Eight hours of sleep may traditionally be recommended, but ten hours of sleep a night could be more effective than codeine at reducing pain.
Just two extra hours can reduce pain sensitivity, a study led by Dr Timothy Roehrs of Henry Ford Hospital in the United States has revealed.
During the study, 18 volunteers held their finger on a heat source for as long as they could. Those who had slept for ten hours each night of the four night study could tolerate the pain for 25 seconds more than those who’d slept for eight hours or less.
As the Telegraph reported, when examined in comparison to another study where 60mg of codeine was given to each volunteer, these results show that tired people are more sensitive to pain. This is due to underlying sleepiness.
Dr Roehrs said: "Our results suggest the importance of adequate sleep in various chronic pain conditions or in preparation for elective surgical procedures."
He went on: "We were surprised by the magnitude of the reduction in pain sensitivity, when compared to the reduction produced by taking codeine."
