Tips for sleeping with Fibromyalgia

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain often accompanied by fatigue and altered sleep, memory and mood.

Widespread muscle pain and tenderness are the most common symptoms. Living with such a condition can disrupt various aspects of your life, especially the ability to have a good night’s sleep. 

Fibromyalgia symptoms can be controlled using medications, stress-reducing activities, regular exercise, and different kinds of relaxation. And what is relaxation without a good bed?

We’ll share some tips for sleeping with fibromyalgia-related sleep problems, including Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), insomnia, and stress.

Exercise during the day –  

Moderate, regular exercise helps control RLS symptoms, and the keyword here is ‘Moderate’. Don’t push yourself too hard or over-exercise, and it might cause the RLS symptoms to worsen, causing disturbances in your sleep. 

Calf and thigh stretch before bed.

Another way to reduce RLS symptoms is by incorporating some light stretches into your bedtime routine. The most effective stretches apply tension to the calves or the thighs. Consider front thigh stretches, ankle rotations, or seated calf stretches.

Relieve stress with a warm bath and massage

A soothing massage or a warm bath can help relax the tension in your muscles. After a warm bath, sit in bed and lightly massage your legs and arms from top to bottom. And it helps lighten the load on your muscles and relaxes them. 

Avoid caffeine and alcohol at night.

Coffee is ideally used as a ‘wake up’ tool in the morning, so it should not be consumed at night if you want a good night’s sleep. If insomnia plagues your life, drinking coffee after lunchtime can be problematic. And although alcohol can make you feel drowsy. If consumed beyond a certain level, it is proven to reduce the quality of your sleep, especially during the second half of your sleep cycle, the most crucial bit. 

Limit napping during the day

Fibromyalgia can cause you to feel drowsy during the day, and napping might seem irresistible. But our advice to you is to fight it and make sure you limit your daytime napping to a minimum. 

Sleeping during the day can confuse the body and steer the mind to being ill-prepared to sleep at night.