{
  "id": 15916538,
  "title": "Your posture may change how much pain you feel",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/your-posture-may-change-how-much-pain-you-feel",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-21T16:00:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/your-posture-may-change-how-much-pain-you-feel/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study in Psychophysiology suggests that people experience less pain while lying down compared to being upright. This may be due to changes in blood volume and pressure as the body adapts to gravity, potentially explaining why lying down alleviates acute discomfort. The researchers propose that this relief could also contribute to inactivity in individuals with chronic pain, an aspect not directly tested in the study. The human cardiovascular system not only circulates oxygen and nutrients but also regulates the nervous system's response to physical discomfort. Within major blood vessels and heart chambers, there are microscopic stretch sensors called baroreceptors. These sensors detect changes in blood volume and pressure, sending signals to the brain to slow the heart, relax blood vessels, and trigger pain-inhibiting pathways in the central nervous system. Higher blood pressure is associated with reduced pain sensitivity. Research dating back to 1994 showed that artificially stimulating neck baroreceptors with suction can dull pain reflexes and lower pain reports. In 2009, a study found that medication to raise blood pressure in those with chronically low levels reduced pain sensitivity. These connections between the circulatory system and pain processing extend beyond physical sensation; higher resting blood pressure has been linked to lower sensitivity to social pain and rejection. Fibromyalgia patients with less responsive baroreceptors reported worse pain, fatigue, and anxiety. Despite these findings, lead author Gustavo A. Reyes del Paso emphasized that the general public is unaware that increased blood pressure can inhibit pain: people with hypertension report fewer pain complaints, while those with chronic low blood pressure are more sensitive to pain. To test if posture changes affect blood flow and pain sensitivity, Spanish researchers investigated whether daily posture shifts alter pain perception. They recruited 83 healthy university students, aged around 20, excluding those with cardiovascular conditions, chronic pain, or taking pain medications. Participants assumed three postures - sitting, standing upright, and lying flat - during the experiment. Blood pressure, heart rate, and pain perception were measured in each position using a computer-guided pressure algometer to apply increasing pressure to the third fingernail of the left hand. Electrodes recorded heartbeats, and impedance cardiograms estimated blood flow. Continuous blood pressure sensors on the right hand were calibrated every minute with an upper-arm cuff. The researchers found that lying down increased blood pressure and baroreceptor stretching, which dampened pain sensitivity compared to standing.",
  "summary": "There may be a physical reason lying down feels good when you’re hurting. Pain sensitivity was modestly lower while lying flat, possibly because more blood returns to the chest and activates the body’s pressure sensors.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}