Do The Seasons affect Fibromyalgia?
By Becky Frith.
As a moderator on the UKFM Facebook group, I see lots of posts asking how the seasons affect fibromyalgia. For some, it could be the cold, wet weather. For others, it could be heat and humidity. So, why are us fibro warriors so sensitive to weather changes, and what can we do to help ease the symptoms?
Temperature sensitivity is a common symptom with fibromyalgia, sufferers, as we can have problems self-regulating our internal thermostats. Unfortunately, we don’t know quite why this is: it sadly remains one of those mysteries that has not been researched in great detail. There are limited studies that show it may be to do with barometric pressure (the atmospheric pressure that causes changes in the weather), hormone changes, or muscular response to cold.
I posted the following question on the UKFM Facebook group to learn more about seasonal symptoms of fibromyalgia. The response was astonishing.
Do you feel more symptoms in different weather? What weather makes your symptoms better or worse? Do you have any other illnesses that you feel makes your symptoms worse?
Many of the group members reported that rainy and cold weather are the worst triggers. Symptoms included widespread pain, stiff legs, weakness, fatigue, headaches, migraines, cramping, bone pain, joint pain and back pain. After some research, it seems these symptoms could occur for many reasons.
Cold weather causes the muscles, tendons and ligaments that support the spine to tighten. This puts strain on your spine, which pulls on the sensitive nerve roots and causes pain. Moreover, a drop in the barometric pressure results in a drop of pressure against your body. This causes our joints to become inflamed. There is also medical evidence to show that weather changes affect the brain and adrenal glands. The hypothalamus (a small area of the brain which releases hormones and regulates body temperature) alarms the body when it gets cold. Nerve and hormone signals lead the adrenal glands to produce the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases pulse rate, blood pressure and energy supply. Cortisone is the body's natural anti-inflammatory hormone. These are stress hormones, and there is much medical evidence to suggest that a rise in these increases and worsens (particularly chronic) pain.
Underlying conditions may also result in the seasonal changes we note in our fibromyalgia symptoms. Some of the members of the UKFM have overlapping illnesses such as:
§ Osteoarthritis
§ Asthma
§ Psoriatic Arthritis
§ Rheumatoid Arthritis
§ Raynaud’s
§ Migraines
§ Mental illness
§ Sciatica
§ Hypothyroidism
§ Autoimmune diseases
§ Diabetes
§ M.E
These are only a few underlying conditions that fibro suffers manage. They may likely worsen the seasonal effects we feel.
So, what can help?
Many members had advice for how to mange these changes when the winter comes This ranged from hot baths, overdressing in layers so they can be easily removed when too hot, hot tubs, heated blankets, weighted blankets, tens machines, wheat bags, hot water bottles and CBD oil.
Can the heat affect our symptoms too?
Although the majority of sufferers found the winter to be the most challenging time for their fibro, a few reported that heat is a major problem for them too. Some suffered widespread pain during the summer months with increased heat. Looking through the comments, however, it appears to be due to the British ecosystem particularly. Those who’ve been abroad reported that the heat in different countries actually helps symptoms. One member said: ‘I have been to places such as Colombia, Russia. Hot climates take away most of my pain. The cold in Russia was cold but....not painful. I think it's the climate we have in the U.K I certainly believe the damp and cold combined cause many people a lot of problems.’
This could be because the humidity in the UK is different than in other countries. As the UK is an island, we have unique weather and pressure patterns. The Atlantic Ocean to the west, the landmass of the Europe to the west and our northern position on the equator result in a large number of frontal systems. These increase the effects of pressure outlined earlier in this article.
So, as we can see, weather does affect Fibromyalgia. I hope now you have an idea of why. Hopefully the tips from our members on the Facebook group will help you. If you aren’t a member, do join us. We are a friendly and supportive community at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UKFibromyalgiaPrivate/
I hope to see you there. In the meantime stay safe and look after each other.