You’re so exhausted during the day.
Yet you can’t fall or stay asleep once bedtime rolls around.
Or whether you get 5 hours or 9, you still feel stiff, achy, and groggy.
You are so. darn. tired.
Oh, sleep and Fibromyalgia – what a love/hate cycle.
You either feel like you’re dying from lack of sleep or dying because of excessive sleepiness.
And right, let’s not forget the famous Fibromyalgia (FM) pain that makes it hard to sleep and makes you want to sleep 24/7.
If you wonder how Fibromyalgia affects sleep and if it causes sleep problems like insomnia, keep reading.
You’ll learn how your sleep is impacted by Fibromyalgia, plus 9 actionable tips you can do today to help you get a better night’s sleep.
But before we get to the “how” part, let’s answer a few burning questions I’m sure are on your mind when it comes to sleeping with Fibromyalgia.
Does Fibromyalgia affect sleep?
It’s likely no surprise to you as a Fibro warrior, but studies show that Fibromyalgia negatively affects sleep.
About 95% of those with FM suffer from unrefreshing or un restorative sleep.
Shocker.
And while those with and without Fibro may both get 8 hours of sleep, the individual with Fibro tends to have a lower quality of sleep.
Frequent wakings, taking longer to fall asleep, and waking up unrefreshed are common sleep-related issues tied to Fibro.
In addition, some individuals with FM may also experience restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and insomnia.
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Does Fibromyalgia cause insomnia?
Fibromyalgia sleep problems and the sleep disorder insomnia are closely related, but it’s not entirely clear what causes insomnia.
Most studies point to stress and anxiety, though insomnia can also stem from medication effects, lifestyle factors such as too much caffeine, and your sleeping environment.
Insomnia affects up to 2/3rds of those with chronic pain (though it’s also common for those without chronic pain).
It’s when you regularly have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep.
And sarcastic whoo-hoo – those with Fibro are more likely to suffer from insomnia.
Does Fibromyalgia make you sleep a lot?
Fibromyalgia makes you want to sleep a lot.
You may feel the need to constantly lay down or want to crawl back into bed after your morning shower because you’re exhausted.
You may need an 11 AM and 3 PM nap to get through the day.
You may be good without naps for a while.
It depends on your “season,” as I call it.
In my 13 years with FM, I’ve experienced chunks of time where all I wanted to do was sleep and others when I felt fairly functional and didn’t need naps.
Fibro may make you excessively sleepy because your body is dealing with constant pain.
Sometimes, that pain commands your body to rest.
As a result of the pain, your body’s pain signals become overworked, which may make you lethargic beyond belief and want to sleep for days.
Does lack of sleep make Fibromyalgia worse?
Unfortunately, not enough sleep can make Fibromyalgia symptoms worse.
As a human with Fibro, that sucks, but as a parent with Fibro, ouchies, ouchies, ouchies.
One study of Fibromyalgia patients found that nonrestorative sleep resulted in a 24% decrease in their pain threshold.
Meaning they’re more likely to be sensitive to pain when they wake up from their sucky slumber.
Does sleep help Fibromyalgia?
A resounding YES for this one. Too little sleep makes it hard for your body to naturally relieve pain.
On the other hand, getting the right amount of high-quality nighttime sleep has been shown to significantly alleviate symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
In addition, tackling other sleep conditions, such as insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea, also help lessen the severity of FM symptoms.
Essentially you’re an onion with layers when you have Fibro.
Is napping good for Fibromyalgia?
But on that train of thought, is napping good for Fibromyalgia?
Because we Fibro folk love our naps.
Or hate them.
Again, you know all about this love/hate relationship.
Unfortunately, studies show that naps may not be so helpful for people with Fibromyalgia.
For example, a 2011 study of 1,044 adults with Fibromyalgia found that those who took long and frequent naps (at least once a day) experienced more pain during the day.
So while you may initially feel better upon waking, your symptoms will likely come crawling back even harder.
As for me…sometimes a nap will make me feel better (like when I am dragging ass and know I need it now), but other times, like during seasons of high pain and low hope, naps keep me down, groggy, and depressed.
Let me know how you feel or how your body responds to naps in the comments below.
How Fibromyalgia affects sleep
How Fibromyalgia affects sleep is somewhat understood.
As you can guess, sleep problems are related to “both depression and pain among patients with [Fibromyalgia],” according to a 2013 study.
Your pain makes it hard to sleep, and the lack of sleep makes your pain worse, which makes it hard to sleep…
Reflect on your painful, tired experience with Fibro, and I’m almost 100% positive you’ll say, “yeah, that makes sense.”
Some studies show that wakefulness during the sleep stages of non-rapid eye movement can result in you experiencing less slow-wave sleep.
Slow-wave sleep is that so sought-after deep sleep. It’s also the stage of sleep that restores and repairs your body.
So it makes sense that your body suffers when you can’t get enough deep sleep.
Likewise, you’ll get super tired during the day without adequate slow-wave sleep and have foggy thinking.
Your immune system isn’t as strong to defend against invaders with too little sleep.
You know how extra sucky it is to be sick with Fibro!
Now let’s look more specifically at 3 ways Fibromyalgia negatively impacts your sleep:
Your pain
Because when you’re in so much pain, whether it’s your scalp or shoulders or your clothes are uncomfortable, and your headaches are too much, that pain makes you tired.
It’s utterly exhausting dealing with chronic pain all the time.
And as I previously mentioned above, one way your body responds to pain is by making you sleepy because sleep helps heal.
Unfortunately, though, your body may feel like it wants to sleep all the time, which isn’t helpful for Fibro.
So you nap, then your pain is worse, so you try to sleep some more…and the poor sleep/high pain cycle continues.
Your medications
Medications that you take for your Fibromyalgia can also negatively impact your sleep.
For example, some drugs may cause night terrors and nightmares.
Others may make you so groggy during the day that sleep is elusive (or unrestorative) at night.
Antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil) and pain relieving opioids like Tramadol, commonly prescribed for Fibromyalgia patients, have been shown to cause nightmares.
I was on both of these medications years ago, and holy shit, the dreams I dreamed were so surreal and horrific.
Those medicated dreams terrified me of falling asleep because I’d go back into the dream I was in.
I was afraid to go to sleep, but all I wanted to do was sleep.
It was hell.
And I still think about some of those dreams to this day.
But that is my experience. And in no way am I condemning these medications.
Another example of how medications you take for your Fibro affect your sleep are the ones that make you a zombie during the day and make it hard to fall and stay asleep at night.
For instance, Topamax, also known as topiramate for its generic version, has a reputation as “Dope-a-max” because of how slow it can make you feel.
To make matters worse, Topamax also can cause fatigue and insomnia for the user.
Your emotions and mental health
Unfortunately, stress and anxiety are champions at keeping you awake.
You know the feeling of snuggling yourself under the covers when your pain is low, the kids are alright, and you even had your favorite dessert for dinner.
Those days make it easier for your mind to rest so you can fall asleep faster.
And hopefully, stay asleep longer.
But you also know the feeling of those other days.
On days when the pain is too much, your clothes feel unbearable, yet you still have to make dinner (and clean up afterward, even if you order takeout).
Motherhood – well, parenthood in general – is challenging. But having Fibro, too, is an entire ‘nother ball game.
And feeling like you’re failing your family because of your limitations because of your pain is a tough pill to swallow.
And that cloak of Mom Guilt is extremely heavy – like how your legs feel on hit-by-a-truck days.
That cycle of worthlessness and guilt is hard to step out of and even easier to be sucked back into.
And at the end of the day, your nerves are shot, and your brain is foggy and frazzled, making it difficult to sleep and wake up refreshed.
How to sleep better with Fibromyalgia
You already know that sleep and Fibromyalgia are like brothers and sisters.
Sometimes they play well together, and sometimes they don’t.
So what can you do to ensure sleeping with Fibromyalgia is as obtainable as possible?
Here are 9 things I do or have done to help myself get the best sleep possible with Fibromyalgia, which you can do too:
1. Eat a light dinner
Eating a light dinner will help your body fall asleep.
This is because bigger, heavier meals mean your body has to work harder and longer to digest it – and that often spills over into your sleeping hours with heavier meals.
All the digesting tells your body to stay awake, which prevents you from getting deeper, more restorative sleep.
So aim for a light meal (that means it’s easy to digest and in smaller portions) such as vegetable lasagna, lemon-thyme chicken, or salad.
Eat 2-3 hours before bed to give your tummy enough time to digest all that goodness, but still have some stored in the tank, so you don’t hit the sheets hungry.
2. Take a hot shower or bath
I love taking a hot shower before bed.
The hot water helps soothe aches, zaps, and zings, and my scalp also enjoys the water.
It’s like a refresh button for my scalp, especially whenever it gets sore.
I highly recommend taking a bath with Epsom salts if you need a longer time to relax and unwind.
3. Grab a kid’s book
After a shower or bath, I like to read if I’m not playing a smidge of Playstation or watching Office reruns.
While reading is soothing and relaxing for the mind, picking up an easy-to-read kid’s book is another excellent way to get your mind and body ready for bed.
For one, children’s books are easy to read.
They also bring back good memories and are incredibly inspiring.
You’ll likely pick up more books after reading one too.
The kid’s books I currently have checked out are one from the Hank The Cowdog series, Sondok of the Royal Diaries series, and Junie B. Jones.
Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series is next! I loved those in elementary school.
4. Stretch before bed
Stretching your achy everything before bed is a great way to get better sleep with Fibromyalgia.
It gets your blood flowing, which eases pain via a speedier delivery of nutrients throughout the body.
Stretching also helps relieve muscle tension.
And while stretching before bed on your “good” days will help, you should try to stretch out during your “bad” days too.
Flares also tighten your muscles and cause spasms, and stretching helps loosen you up.
5. Use a sleep mask
Sleep masks help block light and distractions that make going to sleep difficult.
A 2010 study tested 14 people and their sleep quality while using eye masks and ear plugs and without.
The group who used earplugs and sleep masks had more REM sleep, less time awake or in light sleep, and higher melatonin levels.
The study determined that these simple little snoozy time tools help get better sleep and even help maintain hormone balance.
It took me a while to get used to wearing a sleep mask and finding one I liked, but I was hooked once I found it.
Been using it for several years.
6. Support your body with pillows
If your pain at night prevents you from falling asleep, use pillows to support your body and ease the discomfort.
Try sleeping on your back with a pillow underneath your knees to help keep the curve of your spine in a natural, neutral position.
You can also place a pillow between your knees if you’re a side sleeper. That’ll help maintain proper position and lessen the stress on your hips and pelvis.
Here’s a list of the best knee pillows from the Sleep Foundation, though I have yet to try them.
7. Sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room
Once you have your pillows and sleep masks, it’s time to turn off the TV and say goodnight to your phone.
Electronic screens emit blue light, which messes with your sleep cycle. This is because blue light decreases your body’s melatonin production.
Sleeping in a cool room also helps bring you better sleep with Fibromyalgia.
What temperature is best, though?
Sleepopolis says between 60 – 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Fibro Clinic recommends 65 degrees F.
That sounds pretty cold to me! I like it at 72-73 degrees. I wake up hot if it’s 74 degrees or above.
8. Take short naps only if needed
Studies show that napping likely increases pain and sensitivity in people with Fibromyalgia.
Yet, some with Fibro must take a nap (or two) to get through the day.
Or they even feel better after taking a quick cat nap.
I feel better if I have back or leg pain, allodynia, my shorts suck, etc., and I take a short nap (15-45 minutes).
Though I have had periods where napping made me drag even more ass and feel worse.
Naps are certainly slippery slopes, but they can be used for good if you find that they’re good for you.
You must learn and tweak to find your napping sweet spot.
Yes, the sweet spot will change too, but your body needs sleep. That can’t be denied.
9. Buy a better mattress
An unsupportive mattress does no good for your body or your sleep.
It can affect your circadian rhythm, slow metabolism, and cause significant aches and pains.
Obviously, you don’t want that.
We upgraded to a new mattress back in 2019, and it’s helped me.
That’s not to say I wake up pain-free, but I feel better supported and not so crunched up, if you know what I mean.
We got a king size on Wayfair for under $400.
How much sleep is the “right amount” for Fibromyalgia?
When it comes to Fibromyalgia, the number of hours you sleep tends to be less important than the quality of sleep you get.
With that being said, the CDC recommends adults between 18-60 years old get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
More specifically, if you’re a woman, data shows that you may need 20 minutes more than men.
This is because women’s brains need more recovery time from the previous day!
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Your takeaway
How Fibromyalgia affects sleep is cyclical. You’re already so tired, yet your body pain prevents you from falling asleep fast and reaching deep, restorative sleep.
So you wake up tired, stiff, and groggy, already longing for bedtime. Only to do it all over again.
Furthermore, adverse effects from your medications can make it hard for you to sleep.
And so can the buildup of Mom Guilt and frail emotional health.
You can help yourself sleep better by eating a lighter dinner, using a sleep mask, and relaxing with a kid’s book before bed.
Do you experience unrefreshing sleep with Fibromyalgia? How does it affect your sleep?
Let me know in the comments below.
And please share if you found this article helpful!
