Wear and tear from work, play, injuries, and the march of time is often blamed for the osteoarthritis joint pain that around 33 million Americans battle daily.

But it turns out that there's another powerful trigger for knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) and pain: a disrupted circadian rhythm — that is, unhealthy sleep patterns.

Circadian rhythms impact sleep-wake patterns, hormone release, metabolism, and your risk for obesity (a major cause of inflammation and osteoarthritis). And it turns out they help your body maintain and repair cartilage and other joint tissues as well.  

Interfering with circadian rhythms can bring you to your knees — literally.

A study in the journal Arthritis Care & Research shows that people who get less than six hours of sleep nightly are 41% more likely to have knee osteoarthritis, and 31% more likely to have a total knee replacement.

People with insomnia have a 34% higher risk of OA and a 40% increased risk of total knee replacement.

Nightshift work also has an effect — that was found to increase risk of total knee replacement by 28%.

If you have OA and your sleep cycle is off-kilter, building muscle strength with resistance training or doing interval training and getting sleep therapy (usually based on cognitive-behavioral therapy) will help achieve sounder, more regular sleep.

GLP-1 drugs may also help. 

Aim for a wake-sleep cycle that's (more or less) 24 hours long, going from waking around daylight to daytime alertness, an after-lunch energy dip, and melatonin-driven sleepiness around 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.