To Sleep Despite Fibromyalgia

By Lynne Matallana, Executive Director, National Fibromyalgia Association

When I first developed fibromyalgia, besides pain, the inability to get to sleep and stay asleep, and waking up feeling unrefreshed were a part of my daily life. Every day for almost seven years, as night approached I would start to stress out; would I be able to sleep and feel somewhat rested in the morning?

About 80% of the time the answer was no!  Lack of sleep caused major disruptions to my lifestyle and impacted my already poor health. I was always tired and in pain, I could never plan ahead because I didn't know how I would be feeling, and lying in bed at night, awake, your mind tends to wander-often not on the most favorable thoughts!  Sleep is one of those things you take for granted-until you experience the frustrations and health related symptoms that accompany altered sleep patterns.

As time went on I finally realized that it was going to take a variety of changes in order to enjoy a full night of sleep. First, I moved the computer out of my room. When I couldn't sleep I'd get up and work; that is not the way to relax and quiet your mind!  Then I looked at my bed.  When suffering with fibromyalgia, pain is a constant and so I thought that it was important to find things that would help me to be more comfortable in bed. I got a Cuddle Ewe underquilt, a thick wool mattress pad that keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It feels so good-supporting sore muscles and making you feel comfy cozy! 

I found the perfect pillow that didn't leave my neck sore in the morning and also placed a hot water bottle on my legs in the winter and an ice pack in the summer. Both helped my sore legs, but even more important it helped to regulate a comfortable temperature. And I got new sheets that were soft and didn't irritate my skin (400 or more thread count). I also got a blanket with a satin edge, so when trying to fall asleep I will rub the satin on my face, thinking soothing thoughts or going to my favorite place-a gurgling river surrounded by open fields, full of flowers, with majestic mountains surrounding me on all sides. Sometimes I imagine myself floating above the fields, feeling as light as air.

I also got an air purifier that not only cleans dust and animal smells from the air (I love my doggies, but their hair can cause allergies that make it difficult to breath at night). It also makes a soft purring noise. Some people, myself included find that "white noise" can help lull them to sleep. I added blinds to the windows so that the room remained dark into the morning, and I developed a full "before bed routine"-no exercise, coffee, or food three to four hours before bed. My husband and I even changed our love making to mornings.

I found a hot shower or bath about an hour before bed was very relaxing, and I made sure that I brushed my teeth, washed my face and performed all of my "beauty" routine at least a half hour before I would go to bed, again giving me time to do relaxing things during that half hour before I would lie down to go to sleep--read a book (nothing stressful), meditate, pray, rub lotion onto my skin, listen to soft music and then go to the bathroom right before I would get into bed. Getting up several times to go to the bathroom is very disruptive to sleep!

These things made a huge change.  I also found that if I did wake up in the night, it was best not to lie there feeling guilty about not being able to get back to sleep. Instead I would go into another room, light a candle (no bright lights) and listen to soft music, or paint in watercolor. These activities helped me to relax and took my mind off any worries. In fifteen to twenty minutes I would be so sleepy I could easily go back to bed and fall asleep.

Some of us have health issues that need to be medically treated to also help with sleep. I suffer from restless legs syndrome, a disorder that causes your legs and sometimes even your arms to jump and twitch right as you are falling asleep or when you are asleep. There are new medicines (two are actually Parkinson's medicines that can be prescribed "off label" to help control these symptoms).  Once I got this disorder diagnosed and treated, I had another way to improve my overall sleep problems. I feel it is important that a person go to a sleep disorder treatment center and be tested for sleep disorders like RLS and sleep apnea. Often these conditions are not diagnosed and go untreated. There are treatments that can help.

Finally, I found that if early in the evening I made a list of things that I needed to get done the next day and then put that list away, I could put those thoughts out of my mind, and I could then focus on less stressful topics and enjoy my evening. After the list was put away I would only think about relaxing things prior to going to sleep. I knew that I was prepared for the next day, and that I didn't need to think or worry about those activities throughout the night.

Although my fibromyalgia may still cause me to have a difficult night, I am enjoying more "good nights," feeling refreshed much more of the time and enjoying a more productive life with fewer negative health issues!

This article was reprinted with the permission of the National Fibromyalgia Association.