Jcsm: chronic opium therapy leads to sleep disorders

November 21, 2019 / biourn / -- according to the statement of American Society of sleep medicine, patients and medical providers should be aware that long-term use of opioids will reduce sleep quality and increase the risk of respiratory disorders during sleep In the past decade, the clinical use of opioids has surged, with nearly 92 million people using prescription opioids and 11.5 million people abusing drugs In addition to understanding the risk of opioid addiction and abuse, it is important for healthcare providers to be aware that long-term use of opioids can lead to changes in sleep structure and increase the risk of respiratory depression during sleep (image source: www Pixabay Com), co-author, Dr R Nisha Aurora, associate professor of medicine, Robert Wood Johnson School of medicine, Rogers, New Jersey, said: "this statement raises the awareness of healthcare providers of important adverse events that may occur in patients treated with chronic opioids The paper also highlights the need for providers to identify and diagnose sleep related respiratory disorders, which are usually caused by long-term opioid use " The position statement was prepared by the AASM board of directors and published in the Journal of clinical sleep medicine on November 15 Patients with chronic pain often experience fatigue and sleep disorders Studies have shown that chronic opioid therapy may further disrupt sleep by reducing sleep efficiency, slow wave sleep duration and rapid eye movement sleep duration Another adverse effect of opioid use is that it leads to respiratory depression, which increases the risk of sleep related respiratory disorders, such as respiratory related hypoventilation, central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea If not treated, sleep related respiratory disorders may be harmful to the patient's health "Because of the complex relationship between pain, sleep, daytime function and opioid therapy, when opioids are part of long-term treatment, strong cooperation between doctors and other medical workers is needed to optimize the interests of patients and minimize complications." The author said Although opioid therapy can lead to sleep interruption and sleep disorders, it is an effective treatment for patients with restless leg syndrome (RLS), which is a sleep disorder related to sleep disorders For patients with severe refractory RLS, the dosage of opioids is much lower than that of chronic pain, so the symptoms may be relieved instead Sources of information: chronic opioid therapy can disrupt sleep, increase risk of sleep disorders original sources: Ilene M Rosen, R Nisha Aurora, Douglas B Kirsch, Kelly A Carden, Raman K Malhotra, Kannan Ramar, fariha Abbasi Feinberg, David A Kristo, Jennifer L Martin, Eric J Olson, Carol L Rosen, James A Rowley, Anita V Shelgikar Chronic Opioid Therapy and Sleep: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine , 2019; 15 (11): 1671 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.8062