Is shoulder pain keeping you awake at night? What this could mean for your overall health. 
The #1 reason patients visit me for their shoulder pain is sleep disruption. Being woken up by shoulder pain is not as harmless as one might believe. In fact, sleep deprivation has been linked to:
- Decline in brain function: including impaired memory, decision making, and fine motor skills
- Mood Swings and Irritability: which can affect interpersonal relationships
- Weakening of the immune system: meaning greater susceptibility to infections
- Weight gain: by altering hormone levels that regulate appetite
- Falls: by impairing coordination and slowing down reaction times
- Chronic disease: poor sleep increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, and can make these conditions more difficult to control
When the pain doesn’t let you sleep
No one likes feeling grumpy and exhausted throughout the day. We’ve all been there! We know that lack of sleep impacts our work performance, and it also makes interacting with others much more challenging when we're tired. That is why not being able to sleep is what makes people with shoulder pain finally “throw in the towel” so to speak and schedule an appointment with the doctor. It is also why when asked “Dr. Diaz, how will I know when it’s time to take care of my shoulder problem?” my answer is often “When the pain doesn’t let you sleep.” In other words, sleep interruption is a good litmus test for shoulder pain deserving a consultation with a shoulder specialist.
Loss of sleep is a universal complaint of patients with shoulder pain regardless of the underlying cause. Some causes include:
- Rotator cuff tears
- Bursitis
- Arthritis
- Shoulder instability
- Frozen shoulder
- Biceps tendinitis
All these shoulder conditions share a symptom of difficulty sleeping because of the pain. This is obviously worse for “side sleepers” but also for people used to having their arm in certain positions during sleep. With shoulder pain, that position becomes impossible due to the pain.
As you can see, the shoulder pain that has been keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep has implications and consequences for your health that extend way beyond the health of your shoulder. Ready for a better night’s sleep? Schedule a consultation to evaluate and come up with a solution for your shoulder pain.
Written by: Veronica Diaz, M.D., Palm Beach Shoulder Expert
