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Doris Cope, MD, director of Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine says,
"People with fibromyalgia tend to have very disturbed sleep. Even if they sleep 10
hours a night, they still feel fatigued, don't feel rested."
Research shows that with Fibromyalgia (FM), there is an automatic arousal in the
brain during sleep. Frequent disruptions prevent the important restorative processes
from occurring. Growth hormone is mostly produced during sleep. Without restorative
sleep and the surge of growth hormone, muscles don't heal and neurotransmitters (like
the mood chemical serotonin) are not replenished. The lack of a good night's sleep
makes people with FM wake up feeling tired and fatigued.
The Result
The body can't recuperate from the day's stresses - all of which overwhelms the
system, creating a great sensitivity to pain. Widespread pain, sleep problems,
anxiety, depression, fatigue, and memory difficulties are all symptoms of FM.
Insomnia takes many forms - trouble falling asleep, waking up often during the
night, having trouble going back to sleep, and waking up too early in the
morning. Smoothing out those sleep problems, and helping people get the deep sleep
their bodies need, helps FM pain improve significantly, research shows.
Medications can help enhance sleep and relieve pain. But doctors also advocate
lifestyle changes to help sleep come naturally.
Tips to Get Better Sleep With Fibromyalgia
Creating a comfort zone at home is key to better sleep, whether you have FM or not.
It's all about easing into bedtime feeling relaxed, and staying relaxed so you
sleep through the night.
These tips can help people sleep better:
- Enjoy a soothing (warm) bath in the evening.
- Brush your body with a loofah or long-handled brush in the bath.
- Ease painful tender points with a self-massage device (like a tennis ball).
- Do yoga and stretching exercises to relax.
- Listen to calming music.
- Meditate to tame intrusive thoughts and tension.
- Sleep in a darkened room. Try an eye mask if necessary.
- Keep the room as quiet as possible (or use a white-noise machine).
- Make sure the room temperature is comfortable.
- Avoid foods that contain caffeine, including teas, colas, and chocolate.
Therapies to Treat Insomnia When You Have Fibromyalgia
If you're still having sleep problems, several therapies can help, including
biofeedback, relaxation training, stress reduction, and cognitive therapy. A
psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders can discuss these therapies with you.
The therapies help people handle stress better, which helps control FM episodes, Cope
says.
"Fibromyalgia comes and goes. When you're stressed out, that's when it's worse."
Medications can also help ease FM pain at night, or directly treat insomnia. Medications
to ease FM at night include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, prescription pain
relievers, and sleep aids. No one therapy will control fibromyalgia pain 100%, Cope adds.
"Medications help some. Exercise helps some. Stress reduction helps some.
Cognitive behavior therapy helps some... If you can get restful sleep, you're going
to function better when you're awake."
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