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

Back pain doesn't just ruin your day-it steals your sleep for years to come. A new study in Innovations in Aging reveals that back pain in older men predicts worsening sleep problems six years later, but poor sleep doesn't cause back pain. Tracking 963 men aged 65+ over six years, researchers discovered back pain drives sleep trouble, not the other way around.

Why this matters: Back pain affects 47% of older adults and ranks as the top cause of disability. Sleep problems plague over 30% of seniors, but few studies explore how these issues interact long-term. Everyone assumed poor sleep worsened pain, but this research flips the script—treating back pain could be the key to better sleep.

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.