Fibromyalgia Sleep Disorder

Sleepless Nights: Fibromyalgia Sleep Disorder

Fibromyalgia sleep disorder is prevalent in almost 80 percent of people suffering from fibromyalgia syndrome, which means having extreme pains in the muscles all over the body. In some instances this pain can be so excruciating that the person suffering it is unable to perform daily functions. Fibromyalgia sleep disorders leave the person feeling tired, listless, and unenergetic; physically unable to contend with the pain associated with fibromyalgia.

A very worrisome aspect of fibromyalgia sleep disorder is that when a person suffers from alpha EEG anomaly, which is a symptom of fibromyalgia sleep disorder, they will find their sleep being affected adversely. This results in having insufficient sleep at night. Alpha EEG anomaly takes place when the brain, which should be resting while the person is sleeping, suddenly experiences extreme bursts of activity and this activity is measured as alpha waves on an EEG machine.

The vast majority of people who suffer from fibromyalgia are suffering from sleep apnea, which is a sleep disorder that causes cessation in the breathing of the concerned person. Sometimes the brain miscommunicates or  forgets to inform the lungs that it should breathe and so causes momentary lapses in breathing. Sleep apnea may have some detrimental effects on the sleep patterns of the person and may even cause a person who is severely suffering from sleep apnea to wake up hundreds of times during one night.

Treatment

There are medications that can help alleviate the levels of distress and also make the person become more functional, and in case there are no other workable therapies available, some trial medications may be taken. Even though there are natural means of controlling fibromyalgia sleep disorders, in many cases some extra help may be required. Though not recommended on a regular basis, sleeping pills may be used to get some much-needed rest once in a while.

A very controversial drug that has been recommended as a cure for fibromyalgia sleep disorders is GHB. This drug may be effective, but does not always get the doctor' s nod; nevertheless it may be worth trying out to ease fibromyalgia symptoms. Over the counter medications are also available, which have shown themselves to be able to alleviate fibromyalgia sleep disorder symptoms. No matter what medication is used, it is essential that the patient keep their doctor aware of any over-the-counter drug use, because some medications may combine for negative side effects.

(c)  Sleep Disorders - Tyler's Articles 2006