Survey study, 2026
How do PMS, pain sensitivity, and sleep connect in women with fibromyalgia?
Worse PMS was linked to worse sleep and higher pain sensitivity in this group. Pain sensitivity may partly explain why PMS severity affects sleep, but the relationships are complex.
What they did
Surveyed 359 women with fibromyalgia at hospitals in Cairo, Egypt. Researchers assessed PMS severity using the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale, sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and central sensitization (heightened pain sensitivity) using the Central Sensitization Inventory. They examined how these three factors relate to each other.
What they found
Women reported poor sleep quality (mean score 8.16), high PMS severity (mean score 122.54), and moderate pain sensitivity (mean score 51.75). Worse PMS was strongly linked to higher pain sensitivity (correlation 0.487) and worse sleep (correlation -0.543). Higher pain sensitivity was also linked to worse sleep (correlation -0.467). Mathematical analysis suggested that pain sensitivity partially explained the link between PMS and poor sleep.
What it means for you
In women with fibromyalgia, PMS, poor sleep, and pain sensitivity are interconnected. Better understanding these connections could help develop better treatments. This study only included women with fibromyalgia in Egypt, so findings may not apply to women without fibromyalgia or in other regions.
122.54
Mean PMS severity score
8.16
Mean sleep quality score
-0.543
Correlation between PMS and sleep
About the study
- Original title
- Central Sensitization, Sleep Disturbances and Premenstrual Syndrome: A Nursing Perspective in Fibromyalgia
- Authors
- Elsokary EA, Hamed AEM, Hamza MF et al.
- Journal
- Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 359
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2026.07.023
Topics
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