How is sleep disturbance in fibromyalgia treated?
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Honor Society of Nursing (STTI) answered:There are a number of steps you can take to help treat sleep disturbances, which may worsen your fibromyalgia symptoms and make the condition more difficult to manage.
- Improve your sleep habits. Try to relax before bed by listening to soothing music or taking a bath. Stick to a regular sleep schedule -- that is, go to bed and get up at the same time every day. When you do turn in, don't watch TV or work on your computer while in bed. Your bedroom should be for sleeping.
- Create a healthy sleep environment. Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet while you rest.
- Avoid daytime naps. Studies show that siestas make it harder to get a good night's sleep.
- Limit your caffeine and alcohol. Too much of either can disrupt your sleeping patterns.
- Consider medication. In particular, small doses of antidepressants known as tricyclic medications appear to help promote healthier sleep in people with fibromyalgia. These medicines can help relax painful muscles, too.
Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulThere are a number of steps you can take to help treat sleep disturbances, which may worsen your fibromyalgia symptoms and make the condition more difficult to manage. Improve your sleep habits. Try to relax before bed by listening to... More -
Dr. Mehmet Oz answered:Treating sleep disturbance can be key to improving your fibromyalgia symptoms. Studies show that people with fibromyalgia often have sleep patterns that mix brain waves associated with sleep with those associated with being awake. So you wake up feeling unrefreshed, and being tired can make your pain worse. One approach is to take medications that help both sleep and pain. Learning good sleep habits, such as going to bed at the same time every night, is also important.
One tool you may want to talk with your doctor about is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The CPAP machine helps people with sleep apnea get a good night's rest. Some studies find that people with fibromyalgia who have persistent sleep problems share certain characteristics with people who have sleep apnea. Researchers are studying whether CPAP can help fibromyalgia sufferers.
Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulTreating sleep disturbance can be key to improving your fibromyalgia symptoms. Studies show that people with fibromyalgia often have sleep patterns that mix brain waves associated with sleep with those associated with being awake. So you... More -
Celeste Cooper answered:Sleep disturbance has been and continues to be studied as a primary problem to fibromyalgia. How far does it go? It seems the usual sleep hygiene practices only help minimally with fibro associated sleep disturbance, and this could be due to the nature of fibromyalgia and a dysfunctional hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. It could be the cause or the effect.
The first step for treating sleep disturbance is to know what type of disturbance it is, which can only be evaluated in a sleep lab. Talk with your physician about getting a sleep study. They will look for sleep apnea, disordered sleep, and periodic limb movement. Treatment will depend upon the root cause.
Also see:
Sleep oh sleep, where art thou? Could your fibromyalgia medications be causing insomnia?
http://www.sharecare.com/user/celeste-cooper/blogs/show/sleep-oh-sleep-where-art-thou-could-your-fibromyalgia-medicationsSnooze News - The conundrum of sleep deprivation
http://www.sharecare.com/user/celeste-cooper/blogs/show/snooze-news-the-conundrum-of-sleep-deprivationAll blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. http://www.thesethree.com
Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complied by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD http://www.fibromyalgiainsidersecrets.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=121_0_1_59
Find out more about this book: Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofa...Helpful? 1 person found this helpful
Sleep disturbance has been and continues to be studied as a primary problem to fibromyalgia. How far does it go? It seems the usual sleep hygiene practices only help minimally with fibro associated sleep disturbance, and this could be due to... More
