Sleep

The experts seem to agree that the lack of sleep is one of the triggers that can cause pain in people with fibromyalgia or even cause fibromyalgia itself. It is even true that if someone is systematically deprived of sleep over a long period, that individual will begin to report the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.

The experts also seem to agree that when people with fibromyalgia do sleep that they often do not reach REM, which stands for “rapid eye movement” and is considered the deep and restorative sleep that is necessary.

There may not be much that you can do to reach REM, but you can do a great deal to increase your chances.

First, schedule enough time to sleep. Even prior to having fibromyalgia, I needed a lot of sleep. For me, at least eight hours is a necessity. Fortunately, I fall asleep easily (staying asleep is more difficult). I don’t really need to allow much time after I am actually in bed for falling asleep. Some people will need to allow that time. On work days, I generally allow myself from 8:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Yes, 4:30 a.m. is a ridiculously early hour to rise and 8:00 p.m. is very early to retire. If I didn’t need the morning time prior to getting to work, it could be from 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. or 11:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Those schedules sound more normal. It doesn’t matter, as long as you allow the time.

Next, do everything in your power to make yourself comfortable. For me, that means sleeping on an air bed, which is adjustable for firmness. It means sleeping with a pillow that has a cervical contour built in. If I am away from home, I roll up a hotel towel and put it under my neck with my head on the hotel pillow. It means sleeping with a pillow between my knees because I am a side sleeper and this takes strain off of my back. It means sleeping in 100% cotton pajamas.

Have you heard the story of the princess and the pea? Well, I make her look low-maintenance.

It is probably also worth mentioning that every night is not the same. Some nights I adjust my bed to be more firm and some nights I adjust it to be softer. The experts would tell me to find my ideal setting and stick with it. The bed manufacturing experts probably don’t have fibromyalgia.

I also have a Sobakawa pillow for the nights when the contour pillow is not helping. It is filled with buckwheat hulls & gives me different support.

Sometimes different is the key. Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I get out of bed and get a drink of water. It is like rebooting my brain. When I return to bed I get a fresh start on trying to sleep.

Everyone has specific requirements for the most restful experience. I have a cousin who can only sleep in a pitch-black room. If you can see so much as a shadow in the room anywhere, it is too much light for her. Some people do well with a machine that provides “white noise” such as waves hitting a shore. You probably already know some of the things that will help you to sleep, so try to incorporate them every night.

If you haven’t already discovered it, you will find that the pain and associated symptoms of fibromyalgia wax and wane. Some days you are almost pain-free. Other days you might think you’d feel better if you consented to trade bodies with a skydiver who had forgotten his chute.

There are nights when I am in so much pain that I can’t possibly sleep. Those are nights for Flexeril. I mentioned in an earlier entry that my doctor had prescribed it to be taken every night. Every night is too much. On the days when I am almost pain-free, it doesn’t make sense. It takes too much away from my energy level the next day. But having it when I really need it is important.

Do whatever you can to sleep long and sleep well.