Chronic Back Pain in Older Men Predicts Long-Term Sleep Problems Over 6 Years: Study

Researchers used data from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, following 963 community-dwelling men (average age 74.5, mostly White) through two sleep clinic visits six years apart. Participants wore actigraphs (motion trackers) for 5+ days to objectively measure sleep patterns while completing detailed questionnaires about back pain severity and sleep quality.

Sleep was scored across six dimensions: irregularity, dissatisfaction, daytime sleepiness, duration, timing, and efficiency. Back pain was categorized as any pain, frequent pain, severe pain, or activity-limiting pain. Researchers built a sophisticated autoregressive cross-lagged panel model (CLPM)—a statistical tool perfect for untangling which problem comes first-adjusting for weight, smoking, drinking, exercise, depression, cognition, chronic diseases, and medications.

Shocking results:

• 47% had back pain in the past year; 31% reported severe pain

• Men with any back pain had 12% more sleep problems

• Frequent back pain predicted 17% worse sleep 6 years later

• Severe back pain linked to 19% increased sleep issues

• Activity-limiting pain showed 25% higher sleep problems

Sleep problems like poor timing and dissatisfaction drove the association most. Sleep duration showed no link despite being heavily studied.

Takeaway: Back pain treatment could transform sleep health in older men. Mind-body programs, cognitive behavioral therapy for pain, exercise, and lifestyle changes show promise.

REFERENCE: Lee, S., Muhammed, T., Roseen, E. J., et al. (2025). Back pain precedes sleep problems in older men. Innovation in Aging. DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igaf113. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaf113.