What is the relationship between stress and fibromyalgia?

Doctors have observed that some people first develop symptoms of fibromyalgia following a highly stressful or traumatic event in their lives, such as having surgery or being in a automobile accident. It's well established that emotional stress can trigger memory loss and other cognitive difficulties, chronic pain, and sleep disorders. These are all problems that are commonly reported by people who have fibromyalgia.

There is mounting evidence that stress harms your health as much as a bad diet or lack of exercise. Since most doctors are extremely busy, and are ironically cramming more and more patient appointments into their already crowded calendars, very few have the time to sit and have a long, leisurely physician-patient chat about your stress levels. Your doctor may have the best intentions, but realistically she can’t do much about the fact that you were laid off from your job last year or that your husband left you last week.

It’s up to you to slow down, take an honest look at what’s causing your stress, and consider how much your stress and emotional state may be affecting your pain levels. The American Institute of Stress says that patients and doctors often overlook stress management as a health issue and a treatment option.

Martha Beck, a well-known fibromyalgia patient, life coach, and bestselling author, says, “After my diagnosis, I changed my whole life so I would have very little stress in it. I work hard but it’s joyful. There’s very little that I do in my profession that I don’t absolutely love.”

A 2007 survey by the National Fibromyalgia Association concluded that at least 40 percent of people with fibromyalgia suffer from stress and anxiety. Some researchers think that when stress continues without relief, your body triggers physical reactions that can lead to fibromyalgia.