Fibromyalgia Pain Relief From Good Quality Sleep

Widespread pain, such as the symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia, is a type of aching pain that affects multiple areas of your body. The unpleasant experience of such symptoms can negatively impact mental health as well as physical functioning. A Physiotherapist experienced in managing the condition of Fibromyalgia can offer effective pain relief and a better ability to cope, but sleep quality is also an important factor the individual can focus on by themselves.

Poor quality sleep can impact all aspects of our health in undesirable ways. When it comes to sleep consistency is as important as quality and that is because we rely on something known as our circadian rhythm. This internal body clock programs our wake and sleep cycles and influences the healthy functioning of our bodies.

Although the precise cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown contributing factors are believed to be such things as infection or injury and more focus is now being placed on sleep quality too. Disturbed sleep may not cause Fibromyalgia but is often associated with the condition and may impact of the severity of the symptoms as well as the ability of the sufferer to remain functional in day to day life.

Poor quality or disturbed sleep can also contribute to increased risk of heart disease, poor brain function and premature ageing. Therefore, to support other coping strategies and pain relieving therapies such as Medical Acupuncture it makes a lot of sense for Fibromyalgia sufferers to concentrate on improving their sleep quality as much as possible.

Interestingly one of the most common causes for poor sleep is not getting enough natural sunlight during the day combined with too much artificial light in the evening. Another common issue for us living in colder climates is indoor heating and keeping our bedrooms at a temperature too warm for achieving deep and restorative sleep.

Quick Tips For Better Sleep

• Get some early morning sun exposure whenever possible
• Get at least 30-60 minutes of bright sunlight during the day
• Try to avoid TV and computer (including tablets and smartphone) screens within an hour of going to bed
• Turn off all lights so your bedroom is as dark as possible
• If you prefer to have a permanent light source to aid going to the toilet in the middle of the night get a low-watt orange or red bulb light
• Keep your bedroom temperature between 16-20 degrees celsius
• Don’t keep electrical items such as phones and alarm clocks close to your head while sleeping

Here in Ireland there are many times when we may not see bright sunshine as regularly as we may like but simply getting outdoors in natural light can make a difference.

Here in our Physiotherapy clinic we offer two approaches, sometimes combined, to assist with pain relief for Fibromyalgia suffers

1. NST (Neurostructural Integration Technique), a systematic spinal and soft tissue manual therapy technique
2. Medical Acupuncture, a gentle needling technique effective for increasing the body’s level of natural painkillers serotonin and norepinephrine as well as assisting in the regulation of central nerve and neuroendocrine function.

Both approaches are clinically effective, and which approach is recommended would depend on the individual based on assessment findings and preferences.

By Simon Coghlan.

Image courtesy of 'Ambro' / FreeDigitalPhotos.net