The influence of sleep disorders on the quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common pain syndromes, and its prevalence has increased significantly in the past three decades.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of insomnia and daytime sleepiness on the quality of life (QOL) of patients suffering from chronic back pain.

Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted among 100 people (aged 25-75 years - mean age 49.53 ± 10.92) treated in a neurological clinic for chronic back pain lasting longer than 3 months. The diagnostic survey method was applied for the purposes of this study with the use of: the author's questionnaire and standardised questionnaires that is Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and Polish version of WHO Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). The results were statistically analysed.

Results: Analysis of the study material showed that 83% of patients suffered from insomnia (scored 6 or more points on the AIS) and 29% experienced mild daytime sleepiness. People who were more sleepy during the day were characterised by lower perception of the QOL (r = -0.034, p = 0.029) and lower perception of general health (r = -0.035, p = 0.04). Analysis of multiple variables (using linear regression) showed that independent predictor of the QOL in all domains is the result of the AIS questionnaire (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Sleep disorders - both insomnia and daytime sleepiness - are a common health problem experienced by people with LBP. Insomnia is an important predictor affecting the QOL in people with LBP.