A bad night of sleep can leave us feeling more irritable, less focused, and sometimes even more sensitive to pain. But what happens to pain, mood and the brain when sleep is deliberately disrupted? At Pain Science in Motion 2026, I presented our ongoing systematic review on the effects of experimental sleep disruption on these outcomes.
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Around 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Fortunately, about 90% of women survive for more than five years after their diagnosis. However, surviving breast cancer does not always mean returning to life as it was before. Many breast cancer survivors (BCS) continue to experience long-term symptoms related to cancer or its treatment. One of the most common symptoms is pain, which affects almost half of BCS. For some of these women, pain is also accompanied by perceived injustice.
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Could chronic low back pain be linked to how your body processes sugar? The GLOW study investigates whether altered glucose metabolism in people with chronic low back pain may be related to the IGF1/GH hormonal axis and changes in DNA methylation. Researchers will combine continuous glucose monitoring, nutritional interventions, and blood analyses to explore these potential biological links. Understanding these mechanisms could provide new insights into chronic low back pain and help identify potential biomarkers. Interested in participating? Visit **paininmotion.be/glow** to learn more about the GLOW study.
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For many new mothers, sleepless nights are simply seen as part of the job. But what if persistent sleep problems are more than just a consequence of having a baby - and could actually affect recovery, mental health, physical activity and pain within this population?
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Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is defined as pain for at least 3 months every day and has no structural cause, such as spinal pathologies, in 90% of cases. This inability to identify the root cause leads to overuse of painkillers and surgery. However, recent research lifts a corner of the veil as to why some people experience low back pain although no structural changes are present.
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Pain is usually assessed through questionnaires and standardized protocols. However, these approaches may not capture the variability in pain experiences among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to the same extent as they do in neurotypical individuals. Differences in communication, sensory processing, and behavioral expression may influence how pain is perceived, expressed, and interpreted. Consequently, pain in autistic individuals is often underrecognized and misunderstood.
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