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This review by Dr Monica Levy Andersen and colleagues at Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo in Brazil, pulls together and reviews the most relevant studies that have examined the role of
vitamin D in pain-related conditions or sleep disturbances. She said the findings indicate that vitamin D levels may have an "important role" in the relationship between pain and
sleep. Dr Levy Andersen said: "We can hypothesise that suitable vitamin D supplementation combined with sleep hygiene may optimise the therapeutic management of pain-related diseases,
such as fibromyalgia. "It is necessary to understand the possible mechanisms involved in this relationship, including immunological and neurobiological pathways related to
inter-relationship among sleep, vitamin D and pain." Journal editor Assistant Professor Sof Andrikopoulos, of the University of Melbourne in Australia, added: "This research is
very exciting and novel. We are unravelling the possible mechanisms of how vitamin D is involved in many complex processes, including what this review shows - that a good night's sleep
and normal levels of vitamin D could be an effective way to manage pain."