Brief report: sleep in children with sickle cell disease: an analysis of daily diaries utilizing multilevel models

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pain-sleep relationship in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and the influence of stress and pain medication use on this relationship. METHOD: Children with SCD (n = 20; aged 8-12 years) completed daily diaries assessing sleep, pain, stress, and pain medication use for up to 2 months. Data analyzed using multilevel modeling. RESULTS: High daily pain was related to poor sleep quality that night and poor sleep quality was related to high pain the following day. High stress was related to less sleep. High same-day pain and pain medication attenuated the impact of pain on sleep quality. CONCLUSION: Results highlight the importance of sleep in addressing functioning in children with chronic pain, knowledge which may help patients and their families better manage the child's pain. Behavioral pain interventions may be improved by the inclusion of strategies to encourage proper sleep hygiene and address sleep issues.