The 12th. of May each year was designated #International Fybromyalgia Awareness Day to help raise awareness about this very debilitating illness. Fybromyalgia can have a particularly detrimental effect on people’s sleep patterns & behaviours so we are happy to give this issue some space and are grateful to “The Sleep Foundation” for their permission to republish extracts from their very informative website.
Fibromyalgia, also known as fibromyalgia syndrome, is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread feelings of pain and stiffness in the muscles and joints. Roughly 4 million people in the U.S. live with fibromyalgia. Although the cause of this condition is not known, patients can treat and manage their symptoms through medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes. Sleep problems are a common symptom of fibromyalgia. For some people with the disorder, sleep disturbances exacerbate their symptoms and lead them into a vicious cycle of pain and poor sleep. Practicing good sleep hygiene and adopting healthy sleep habits can alleviate fibromyalgia-related sleep issues.
How Does Fibromyalgia Affect Sleep?
It is widely believed that people with fibromyalgia have a lower pressure-pain threshold than those who don’t live with this condition, making them more sensitive to pain. This is known as “abnormal pain perception processing.” Neuroimaging studies appear to back up this claim, as these tests reveal similar neural activation between people with fibromyalgia and healthy, non-affected adults.
Non-restorative sleep and daytime fatigue are two common symptoms of fibromyalgia. Some polysomnographic data suggests people with the condition experience wakefulness during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages of the sleep cycle and receive less slow-wave sleep as a result.
Sleep and fibromyalgia share a bidirectional relationship. Just as painful symptoms can prevent patients from getting enough rest, sleep deprivation can exacerbate the widespread feelings of pain and tenderness brought on by fibromyalgia. Sleep loss can also lower a person’s pain threshold. As a result, lack of sleep or poor sleep quality may cause fibromyalgia symptoms to occur in otherwise healthy people.
While fibromyalgia can occur at any age, most patients are middle-aged. Additionally, 80-90% of people with fibromyalgia are women. Certain diseases can increase one’s risk of developing fibromyalgia symptoms, such as rheumatoid arthritis, spinal arthritis, and lupus. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to two sleep disorders, insomnia and restless legs syndrome.
Fibromyalgia and Insomnia
Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep despite the means and opportunity to get an adequate amount of rest each night. People with insomnia also experience daytime impairments such as fatigue, mood disturbances, and reduced motivation and energy.
Insomnia often occurs in people with fibromyalgia. Insomnia, non-restorative sleep, and fatigue are commonly used as markers for a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Since lack of sleep can decrease your pain threshold, insomnia can also worsen fibromyalgia symptoms.
Insomnia patients may receive cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), a structured and evidence-based treatment program that pinpoints thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that may be contributing to their symptoms. One recent study found that CBT-I can slow or reverse atrophy of the gray matter in the central nervous system, a common issue that occurs in people with fibromyalgia.
Another study explored the effect of sleep medication on widespread pain caused by fibromyalgia. Participants with fibromyalgia who were administered suvorexant, a medication approved for the treatment of insomnia, slept longer and experienced less pain the next day compared to participants who took a placebo.
If you live with insomnia and fibromyalgia, we recommend talking to your doctor about CBT-I, medications, and other treatment options that can potentially reduce symptoms of both conditions.
