The Sleep for Fibromyalgia Game Plan

11 Jun

by Madeleine Sara

One of the more common and debilitating symptoms of Fibromyalgia is poor sleep quality.

My own poor sleep developed through chronic stress, hyperthyroidism and Fibromyalgia. I seemed to run the whole gamut from being unable to fall asleep; to awakening several times a night; to staying awake for long periods of time; to jolting awake, as soon as my brain registered that I was finally falling asleep and my mind shouted triumphantly: “You’re falling asleep!” The slightest noise or movement would, also, wake me up. Then I began sleeping through the night, but still waking feeling completely exhausted and unrefreshed. I was a mess!

Whilst I don’t smoke, drink alcohol or colas, I drank a lot of tea and some coffee. Like many of us, my use of blue light devices had increased. I was in an extremely stressful situation, from which there was little respite for 10 years and yet, I wasn’t taking enough time for myself, to recharge my batteries and relax. When I eventually tried to relax, my brain was still buzzy and hyper-alert. I was severely brain fogged, chronically fatigued, depressed, impatient and irritable.

Research shows that 50% of people only average around 5-6 hours sleep, instead of 7-8+ hours. Those precious 2.5 hours of Deep Sleep are often lost. The chemicals responsible for managing sleep also manage our mental health. A poor night’s sleep lowers our mood. The more we miss quality sleep, the worse our anxiety and depression.

Poor sleep affects the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for the high order functions including cognition, speech, balance, memory, problem solving, attention and concentration. Digestion is also affected when hormones responsible for appetite and fullness are disrupted, so that hunger levels increase. An inability to regulate food intake and properly digest it, also becomes a problem. Extreme fatigue increases pain levels / tolerance and also makes us less inclined to exercise, which perpetuates our chronic pain and allodynia tolerance levels.

Healthcare professionals are likely to quiz us about many aspects of our lives to establish a pattern that explains the reasons behind our sleep disorders. This is called a History and is important for helping us discover the factors that might be sustaining the problem, if not causing it. Certainly Vitamin D 3 plays a role in good sleep. Consulting with your doctor will allow any deficiency to be easily remedied. Likewise, an Iron deficiency can result in Restless Leg Syndrome that disrupts rest.

Consequently it is in our best interests to adopt some best practice techniques to make as many improvements to our environment and lifestyle, as necessary, to enhance our sleep quality and quantity.

SLEEP APNOEA and SNORING: Ultimately these issues will affect your sleep quality and exhaustion levels. Mouth guards are reportedly not considered effective. However, Nasal Dilators and CPAP machines can help with certain conditions. Discussing possible solutions with your doctor should provide some useful self care strategies and remedial interventions.

NUTRITION: Healthier foods and drinks improve sleep quality and overall health. Having your smaller meal at the end of the day, also helps the digestive hormones that affect bowel health and sleep quality. Melatonin can be found naturally in tart cherries and kiwis to improve sleep quality.

EXERCISE: Keeping active with gentle exercise such as walking, Yoga or Tai Chi helps cardiovascular efficiency that improves sleep.

RELAXATION and STRESS MANAGEMENT: If you writhe with impatience during a meditation session, you know you’ve got a problem. If you cannot sleep because anxious thoughts cycle round your mind over and over, then Meditation and ‘Pink Noise’ are things you badly need to embrace. Whatever is causing us stress in our lives needs to be addressed in some respect, to facilitate better relaxation and peace of mind. If the stressful life event cannot be resolved just yet, then find strategies to give you more ‘Me’ quiet time, where you can lose yourself for a couple of hours in a hobby or other activity to recharge your mental batteries. This isn’t a luxury, this is an important healthcare strategy.

DEEP BREATHING TECHNIQUE: Breathing in for a count of 4, then slowly breathing out for a separate count of 6-8, (a few times) helps focus your mind away from the issues and problems of the day.

THANKFULNESS: Sending up a thankfulness prayer for all the little positive things that have happened in the day, also sets the mind away from negative, destructive thoughts and pressures.

SLEEP ENVIRONMENT: Keeping your bedroom well-aired makes a difference to sleep quality, removing blue light devices (including laptops, tablets, TVs and Smartphones) from the bedroom and not using them for at least an hour before bedtime, is recommended.

SLEEP ROUTINE: Keeping to a regular sleep pattern is also part of the self care package. As Fibromyalgia convalescents we are chronically exhausted. However, constant napping throughout the day completely disrupts a normal sleep pattern. The advice is therefore, rest as part of your pacing regime but don’t nap, unless you are utterly done-in or ill.

I have adopted the strategies and philosophies recommended by the sleep experts, including Dr. Guy Meadows and whilst I do have some off-days, where external events (such as bad weather, fireworks, noisy music, illness or a lapse on my own part etc.) conspire to interrupt my sleep. Nonetheless, I have certainly come along way, since those early days of chronic sleep deprivation.

Depression, exhaustion, negative thinking and intolerance develop in those of us with poor sleep. This often makes us lose confidence in our abilities to resolve the issue, while also making us obsess about it. We may become angry at those who seem to be suggesting we are somehow to blame for our symptoms. However, thinking Positively, if others with Fibromyalgia can turn their sleep patterns around, then it is indeed possible for anyone.

Madeleine Sara is a freelance writer with a degree in Psychology and a postgraduate RCSLT qualification. As a retired, Paediatric Therapist and fellow Fibromyalgia sufferer, she likes to apply her experience and knowledge to every challenge she encounters.