. Based on available data, we identify candidate sleep-restorative therapeutic approaches that should be examined in rigorous clinical trials.
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