Sleep treatment for people with fibromyalgia condition
For people with fibromyalgia, sleeping can be a problem due to continuous pain that they experience.
They will usually take many steps to get good sleep but it will be very difficult to achieve it with the problems that the individuals have.
Sleep is very important for a body to heal on its own from the damages to which it is exposed on a day to day basis.
Enough resting is important to restore the energy in the body and get ready for yet another day.
Disturbed sleep will also not make the day pleasant for you. During your work, you may find it restless and difficult to focus.
Here is some information that will be very helpful for fibromyalgia people who find it difficult to sleep.
Common sleep problems in fibromyalgia
There are many common sleep problems that fibromyalgia patients experience in their day to day life.
Difficulty in falling asleep is one of the conditions that is commonly experienced by people.
Due to pain in particular part of the body, people find it difficult fall asleep. It usually takes some time for people to get into the deep sleep state.
Another common problem that people experience is that they will not be able to get sleep again once they get awake in the middle of the sleep.
The result of such problem in sleeping makes them feel exhausted during the next day without a proper sleep.
They will not have good energy to do things the next day morning. Some of the other common problems that fibromyalgia patients experience is as follows:
Restless legs syndrome
RLS is commonly seen in fibromyalgia patients that prevent them from getting deep sleep.
It is a restless situation that individuals have when they are sleeping and this will make them move their legs throughout the sleep to get to a comfortable position.
If the continuous movement of leg happens, it becomes very difficult for them to get enough sleep during the night.
In some cases, people get light sleep instead of deep sleep which is very important for them to restore energy for the next day.
Restless legs syndrome is a sleep disorder that is associated with the nervous system.
A disorder to some part of the nervous system usually causes RLS preventing the people from getting good sleep.
In patients with fibromyalgia along with restlessness, a mild or severe pain is also experienced in the lower part of the body.
Sleep Apnea
It is another disorder commonly seen in fibromyalgia patients. When a person’s breathing during the sleep is interrupted several times then this condition is called as sleep apnea. This sleep disorder usually happens without the knowledge of the person.
During the condition during sleep, the supply of oxygen to the brain and other parts of the body is interrupted.
Sleep Apnea happens in people of any age group and with fibromyalgia patients, it is commonly reported. Risk factors associated with sleep apnea are also noticed.
Steps to regulate sleep for fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia patients find good relief after regulating their sleep. Getting good sleep can heal the body from several disorders.
Sleep regulation also helps in providing a good relief from pain in fibromyalgia patients. People also use sleeping pills to get sleep. But making it as a practice is not good.
Some natural methods are available to regulate sleep and keep your sleep cycle perfect. There are many steps that an individual can take to regulate sleeping conditions.
Schedule your sleep
Allocating proper time for sleep is very important. You can be someone very busy in your day to day work. But in your schedule, it is important that you fix a time for sleep.
It is also necessary that the time you fix should be consistent. You can keep alarms to notify you of your sleeping time and wake up times.
If you are practiced to sleeping schedule that you create, you will automatically feel sleepy when the time comes.
Light dinner during night
If you have more food or heavy food in your stomach, it will also prevent you from sleeping properly. It can also lead to discomfort during your sleep.
Early evening food intake will help your stomach get settled before you go to sleep. An empty stomach can also create problems, it is good to have light dinner even though you don’t feel like eating.
Sleeping Environment
The sleeping environment should be pleasant for you to get sleep. Research says that humans get to sleep easily when the surrounding is cool and pleasant.
You can use an air conditioning system to reduce the temperature in your room. Additionally, dark place is suitable for getting good sleep.
That is why it is recommended to sleep well during the night time and avoid sleep during the day.
Read books before sleep
If you are someone who doesn’t get proper sleep even after going to bed, it is good to have a habit of bedtime reading.
Experiences from people say that bedtime reading helps in stimulating sleep and if can easily push to you sleep state.
Avoid alcohol consumption before sleep
Some people with fibromyalgia have the practice of consuming alcohol before sleep.
It is true that it will give good sleep but it is not the natural way to get sleep.
Also when the level of alcohol is reduced in the bloodstream, it gives a wide-awake sensation preventing you from getting further sleep.
If you again look for alcohol to get you further sleep, it can create addiction.
Listening to Music
Some people have reported that they get good relaxation if they listen to good music every day.
There are many pleasant kinds of music or sounds available which you can use during your bedtime to stimulate your sleep.
Listening to perfect music can also help you forget the pain in your body. Your focus will be turned towards the music and your body will start to heal by itself when you forget about the pain.
I can certainly relate to the inability to fall asleep or insomnia. Being in pain in general can make sleeping hard. These sleeping tips are excellent for people who have trouble sleeping in general, not just for those suffering from Fibromyalgia.
These are really good tips for getting a good deep sleep at night! I had restless legs when I was younger and I still move them often before I fall asleep. It’s hard for me to sleep at night… I feel like I’m nocturnal. I’ve tried alcohol before sleep, but as you mentioned, once it wears off… I wake right back up full of energy. One thing that helps me is using an eye mask before sleep and reading. I read myself to sleep and that helps a lot. Really good sleeping tips for all kinds of sleeping disorders.
Great tips here. And we all here at home fall asleep to music, and we also have blackout curtains, as both my husband and I used to work overnights. And chamomile tea helps me when I’m not too tired.
I was glad to read this post. I’ve suffered sleep issues for years. I always thought my tossing and turning was normal for me. Now, not so much. After reading this, I think I might see my doctor about these issues. My aches and pains could be explained. I do have to agree that soothing music is great as is taking Melatonin, in my case.