Fibromyalgia: Sleep Enhancement for Fibromyalgia

By: Thomas K. Van Sistine, MD

Font size

A

Unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep is reported in greater than 75% of fibromyalgia patients. One study reported abnormal stage 4 sleep patterns in fibromyalgia patients ³³. Furthermore, clinically induced sleep deprivations can induce a conditions like fibromyalgia in normal adults.

Consequently, much attention has focused on enhancing sleep, particularly stage 4 sleep. Promoting good sleep "hygiene" has become the norm in many journals, especially for fibromyalgia sufferers.

General important sleep habits include:

Establishing a regular sleep/wake cycle
Avoidance of caffeine, alcohol and other drugs that may inhibit good sleep
Minimizing stress is important, and appropriate stress reduction strategies need to be incorporated (such as aerobic fitness)
When appropriate, medications to enhance sleep may be necessary (such as sedatives/hypnotics).