“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” Thomas Dekker
Most of us with fibromyalgia long for the kind of deep restful sleep we had when we were kids. This is because most of us with fibromyalgia have non-restorative sleep–meaning that we could be in bed for 12 hours and still feel exhausted when we wake up. Why don’t we just sleep even longer? Turns out it is not that simple. EEG analysis of patients with fibromyalgia shows that during deep or delta wave sleep we have continual “alpha wave intrusions.” This is a fancy way of saying that our deep sleep is continually interrupted and we are thrown back into a light stage of sleep. It would be like having your annoying little brother sitting by your bed all night tickling you when you fell into a deep sleep! No wonder we are so tired. And studies show that certain hormones and natural chemicals are only released during deep sleep, and these allow the body to repair tissue and reduce body pain. Also, we are much more likely to have fibrofog if we are not rested.
Find out what your body needs to get improved sleep. Start with the natural measures, and if you need medications, often over the counter medications can be helpful. If you need prescription sleep medications, then you need them, so don’t feel bad about it. For those of us with fibromyalgia, getting a more restful night sleep is the first step towards feeling better. SWEET DREAMS!